This is a psychological thriller that leans on past traumas, the need for just at least one consistent figure in your life and sacrifice.

On his last day as a Detective, Braun is requested by a suspect to be his interviewing officer. As Frank Braun tries to work out why Jacob has asked for him by name, he starts to find a sense of duty that he must do what he can to save Jacob from a long prison stint due to the third strike rule.

This is a police procedural that unlike most is focused on the interview of a suspect come victim. How relationships grow and develop during an interview, a masterpiece in how empathy and asking the right questions can produce a desired outcome.

As the trauma of Jacob’s past is unveiled during the interview, Braun works to encourage to feel safe to share the deep seated trauma impacting his life. The worries that occurred at the weavers farm continue to unravel and so do events which Braun had forgotten.

Braun knows what needs to happen to save Jacob, resulting in further mastery of questions to identify the truth. What started off as a quiet last day packing up belongings turns into both a horror filled yet freeing day. A satisfying ending to both the book and the fictional character of Detective Braun with horrors being revealed right up to the last few pages of the book.

This is unlike any other Police Procedural i have read but found it a really thrilling read.

2.5 stars

I had high hopes for this book. It sounded like it would be super dark but it didn’t end up that way.

The author writes very well but this is a pretty short book but it moved extremely slowly. It was a little bit of a slog to get through. None of the revelations that are exposed in the book were surprising or that interesting. I kept waiting for something to happen but nothing really did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like the story as the premise.looked promising, but the characters and the plot just never got to me.

This novella features a retiring police officer interviewing a young man arrested for a petty drug charge. At risk of life in prison because of a preposterous three strikes law, Jacob decides to bare his soul to Braun.

I was really intrigued with the premise of the book. I was prepared for a slow-paced one-on-one interrogation. Unfortunately, this part did not deliver for me. The dialogue felt forced and unrealistic at times. There wasn't enough of a distinction between the voices of Braun and Jacob. The reveals managed to be anticlimactic and absurd at the same time.

Overall, an interesting premise with lackluster execution.

Thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for a review copy.

EXCERPT: One old man, a graying cattle farmer in his eighties, taking his usual evening drive into town in his 1962 pickup truck, down Old Johnson Road, noticed something, or someone, high upon the silo. Something unusual caught his eye, perhaps nothing but his old mind playing tricks; not anything to cause him to take his eyes off the dusty gravel road for more than a second or two. He knew the Weaver's farm, which the silo belonged. He paid little attention. He was too old for the rumor mill, but the rumors persisted. The old man could not know what he saw. His mind protected his soul's fragility. Whatever he saw, it changed nothing.
Life would go on.

ABOUT 'THE SILO': When Jacob Weaver is arrested, he is placed in a damp jail cell waiting for the other shoe to drop. Frank Braun, a retiring detective, is ordered to interview Jacob. A deep-rooted, yet painful, connection between the two men is exposed, creating a palpable tension. Jacob soon learns he may face life in prison under a law he never knew existed. The three strikes law.

MY THOUGHTS: The premise for The SILO is great, but the format in which it is written doesn't fully realise the story's potential.

Jacob may be facing life in prison under the Three Strikes law. But he holds information that may set him free.

This could have been a very tense and suspenseful story, but written the way it has been, mainly in interview format between Frank Braun and Jacob, and then his Aunt Rose, doesn't allow the development of tension and suspense. Flashbacks or dual timelines would have worked far better in this instance.

I liked the way that Frank was determined to get the best outcome possible for Jacob and didn't just leave him to his fate. We also find out a few truths about Franks past as Jocob's own past and family history is revealed.

The SILO is a novella that could have been far better than it was.

⭐⭐.5

#TheSILO #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Greg Heist is a retired police captain, who spent most of his career in the criminal investigation division. He was a crime scene investigator and graduate of the FBI National Academy. He has written fiction for many years, but published The SILO is his debut novella.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Books Go Social via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of The SILO by Greg Heist for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing house for giving me this opportunity to review this book ahead of it’s release.


I really enjoyed the book. I liked the way it was written, like an every day conversation that would take place between two people. It kept my very intrigued and I was left always wondering what was next. I really enjoyed Braun’s character.
I was not expecting the ending, or the twists that came at the end. I would definitely recommend this to everyone who enjoys a mystery.

Thanks bookshosocial and NetGalley for this arc.

I really wanted to enjoy the silo. I did.. but I found the whole thing to be lackluster and boring. I dnf.

I found this to be a quick reas that really grips you. You want to know what Jacob is hiding. You want to know his ties to Braun


I found it really interesting to watch Braun discover how his actions affected Jacob’s life and would have liked to see his internal struggle about that bit more


I was really waiting for an actual death in the silo at the end. I believe that would have been a more poignant way for rose to go

Over all I enjoyed this read

*The Silo* is a psychological thriller about Jacob Weaver, who faces life in prison under the three-strikes law, and Frank Braun, a retiring detective with a painful connection to Jacob’s family. As Braun investigates, dark secrets from the Weaver family’s past come to light, leading him to Aunt Rose, who holds the final, devastating truth. Tense and suspenseful, *The Silo* explores deep emotional scars and the deadly consequences of hidden secrets.

Although this title was published in August 2025 and in January 2025, I read the Kindle edition. I picked it up on Netgalley, not realizing this was a recent title. Anyway, I liked the blurb – but was a little underwhelmed by it after reading.
There is hardly any action in this book, just long dialogues between Frank Braun, policeman hoping to retire by the end of the day when the story starts, and Jacob Weaver, arrested for drunk driving and facing a longer punishment that he ever thought he could get.
During their talks/interrogation Jacob slowly opens up to Frank to reveal the sometimes shocking things that went on at the farm he was born and raised on. Eventually Frank decides to investigate.
Unfortunately, I found the whole story rather slow, with flat characters and zero interesting twists and surprises. It was well-written so I hope the next book by this author will be longer, with a more interesting plot and more fleshed-out characters.
Thanks to BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for this review copy.

