If you love your thrillers grimy, fast-paced, and dipped in just the right amount of real-world tea, Silent Judgment by Zaire Crown will absolutely hit the spot.

This story throws you headfirst into the streets of Detroit and doesn’t flinch. We follow Silence, a feared street executioner who’s deaf, deeply traumatized, and not looking to be anyone’s hero. When he’s ordered to protect Amelia Chess, a controversial Black conservative media personality who’s gone from prime time to target, the stakes explode.

And here’s the thing: I couldn’t stop thinking about how familiar Amelia Chess felt. Let’s just say she echoes a certain high-profile figure we’ve all seen riling folks up on TV and Twitter, and honestly? That made it more entertaining for me. I love when fiction isn’t afraid to tiptoe into real-world commentary. It adds depth, humor, and this layer of “I see what you did there.”

But this isn’t just about bodyguard duty or political satire. It’s about what happens when two deeply flawed people are forced into proximity. The dynamic between Amelia and Silence is electric in the messiest, tensest way. Silence doesn’t do politics. Amelia doesn’t do vulnerability. And yet, watching their worlds crash into each other was one of the most compelling aspects of the book.

The writing is raw. The language? Unapologetic. This book doesn’t play nice, and I love that. Zaire Crown builds a world where nothing is black and white. Silence isn’t a moral compass. He’s a man carrying the weight of past sins and still willing to do what it takes to survive. The grit feels earned. The violence feels personal. And the trauma? It’s not romanticized. It’s present in every line of dialogue and every silent beat of Silence’s inner world.

There’s also a solid mystery at the center of it all, full of conspiracies, betrayal, and secrets that neither the characters nor the reader see coming. And by the time the final twist hit, I was already hoping for a sequel.

This book made me think. About survival. About identity. About how some people find connection in the least expected places. And about how fiction can shine a light on truths we sometimes avoid.

If you’re someone who enjoys street lit with emotional depth, sharp commentary, and bold storytelling, Silent Judgment delivers. It’s not soft. It’s not clean. But it’s real. And sometimes, that’s exactly what makes a story unforgettable.

Silent Judgment is gritty, urban literature by Zaire Crown. Don’t know if this is being presented as a series, but it is certainly a continuation of Silence, the previous book by this author.

Silence, a character introduced in The Game Never Ends, continues his adventurous lifestyle. He’s been “convinced” to serve as bodyguard to a controversial black tv personality. Unbeknownst to Silence, his two worlds are about to collide.

Zaire Crown continues his streak of excellence with another study of this character. The story holds the reader’s attention with vivid characters and dialogue. While not a cliffhanger per se, the ending still lends itself to future installments. Not as good as the previous book, Silence, but still a 4 out of 5 and well worth the read, especially for those interested in suspense with a good conspiracy theory.

My thanks to Kensington Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% my unbiased opinion.

Silent Judgment by Zaire Crown

Action-packed urban thriller that took me out of my comfort zone and landed me once again in a world that I have never visited and probably would not be comfortable. It made me think and wonder and contemplate life in new ways not frequented on a daily basis

What I liked:
* Silence: deaf, deadly, raised in a militant off the grid community, has a difficult backstory, self-aware, bright, complex, intriguing
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* Stepping into a completely different world populated with characters unlike any I have ever met except in pages of books
* That even though dark, gritty, and violent…I could see why actions were taken and why the story progressed as it did
* Thinking about the characters and why they chose to live as they did
* The strength and intelligence of some of the female characters in the story
* Being thankful that I could not see myself as a character in this book…though I was fascinated by them
* Wondering about the conspiracy theories, cults, and secret societies in the world and hoping that the ones in this book don’t exist in real life
* Wondering what Silence will get up to next
* That there will be another book in the series

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Not always understanding all the words that were used by the characters and the frequent use of the “N” word as I have been told it should not be used…ever…
* Having to wait to see what will happen next

Did I like this book? For the most part
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

I’m not the target audience for this book. I had the ARC and really wanted to enjoy this especially given there aren’t any reviews but the voice was just too off-putting for me unfortunately.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. Upon starting the very first chapter, it was clear the vulgarity and subject matter were too much for my personal taste. I was hoping to go outside of my comfort zone, but I really think I would be doing this book a disservice to read and review it knowing I wouldn't finish it on my own.