This is book nine in the Detective Lottie Parker series and it's one of the best! We catch up with Lottie and Boyd as they prepare for their wedding day. A series of suspicious deaths has them trying to find the killer. There is plenty drama and red herrings, a fast pace and good characterisation in this well written book. I would highly recommend this series, full of twists, murder and action. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

It only seems like yesterday that I first met DI Lottie Parker, DS Mark Boyd and her team. And here we are at book 9! I may have missed a few in between the first books and where I next picked up with Lottie and Boyd, but it feels as though I have been with them every step of the way. And when a new book comes along it is always a treat to catch up with them all once again.

That being said, SILENT VOICES suffices quite well as a standalone (as does each book in this series) but as with all series it is always best to start from the beginning to get to know the characters and their backstories. Sure, I've missed a few pertinent happenings but I'm well caught up in the books that have followed since.

This 9th installment of the DI Lottie Parker series may be called SILENT VOICES, but I think "Silent Screams" might have been a better choice, given how the victims in the book died...which soon becomes clear.

For the past several books, we have been skirting around Lottie and Boyd's engagement and wonder are they ever going to get married? After all, the two certainly danced around the topic often enough. But finally, that day has arrived. After an opening which saw the death of a young boy being pushed to his death in a quarry, we then move on to the prologue which sees Lottie out of her standard jeans and shirt and wearing a chiffon dress in front of a mirror, pondering the day ahead. This is her wedding day! After a tumultuous week, she and Boyd were finally getting married! But when she walks outside and sees her daughters, her mother and Boyd's sister Grace standing together along with Kirby, acting as Boyd's best man, her stomach drops. Something has happened. Racing into the cottage where Boyd and Kirby were dressing for the ceremony, she finds a note addressed to "Mark Boyd" with a cryptic message inside...as the world suddenly goes black and Lottie falls to the floor.

Rewind a week earlier and Rachel Mullen attends a drinks networking gig at the newly opened Annie's Restaurant, owned and operated by Annie Fleming. The next day Rachel's twin sister Beth returns home from Dublin to find her dead, her back arched, her fingers clawing at her neck and her mouth opened in a silent scream. The cause of death returns as strychnine poisoning, a particularly nasty (and very painful) way to die. But who would want to kill Rachel? And in such a painful way? Who hated her that much? Lottie and her team pose the question to her devastated twin Beth who can think of no one. As the team dig into Rachel's background they discover that she was just starting her own cosmetics business which was to be sustainably sourced from organic products such as rock and stone...things found in a quarry. And then they learn that her meeting just prior to the drinks party she attended the night before at Annie's restaurant was with Matthew Fleming, Annie's estranged husband...and owner of a local quarry. Are the Flemings somehow linked to Rachel's death?

Then a couple of days later 15 year old Maddy Daly returns the bike she had borrowed from her friend Ellen Gormley, but upon getting no answer to her knock, goes inside. There she finds Ellen in a broken heap at the bottom of her stairs, her face in apparent agony and her mouth open in a silent scream. Toxicology comes back also as strychnine poisoning. But the time of death was at least 24 hours prior to Rachel's. Lottie must work out how the deaths of these two women are related...and where does young Maddy fit in, whom Boyd seems to have a soft spot for?

When a third woman is found in similar circumstances, Lottie realises she has her hands full...what with the investigation and Supt Farrell breathing down her neck. How is she to get this case solved and put to bed before her wedding in two days' time?

And then Lottie's sixteen year old daughter has an apparent new boyfriend whom she is yet to meet, and who she knows nothing about. But Chloe has been through a lot in the past five years since her father's death from cancer, as has the whole family, Lottie has given her daughter the freedom to work at a local pub and become her own person. It's her son Sean that is the worry for her. Her eldest Katie now lives in New York with her two year old son Louie, whom Lottie misses terribly. But they will be back for the wedding which she can hardly wait for - on both counts.

Then when there the massive storm that has been brewing all week hits on the Thursday and flooding half the town, Chloe rings Lottie in a panic because the hotel where the wedding reception is to be held has been flooded and they have no back-up plan! But then a though occurs to Lottie...however unethical it might be. She just wants to marry Mark Boyd.

