Thank you Netgalley for The Quiet Dead by NJ Mackay in exchange for an honest review. I really liked this book, it had layers and complex characters that were well built. A murder mystery that went back many years and dealing with the complexity of family.

The Quiet Dead by NJ Mackay
Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden

*This review is based on the audio version*

This is a murder mystery story, which leaves you constantly trying to figure out who did it before you reach the end of the story. A great listen with tons of twists & turns, suspense, and that itch to know what happened. I loved the audio version; I am a firm believer a narrator can make or break the story. I enjoyed Detective Sebastion Locke, such an intriguing character with a past that felt like he was trying to prove himself. The author does a great job bringing the past and present together throughout the story, I never felt lost when it switched up. This was a great listen, and I look forward to more of Detective Locke's stories.

Name of Book: The Quiet Dead
Author: N.J. Mackay
Series: DI Sebastian Locke
Narrator:: Elizabeth Knowelden
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: September 5, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 Stars!
Pages: 333

Fifteen years ago, when Hayley DaSilva was a teen she found herself in a nightmare when she got home and saw the bodies of her murdered mom, her twin brother, as well as her friend, Her father, Leonard DaSilva, confessed to the murders and is in prison.
However her nine year old bother Ethan was never found
What happened to her little brother?
Although not sure what happened, but a shallow grave with small bodies believed to be those of young Ethan. Detective Sebastian Locke called Hayley with this information also that the investigation into the murders reveals proof that Leonard’s confession was false. He didn’t kill his family.
So why did he say he did?

This story kept me guessing whodunit and have to admit I was surprised!

I found Detective Sebastian Locke to be a very interesting character. He was adopted and feels he failed his adopted parents.
He is a single dad in his early 30s with a thirteen year old daughter; he does have the help from his mother-in-law which he needs as this is the first time taking lead on a case. .

I am looking forward to the next Sebastian Locke story!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 5, 2023.

I loved the narrator. The story was okay. This isn't my usual read/listen.
I was really into it though.
Give this one a listen.

Mackay does a wonderful job of combining the present, the past, and backstory for our protagonist into a well-crafted and riveting story. The characters are wonderfully written and have depth and the story draws you in with it's horrible premise: what if the wrong man has been behind bars?

This book is a slow start and I do wish the author had included a bit fewer characters as they got confusing to keep them all straight.

If the rest of the series is anything like this I will definitely have to continue with it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

Years ago, Haley’s father confessed to the murders of her mother and twin… with her younger brother missing… and he has been in prison ever since. Upon discovery of her little brother’s bones, the investigation proves that her father didn’t do it.

So, we are brought along as the investigation into what really happened unfolds. Diving deep into the past, we come across the weaving and winding story of the truth, and it wasn’t really what I was expecting.

I think this is a really promising new DI series. I thought the twists and turns were all pretty intriguing. The various characters were all well written and the pacing was good.

I look forward to more in the series.

Fifteen years ago, Hayley's family was murdered. Her dad confessed to doing it. Her little brother was never found... until now. As soon as her brother is discovered, in the woods and far from their house, the police are forced to reopen the investigation. They quickly find that very little investigative work was done initially, so they scramble to investigate a 15 year old crime, and also figure out why so many corners were initially cut.

This started out a bit rough for me- I kept having to go back and reread- sometimes multiple times- because my mind wandered. But, once Hayley returned to England, it picked up and I was hooked. And, while I did have some of the ending figured out, there were a few surprises. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

The audiobook is narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden. While her performance is good, I do with they had used multiple narrators as there are multiple POVs (mostly two- Hayley and DI Locke)

I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really Enjoyed this story! I was Taken by surprise by the twist and discovery of what actually happened all this years ago.
The ending was bittersweet but gave proper closure. The pace of the story was just perfect and characters were very multidimensional .

I would give this book a solid 3.5 Stars. It was written pretty well and the ending was okay. I think it was more messed up than I wanted it to be because it involved kids but that's what also made it a pretty decent book. I had a couple issues with this book first of all there was so many characters that it got quite confusing. And I would have to say I liked the investigator more than the main character. Overall a pretty good thriller.

