Silent Night

A unique thriller of a classic “whodunnit” set in a wintry snow filled backdrop. Leon, a 15 year old boarder at a mixed school for deaf children, has gone missing on a school trip. Paige, a British Sign Language interpreter has been hired by the police to assist in the investigation. Leon is one of a small group who board at the school because they are under a care scheme. The trouble is, they are a very close knit group and are suspiciously reticent during their police interviews. What secrets are they withholding? The case becomes more complicated with the murder of a teacher who initially went to look for Leon when his disappearance is discovered. I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, the first for me from this author. The development of the investigation veers off in different directions and you may think you have guessed it but then something else happens to cast enough doubt to keep you guessing. I liked the main narration. I had a bit of trouble understanding the chapters by the deaf narrator in the beginning, however I found it added to the atmosphere of the story taking place within a deaf community and I soon got the gist. I would definitely recommend.

A clever suspenseful novel full of twists that keep you engaged and wanting to find out more. The story gripped and intrigued me right from the first chapter. The plot builds, the suspense is tense and the ending is definitely not one you see coming.
I would definitely recommend this book to friends.

Murder at Normanby Hall! Leon goes missing and his deputy head is found murdered whilst on an overnight stay in the grounds of Normanby Hall, Lincolnshire. Is Leon the murderer? Where has he gone? Leon is a fifteen year old pupil at the school for the deaf in Lincoln.
Paige is a British Sign language translator working alongside DS Singh to help the police talk to the students. Between them they try to piece together all the clues. This is a multilayered murder mystery with lots of clever twists. I liked the story and found the characters to be well drawn. I found it a compelling read. I have not read the preceding book ‘The Silent House’ and didn’t feel I’d missed out on anything, although having read this I would quite like to read it!
I listened to this audio book and enjoyed listening to the two narrators, Claire-Louise English and Lara steward.
Thank you to Nell Pattison, Net Galley and Harper Collins Audio UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Paige Northwood returns as freelance British Sign Language interpreter for the police. On a residential trip for a school for the deaf, a student goes missing and a teacher is killed. Paige is brought in to help with the investigations and bumps into an unwelcomed acquaintance from her past. As the investigations progresses, the students reveal they are all receiving messages from a mystery character, is this really the killer?
This is the second in the series but can also be listened to as a standalone.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book. I enjoyed the narration and the plot of the book. I hadn't read the previous book, and there are (I am presuming) spoilers for this book which may mean it is more enjoyable to read/listen to that one first. This book is as much about Paige (the main characters) life as it is the mystery, although these do intertwine. Paige herself was quite annoying at times, although I did feel empathy for her backstory and I did think the author was accurate in her depiction of how someone may respond in her situation e.g. life and emotional responses are not always straightforward. .

Don’t be mistaken like me that this is the silent-night-oh-holy-night-type that you thought it is, it has nothing to do with that I can assure you! I also didn’t know that this is a second part of a series but not to worry as it is a stand alone one.

The story started when the school for the deaf takes five teenagers for an overnight trip. One of them was missing the following morning and the head teacher was found dead in the snowy forest. Paige Northwood, a British Sign Language interpreter is brought in by the police to help in the interrogations of the students and staff. Everyone has motive for murder and Paige is certain the killer is among them ready and will do everything to kill again.

Since I listened to this one, I like the alternating view of Paige and the teenage deaf boy, I just had a little bit understanding some words but I still get the gist of it. I love the setting - snowy winter in the middle of a forest- just perfect for a mystery story. I like how the representation of the deaf community is used in the story and how easily they can be misunderstood. I got a bit frustrated with the characters having trust issues even with authorities but having remember they are teenagers. I would like to story to be centred on the mystery of missing boy and who the killer is rother than focusing on protagonist’s personal life but I guess that shifted your attention to who the real killer is. Overall, I still enjoyed this one. If you are looking for a fast-paced mystery / thriller read, it is worth checking this one out.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It has been published in November 2020.