The SILO is a suspenseful, intense psychological thriller that delves deep into dark family secrets. The dynamic between Jacob and Detective Braun is fascinating, and the tension builds steadily throughout the book. However, I found the formatting, which is primarily done in dialogue, a bit challenging—it’s not my favorite style and made it harder for me to fully connect with the characters at times. Still, the unraveling of the Weaver family’s secrets and the compelling mystery kept me engaged. A solid read for fans of psychological thrillers, even if the narrative style isn't for everyone.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Wow fantastic read. Easy five stars. Will definitely be recommending this on my Facebook group and buying for my mom who is an avid reader.

A tale that slowly builds before it hooks you with big twists of crimes committed in order for one person to create and to keep the family they desire. Mr. Heist creates character with a lot of depth in a fairly short story and creates a unique way for the crimes to be discovered via police interview. Different characters memory of the same events feels very true to life. Initially felt like a very slow start but that kept me captivated because I wanted so badly to know the twist!

A good novella. It's an interesting story, but I thought it dragged in parts. Yet, I would read another book by this author

This is not a normal police procedural following technical leads, but rather what was called "radio theater", because almost all of the book is dialogue, and in only a few settings. There are a few twists, and it's interesting reading if this genre is what you are looking for.

Once I started this one, I couldn't stop reading it until I'd finished, it's that good.

It focuses on an interview between Detective Frank Braun and Jacob Weaver. Braun is an expert on interviewing and interrogation, having taught seminars on the technique, and this is his last day at work. He is retiring. He doesn't want to conduct this interview, but Weaver had specifically asked for him. Yet Braun could not remember ever meeting the 29-year-old. As the interview unfolds, Weaver reminds Braun of the one time they had met, when Weaver was only 12 and had run away from home. Braun vaguely recalls this incident and the fact that he didn't carry through with an investigation because he was then suffering from PTSD.

Initially the interrogation proceeds slowly, as Braun believes in drawing out the story from the suspect gradually, letting him tell his story in his own words with a bit of prodding from the interrogator:

<i>...never tell suspects who or what they are. Never force out of them what you would like to hear. Let them reveal, in their own time, the answers to those questions and perhaps the crimes they have committed.</i>

The first few chapters of the story move slowly and readers anticipating a fast-moving action adventure are going to be disappointed; Weaver's background unfolds bit-by-bit, a background that becomes more horrifying as he stumbles along, disclosing the history of his life. This is not a fast-paced narrative; it is a slow insight into the psychology of a damaged man. As Weaver describes how he grew up, it gradually becomes obvious that he suffered greatly at the hands of his family—the small group of people who raised him—his grandfather, grandmother, aunt, and (seldom present) drugged-out mother. The main villain is obvious to the reader before the narrative shifts into high gear when Braun and Weaver finally travel to the farm where Weaver grew up.

The climax is not unexpected. But there is a codicil. A final chapter. That adds a very unexpected twist to the narrative, and explains much more than the knowledge conveyed in the interaction between Braun and Weaver.

This is a first story by Greg Heist. The author spent 31 years in law enforcement. It is a top-level <b>psychological thriller</b>. Given that it is novella length, it can be read in a few hours.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an electronic copy of this book. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.

I really struggled to get into The Silo. I gave it a fair shot—read the first four chapters—but it just didn’t hook me. The pacing felt slow, the characters didn’t grab my attention, and I found myself constantly distracted. Ultimately, I had to set it aside. Not every book is for every reader, and this one just wasn’t for me.

Impossible to put down and had wonderful character development. I really liked the police interview aspect and how it weaves through the truth and lies but also had you second guessing yourself. However, I found myself wondering about the past and wanting to know more about the characters so maybe a novella could come in like life before?? Some parts did feel really rushed and others might’ve been a tad too long.

DNF @ 20%. I think the book has potential, but I would have preferred the story to be more descriptive and fleshed out opposing to condensing it into a novella. I was intrigued by the procedural aspect of the book; however, the way this author wrote it just was not for me

The story opens with Detective Frank Braun, who is working his final day before retirement. His desk sergeant alerts him that there is someone being held who wants to talk to him. And it has to be him. He agrees to hear what the person has to say. That person turns out to be 29 year old Jacob Weaver, who is being held on DUI and drug charges. Unfortunately for Jacob, who has prior offenses, the third strike rule means that he could be facing a very long time/life in prison. His only option is to give them something more significant. It is at this point that Jacob realizes that he needs to tell Frank about his family. Essentially, the story revolves around Detective Braun trying to unravel the mysteries behind Jacob's family and what dark things might have occurred at the Weaver farm.

Overall, the book was an average suspenseful read. As I was reading, I was very curious to see where the plot was going to go. The characters were so-so. I found it very easy to empathize with Jacob as the story progressed. Frank's character could have been a bit more fleshed out. I found myself wanting to know more about his past, including an allegation that comes up later in the story.

My biggest problem with the story was that much of the plot seemed a bit rushed. I understand that the book is short, but it feels like a lot was crammed into the pages rather than flowing naturally. There were also some places where the dialogue felt a bit forced. Regardless, the story does a good job of exploring how circumstances experienced during childhood make a big difference in the path someone's life can take.

Ultimately, I would recommend this book to folks who want a decent, suspenseful read.