Wow, this book was amazing! The narrator was fantastic! The story itself was full of twists and turns. I thought I knew who did it, but man was I surprised at the ending. I was partially right, but this book has an ending that will shock the hell out of you. I will definitely be adding this author to my TBR list! What an exceptional book!

Huge thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

The Quiet Dead is the first book in a new crime thriller series featuring DI Sebastian Locke. In this first book, the conviction of a man for the murder of his family comes into question. The surviving daughter comes back to the UK at the investigator’s request and to find out what really happened to her family. Can DI Locke determine the truth after all this time?!

This was a great British crime murder mystery story and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series. The audiobook was well done; it held my attention and I really enjoyed listening to the narrator. Overall, I recommend grabbing this audiobook when it publishes on 05 Sept 2023!

As always, thank you @dreamscape_media and @netgalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

The Quiet Dead by NJ Mackay
DI Sebastian Locke Mystery series book #1
Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden

Fifteen years ago, Hayley DaSilva found herself surrounded by the bodies of her murdered mom, twin brother, and friend, and her father was imprisoned for the murders. Hayley is haunted by the fact that her nine year old brother was never found and although she'd love to think he is still alive, the chances are slim. What happened to her little brother? After a few years, Hayley got as far away from that life and location as she could and is now living in the US, married to a wealthy man.

Now her little brother's body has been found and Hayley is back at the house where her mother, brother, and friend were murdered. It seems her dad might not have been the murderer which brings up the question of why he signed a confession saying that he did murder three people. Hayley is afraid of the answer and afraid that she could have played a part in the destruction of her family.

This is Detective Sebastian Locke's first time to lead such a big case. He's in his early 30s, the dad of a thirteen year old daughter who seems like a stranger suddenly. Thank goodness he and his mother in law are raising his daughter together because he wouldn't be able to lead this case and meet his daughter's needs without his MIL's help. Locke is an interesting character, with issues due to being adopted and feeling like he failed the couple who adopted him. He seems like a man who never really was able to not feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. There are a huge number of people to question and interview with this cold case turned hot and he's causing a giant problem for the department since it looks like the early murder case was bungled all around, possibly on purpose.

I appreciate that throughout this very complex case, which involves a lot of people who may be lying or withholding information, that Locke will take a break to recap where the case stands as he learns more about matters fifteen years ago and in the present day. I needed those recaps to help me make sense of all the things we learn. This is a complex puzzler and it's hard to know whether to trust Hayley or not. In fact, it's hard to know whether to trust anyone related to the earlier case. Locke and company have a mess to sort through, with roadblocks all the way. Talented Elizabeth Knowelden does a fine job narrating the story.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book had a bit of a slow start, but ended full of twists and turns. I will be coming back for book2!

Fifteen years ago, Hayley DaSilva lost her whole family. Her mother and twin brother were murdered and her little brother went missing... with her fathers confession, he has been in prison for 15 years... But when they find her little brothers bones and reopen the investigation the is pulled back to the past and find out what really happened that night.. a killer has been hiding in plain sight... As DI Locke gets closer to the truth of who really murdered the DaSilvas, it becomes clear that the culprit won’t hesitate to spill blood to keep their shocking secrets hidden…

Thanks NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, & NJ Mackay for this advanced readers copy!

The Quiet Dead
By: NJ Mackay
Release date: 09-05-23
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
Series: DI Sebastian Locke Mystery, Book 1

3.5 stars. Leonard DaSilva slaughtered his family one night, discovered the next day by his daughter Hayley. Youngest son Ethan was missing, but after Leonard's confession, everyone assumed he was dead and Hayley fled the country to start a new life. Fifteen years later, Ethan is found, and this raises some serious questions about whether Leonard was telling the truth all those years ago, threatening to upend Hayley's life yet again.

This was a really enjoyable mystery, and I was unable to predict how it would turn out in the end (which is always a bonus). I did find the sheer number of characters and relationships across generations and timelines pretty difficult to follow, but it did get easier as the story moved along. Just don't quiz me on any of those names of connections now, mkay? The audio narrator is excellent, and I thought the pacing of the story was perfect!

Thank you to NJ Mackay, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for my advance audio copy.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio ARC. I unfortunately could not connect and did not like the narrater's voice.