There is so much going on in this book, but in a good way so you don't get confused. Murders, Maddy, weddings...with a bit of drug dealing and the odd quarry explosion not to mention the batch of shifty characters...there is everything in SILENT VOICES you need for another twisty suspenseful thriller. I love how the Lottie Parker series is not JUST a police procedural...but a crime thriller as well. You get to see the story from various perspectives without giving anything away. For me, this is the best kind of police procedural, as it keeps the pace going at the rate of knots.

I have loved to see Lottie grow into the woman she is now. I have to admit to not really liking her all that much when I first met her. She was stubborn (she still is) and a bit arrogant in wanting to get to the truth whatever the cost, whilst going home to down a couple of bottles of red or white or whatever was on offer. These days she has mellowed somewhat and I think Boyd has been good for her. I must admit to missing Boyd working alongside her in the previous couple of books, what with his receiving treatment for leukaemia. In the last book he was still there but not back at work yet, so it wasn't quite the same. The book before I don't recall him being around much at all and I must admit to missing him at Lottie's side. Together they make the perfect partnership...which begs the question, where will that leave them when they marry? Will their partnership be split after their marriage?

SILENT VOICES is a brilliant addition to the series and very probably the best yet...but that may be down to the return of Boyd to their partnership. I have no hesitation in recommending this book or the entire series for that matter. Should you choose to read this as a standalone, it can be done, but I do recommend starting from the beginning to appreciate the characters and their personal growths more.

Overall, a fast paced thriller that kept me turning the pages right up to the end. Thoroughly enjoyed it and welcome the return of Lottie and Boyd!

I would like to thank #PatriciaGibney, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #SilentVoices in exchange for an honest review.

A suspenseful thriller with a well-constructed and well-thought-out plot.

By far the strongest part of this book is the very interesting and complicated plot. The author has created many suspects and they are all equally likely to be the perpetrators. Everyone is acting suspiciously and has something to hide. Every now and then we learn about new connections between characters and new secrets. I loved it! Until the end, I had no idea who the murderer really is. Patricia Gibney can write convincing suspects and an intricate storyline that keeps you on the edge of your sit from start to finish.

What I did not expect was Lottie, a non-obvious main character with a difficult character. She is a strong and intelligent woman, certainly not a boring or conventional heroine. I hadn't read the previous books in this series, and perhaps that's why I found it difficult at times to understand her and her relationship with Boyd. For most of the book, Lottie appears to be irritated. I'm not sure exactly what the dynamics of her relationship with Boyd are. I haven't read the previous books, so I don't know how their relationship developed, but for a couple who are about to get married, they don't talk much to each other, either at work or outside. I didn't feel much chemistry between them. It's a pity because both Lottie and Boyd are fascinating and complex characters. While they're solving this case together, I'd like to see them really do it together as a couple.

Fortunately, it wasn't something that bothered me a lot, or distracted me from the brilliant plot, unexpected twists, and the complicated personalities of all the characters and suspects. If anything, it encourages me to read the earlier books in this series, especially as there seems to be a lot going on in Lottie and Boyd's lives. I don't think this is my last book by this author.

Book 9 in the series and still going strong!

I was hooked from the very first page. The twists and turns kept the pages turning and me guessing til the very end.

It was great to be back in Ragmullin with Lottie, Boyd and the rest of the gang.  As usual nothing goes to plan for them.

Absolutely loved it and can't wait to read the next one.

Apologizing in advance for the negative review. 
The story premise was very intriguing. The detailed description of the murders and the many shady characters kept me guessing who the killer must be. I was quite invested in the book till about 50% of the story when things started getting absurd. 

In which world does a police interrogation happen over dinner at a suspect's home?  The whole notion of accepting a dinner invite from a person of interest in an ongoing murder investigation of which Lottie was lead detective, seemed totally unethical. Also, the way Annie deflected from answering Lottie's questions by stating that they were 'private matters' and Lottie quietly accepting it made no sense to me. I have never read or watched an interrogation scene where the detective accepts that as a valid reply. 

The scene where Mark Boyd gives Maddie's phone number to Tara 'to get in touch because they seemed so alike' was ridiculous. They were not even the same age, for crying out loud; Maddie was a 16yr old kid while Tara was around twenty-five-years old. Again, isn't it unethical to give out a minor's details to a random person -  something that a seasoned cop or an author of 9 detective novels would be aware of? 

Another thing that I could not wrap my head around was the tantrum that Lottie threw over Boyd objecting to their wedding taking place at Annie's house - why would the author portray Lottie, a senior detective, that way - like a spoilt child or a naive bystander who doesn't understand the ramifications of accepting favors from a suspect? 

The whole scene between Brendan and Maddie felt like it was written by a child. The character of Brendan didn't even serve any purpose to the plot. 

I was very tempted to DNF this book, but seeing that it was Book 9 of a series, I figured that there must be something worth reading if it has lasted this long and so, I persisted. While the story started with a lot of promise, a half-baked plot with shoddy writing ruined it for me. 

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Silent Voices is the ninth book in the D.I. Lottie Parker series.  Whilst each investigation is a standalone story, I strongly recommend going back to where it all starts - The Missing Ones - as Lottie and her team’s stories go back a long way, and they’re every bit as engaging as the crimes themselves.

The author has developed a winning formula that flows throughout the series; a story that unfolds in parallel timelines, with plenty of twists, discoveries and cliff-hangers that never fail to keep me riveted.  Grizzly murders are a trademark, and if you think you’re being spared gore at the crime scene, then the visits to the pathologist’s ‘dead house’ will soon change that. Family ties are a recurring feature - and a seemingly rich hunting ground - both for the investigation, and in Lottie’s own storyline too. All told in a deliciously soft, southern Irish cadence, peppered with just enough ‘fecks’ to keep its gritty edge.

Silent Voices opens to a posthumous scene that predates this particular investigation by nine years.  Its relevance remained a puzzle to me for a satisfyingly long time. So, with this thread firmly planted in my mind, the book jumps in to the present day which happens to be Lottie and Boyd’s wedding day.  But as the saying ‘best laid plans’ goes, this day looks set to be a disaster; the groom is missing. Far from being a case of cold feet, the book then spirals back six days to the night of the first murder, although the role Boyd has to play won’t become clear until the later chapters.  Over the course of six days, three young women are murdered in the most gruesome fashion, and whilst the connection between the three of them is proving almost impossible to establish, the murderer’s ‘signature’ placement of a shard of broken glass in their mouths makes it clear there’s a serial killer prowling the streets of Ragmullin … again!  

The book is peopled by a large cast of characters, and whilst I occasionally had to take a moment to remind myself who’s who, I genuinely enjoy the role each of them has to play in sustaining the mystery of the story. Two names keep elbowing their way into the investigation; Matthew Flemming, and Maddy Daly. Whilst Flemming frequently proves himself worthy of the detectives’ suspicions, fifteen year-old Maddy’s vulnerabilities are bringing out a paternal protectiveness in Detective Boyd; a sentiment the killer exploits spectacularly. 

Lottie Parker is fast becoming one of my favourite detectives.  She’s a complex character, as infuriating as she is endearing.  There were so many times I wanted to reach into the book and recalibrate her settings … whilst she’s a tenacious and intuitive detective, she smothers her family instincts, often to the detriment of her three children; Katie, Chloe and Sean.  I had thought her becoming a (young) grandmother to the very gorgeous two-year-old Louis might refocus her, but the lure of solving crimes is still an irresistible drive for her. 

Somehow, Lottie manages to start and end each day at home, but chaos reigns both here and at work where her reputation for cutting corners is as strong as her crime-solving prowess.  In the previous book - Buried Angels - relations between Lottie and Detective Lynch were reaching a new low, with the insubordinate Lynch dragging old grievances back to the surface. For a time it seems the bad blood between the two women threatens to destabilise the rest of the team and this latest investigation, but then it becomes clear there’s somebody else in the team determined to throw D.I. Parker to the wolves.  Yet, for all the friction, Lottie is deeply respected by a handful of characters who are crucial to the progression of the story; I really enjoy the dynamic she has with Detective Kirby (the loyal old-dog of her team), Jim McGlynn (the cranky forensics genius), and Jane Dore (the pocket-rocket state pathologist).

Despite the secrecy and hidden agenda of almost every character, the team somehow manage to bring the investigation to a satisfying close. The final chapters of the book neatly bring the threads of the investigation together, looping back to make sense of the hitherto cryptic events of the opening chapter. However, I was a little disappointed at how the story ended for Maddy; she had been a key character from start to finish, and through Boyd’s and Lottie’s polarising perspectives my opinion of her was constantly being challenged … I just felt her character had worked hard enough to deserve a higher profile ending.

I have to marvel at Patricia Gibney’s capacity for feeding my crime-thriller cravings … nine books now since the first book in the series was published in March 2017!  Seemingly no sooner have I closed one book than its sequel pops up in my ‘books you might like’ recommendations.  Might!?  This frequency of new books is never to the detriment of the drama; quite the opposite, with the suspense and character engagement ratcheting up to new highs each time.

Fans of other whip-sharp crime series will take great pleasure in the author’s use of enjoyable, familiar themes - an enormously talented detective, just the right amount of abrasive professional relationships, a boss beholden to the media and police politics, and a blatant loathing of local journalists. For all these familiar tropes, however, these books never fall foul of clichés or pigeonholes.  Lottie’s genuinely likeable character, and the pacey - often acerbic - dialogue between the characters, make for a fresh, immersive thriller that’s almost impossible to put down.

This is an amazing series, I can't believe we are already on book number 9!

Lottie Parker is trying to figure out who is going around murdering young woman whilst also trying to plan her wedding. There are lots and lots of players in this drama and even though I had a good idea who the murderer was early on, this is a well-written book that I just couldn't put down.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

A deliciously addictive thriller that you do not want to miss !!! Love this book and the series ! Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book ! #Netgalley #Bookouture #SilentVoices

It seemed like yesterday when we first met DI Lottie Parker and we're already at book 9. Nine! A series running this long is in danger of becoming quite repetitive, but one thing to point in this one is that the MC has evolved quite a lot since her first appearance, and that's something to be thankful for. Halfway through the series I got pretty disenchanted with the course Lottie's character was taking. She was obnoxious, controlling of her kids, alienating everyone around her both in her personal and professional life, but with time she has managed to soften her edges and, although she can still be quite abrasive (especially with some of her colleagues), she's much more likable now. As Roxette sang, it must have been love! Wedding bells are ringing for Lottie and Boyd but the poisoning of a young girl just days before they tie the knot threatens to derail their wedding plans.

As usual in this series what follows is a tremendously entertaining police procedural with dozens of characters, red herrings and investigation lines that keep the plot moving at quite a brisk pace. While reading these books I always keep saying to myself "it's impossible for her to tie everything together, there are way too many things", but when THE END comes every loose tie finds itself wrapped with a nice bow. In this case, although everything had an explanation, I found the resolution a bit of a stretch, hence this one not being 5 stars.

Maybe it's me, who after nine installments feel these characters as part of the family, maybe it's the books themselves, but I think this series just keep getting better and better, being a MUST for all those police procedural fans out there.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is book nine of a cracking series and, as usual, series rules apply although the main story is self-contained.
Rachel Mullen is found dead in bed by her twin sister. There's a glass shard in her throat. Enter Lottie Parker and her team to investigate. They have just got started investigating a party the deceased had attended when there's another death - a young doctor, also with a glass shard - and Lottie has to take her investigations on a new path. But they are a determined bunch and no fools to investigating and will pull out all the stops to unearth the truth and bring the perpetrator to justice...
I love this series. In my previous reviews, I made no secret of the fact that it took me until quite late in the series to actually gel with Lottie. Slowly slowly catchy monkey! But we are on firm feet now and that relationship is holding on. As is hers with Boyd - well as holding on as a Police relationship can!
Anyhow, the crime being investigated was interesting and intriguing and held my attention nicely throughout, With many suspects all being ruled in and out as the book went on, I had to have my wits about me to try and guess - I failed but I did have a great time trying. There are secrets and lies aplenty and more than a fair slice of duplicitous behaviour to be found herein, making it hard to cut through the noise. But Lottie is nothing but determined and, once she got there, it was a joy to be held and I left the book wholly satisfied.
All in all, a cracking addition to an already impressive series. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Silent Voices, the ninth novel to feature DI Lottie Parker of the Ragmullin An Garda Síochána.

Lottie and her team are called out to a death scene. Beth Mullen comes home to find her sister Rachel dead in her bed. One look and Lottie knows it’s murder and suspects poison. Unfortunately Rachel is not the only victim so the hunt is on for links between the victims that will lead them to the killer.

I thoroughly enjoyed Silent Voices which is an exciting read with plenty of suspects and a well concealed perpetrator and motive. The novel has a varying timeline, opening with a death nine years previously, then jumping to a present day shocker before going back to week before to cover the events that led up to the shocker. It also tells these events from various points of view, including some mystery chapters from an unidentified voice - no prizes for guessing whose voice it is, but identifying the voice was beyond me. To be honest I didn’t pay it too much attention as its relevance is only latterly apparent and the self pity has been done ad nauseum in modern fiction. The investigation is the thing for me. 

Surprisingly I found the different voices lured me deeper into the novel, rather than my more usual lack of interest and desire to put the novel down. I think characterisation plays a strong role in this. The author has a knack for it and they always seem like people you could know. Lottie is the best, trying to run a demanding job and a family as a single parent and fending off her mother’s “helpful” suggestions and “constructive” criticism. I’m quite sure it’s a situation many of us can empathise with. It all seems like a ginormous mess with Lottie not really knowing what she’s doing, but that’s a front. She knows people and her instincts guide her. I loved the running gag about wedding planning.

Like Lottie the investigation doesn’t run smoothly, as ever it comes down to history and interpersonal relationships. Untangling them and getting people to tell the truth and reveal their inner shame is never easy but it’s addictive for the reader as they gradually come to light.

Silent Voices is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Yes! Another one in this brilliant series. I have read them all and am yet to be disappointed. In fact my mother and I have both read every instalment of the Lorrie Parker series and this one does not disappoint.

Lottie is trying to find out how/why women are being poisoned in our beloved Ragmullin. In this book we get what we love and that is a plenty of intrigue and interesting characters as she tries figure out the web of deceit and clues. On top of this she is also about to get married to Boys so we see another side to her too. It is genuinely a great page turner. I loved how it all tied in together. 

I’ve always enjoyed Lottie’s character, she’s smart and sassy and just a great main protagonist. The series is fantastic and while you could read this one as a stand alone I’d recommend to read it as part of the series instead. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this great book.

A twisty police procedural 
I probably shouldn't have started with book 9 in a series as I'm sure I would've enjoyed it much more. That being said, this was a good read. It was well written, twisty and fast paced. A strong female lead, a great cast of supporting characters and a killer that wasn't easy to determine kept me turning pages. Now I have to start at the beginning of this wonderful series!
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Lottie is preparing for her wedding but of course work intervenes! A young business woman is found dead in her bed after attending a party in a local restaurant. Who would want to harm her and why? Shortly after a young doctor is found dead in a similar fashion and the hunt leads Lottie and her team to a young girl Maddy who knew the doctor and waitressed at the party on the night Rachel was killed. Does she know something? Is she in danger?
Yet again you are pulled into Lotties life and that of her team and her family. With each book you are pulled into their story and kept guessing until the end. I loved it.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book 9 finds DI Lottie Parker looking forward to her marriage to DS Mark Boyd in less than a week about the same time as she becomes embroiled in the murder of Rachel Mullen—the victim of rat poison. 

It’s not long after the first that another is murdered with the same horrifying MO. But before the dust really settles, a third victim is found. The investigation launches into extended interviews and an ever-widening pool of possibles. In the meantime, Lottie runs the gamut of both ends of the spectrum of the human experience from the very entitled wealthy to kids living in tenements.
 
The author casts a wide net and varies her chapter focus on the various support characters, alternately developing the young tenement girl as a sympathetic child caught in a miserable home situation to disagreeable Annie Fleming the entitled mother whose only focus her burgeoning empire. Throw in Lottie’s daughter trying to coordinate the wedding plans and the narrative becomes complex. 

Well, okay, once again I’ve jumped in to the middle of a well established series, my first experience with either the series or the author. I found it to be well-plotted but the premise was pushing the line into disbelief and I wondered how it was all to be gathered at conclusion. 

Two quibbles—first the conclusion went into detailed discussion how it all laid out. Was the perp suspected? Yes, but too obvious and dismissed. Granted—they were damaged...but. Oh, and the use of “they” when it meant an individual had me confused. I kept wondering if it were really the two?

Lottie Parker is on the job again as the bodies are piling up faster than her team can gather evidence.

Silent Voices is the 9th book in the series and the books just keep getting better and better.

Lottie and Boyd are supposed to be getting married at the end of the week but with the victim count rising it is not looking good for their wedding day.

Twists and turns , some nasty characters, some good ones, (you go Maddy) all add up to a page turning read.  

I had my suspicions but I wasn't entirely right.

First in line for Book 10 with my good friends, Lottie , Boyd and the team. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for  the privilege of reading and reviewing one of my favourite series.

What a gripping and fast paced read! Now we're at book 9 of the series and the cast have almost become like friends. Detective Lottie Parker and the Team are investigating the case of an unexplained death and it seems more complicated than it initially looked. Lottie and Boyd are getting married at the weekend and she hopes they can crack the case before then.

Rachel, a young entrepreneur who is in the process of setting up her own unique skincare line is found dead in her bed after a glitzy business reception at a new local restaurant. Her sister, who finds her is distraught. Lottie and the Team are immediately on the case and find something unusual on the body. As the investigation progresses another young woman, a gifted doctor is found murdered and it seems that the two cases are now connected. Did the women know each other? What is it that the Team are missing?

What does young girl Maddy know that she's not telling anyone and can they find out before something tragic happens to her? I say this every time but I think this is the best one yet. Twisty, gripping and brilliant. I totally loved it and couldn't put it down.

A new DI Lottie Parker novel is always a treat and this is one of the best yet. Lottie has less than a week to go before her wedding to Boyd when she's thrust into a complex new case. A young woman returning home to Ragmullin from a night out in Dublin found her twin sister dead in her own bed after attending a business meeting followed by a cocktail party at a new restaurant. When the body of a second woman, a psychologist, is found, both of them killed in the same way, but seemingly unconnected to each other, Lottie realises she's going to have her work cut out to find both the motive and the killer. 

It's good to be back with Lottie and her team. Lottie is her usual irascible self, refusing to be pressured and making up her own rules, but she seems stronger in this episode with her relationship solid and her family all doing well. As always she is a smart detective whose brain is always on overdrive, trying to find connections that will link the victims and the suspects. There is a large cast of characters and it takes a long time before any links between them become apparent. Nevertheless, the plot moves at a fast pace and there is never a dull moment. As the date of Lottie's and Boyd's wedding draws closer, it's a race to see if they will both make it in time.

Silent Voices is book 9 in the D.I. Lottie Parker series by Patricia Gibney. I am such a huge fan of this series and this book did not disappoint. There are a number of series where you could easily say that the first book is the best and the rest are good/ok - that is not the case with this series. Every book is filled with twists and turns and a complicated mystery and Silent Voices is no exception. 

First there are two murder victims in Ragmullin. They are seemingly unrelated in every way other than the cause of death. Lottie and her team are working against the clock to link the two before someone else winds up dead. This story weaves together a number of mysteries that keep you guessing until the very end. It was pretty brilliant how everything ties back together. Also, fans of the series will be happy to see that Lottie and Boyd's wedding date is finally here!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the series but it can also easily be read as a stand-alone story. You really do not need any background from the previous books in order to enjoy it.

Another fantastic, fast paced edition to the series, packed full of twists and suspects, definitely the best book yet