"Silent Night" by Nell Pattison is a breath of fresh air in a genre where it seems like everything has been written and some authors just keep recycling the same old stereotypes.
There's nothing stereotypical in this novel, that's for sure.
"Silent Night" is a unique thriller set in the deaf community, a world I knew almost nothing about before reading this book.
The descriptions feel totally authentic, you can tell the author knows what she's talking about when she describes the secret dynamics at play among a group of deaf teenage students.
I really enjoyed how human and flawed the characters are, especially Paige, the strong-willed protagonist and first-person narrator.
The premise was also very interesting, the plot well-thought-through and most of the twists managed to catch me by surprise.
Kudos to the author for bringing to the attention of the public a few things that don't usually find their way onto the pages of crime novels: financially abusive relationships and the structural ableism that permeates our society, showing itself in the smallest, most innocent aspects of life, like the difficulty of finding a subtitled movie in the cinemas on a weekend or getting a British Sign Language interpreter in hospital on short notice.
The only thing I didn't like were the flashbacks when the narrator of the audiobook switched from her normal voice to imitate a deaf fifteen-year-old boy: those parts were very difficult to understand--I had to keep going back and listening to the same few sentences again and again. I mean, it was a great idea to interpret the flashbacks that way, but maybe she overdid it a bit, because if your listeners can't understand what you're saying, then what good is it?
Aside from that, this was a highly enjoyable story, which left me looking forward to reading the next instalment in the series.

I so sorry I want the book not this but I got the book from tescp to read lived so good well written novel love the writting style was glue good plot fab characters I recommend to you all

The narrators did an amazing job, but I am saving my detailed version of this review for the physical copy.

A dead teacher and a missing child is the scene on a school trip for the deaf. Everybody has a motive but they also have alibis. Paige, a sign language interpreter, is recruited to help with the investigation. She uncovers lots of strange facts and she must work quickly in case the killer strikes again. An interesting insight into the world of deaf people. A gripping read.

Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 !!!!!!!
Book: The Silent Night
AVAILABLE NOW- Released November 12, 2020
Author: Nell Pattison
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

Sipping Synopsis: Paige is back as a BSL interpreter for the police department. She is called in to help interpret for cases involving deaf suspects and victims. In this story, she is called in to help with a case involving a missing teenager and a dead school employee. As always, Paige gets in too deep in the investigation and finds that everyone involved is hiding something.

Final sipping thoughts: I really like Paige’s character-although she makes me want to yell at her sometimes. She is an observant woman who does not always do what she is told. Now in the real world, Paige would have been fired so quickly. I think this story showed a little of her Achilles heel with the return of an ex. I was so mad during these parts of the story and wanted Paige to stand up for herself. Another great aspect of this book and its predecessor (The Silent House) is the ties into the deaf community. I love how Pattison brings literary exposure to that part of the world. I was able get the audio version of this book. Both books are narrated by Claire-Louise English and Lara Steward who both do a great job. Steward is deaf which in the beginning may be a little hard to understand but it really adds to the feeling of the story. I am so excited to read the third installment The Silent Suspect in the Spring of 2021. I hope to see more of a development between Paige and Singh.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @HarperCollinsAudio and @writernell for an advanced copy of @TheSilentNight.

#NellPattison #TheSilentNight #HarperCollinsAudio #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #thriller #mystery #suspense #bookreviewer

I have just finished this today and wanted to chat about it straight away!

This audiobook was narrated by two narrators one of whom is deaf, and at first I found it difficult to understand and had to put the work in listening carefully and rewinding a few times. I'm not sure if this was intentional but I felt that this acted as a compliment to certain elements within the story about the difficulties faced by the deaf characters in communicating (a theme which comes up alot in the book!) As the book went on it got easier and easier for me to understand the narrator when I got used to it, so if you're struggling at first persevere!

What a brilliant story! I loved the way the setting made this so unique. This is a murder mystery thriller set mostly in a school for deaf young people.

This had plenty of twists and turns and kept me interested the whole way through. It was well paced and interesting and actually taught me some things about the deaf community and some terms, facts etc that I didn't know before which was a nice surprise.

If I'm totally honest I found the main character a bit irritating, I couldn't help but think that if an interpreter got this involved in the Police and everyone else's business they'd be sacked 😂 I also didn't think she was very nice.

I did love Singh the detective though!

The title of this made me think it was going to be a Christmas thriller, but fortunately it wasn't!

All in all a great read, punchy page turning thriller mystery that will have you guessing right until the end!

This is my first read/review of an audiobook version so I'm trying to be objective and ignoring the novelty of just listening.
A really good police/crime/murder book and, for me, fully deserves 5 stars.
The characters are really good although I did find Paige, the lead character, somewhat annoying with continually procrastinating (big word for me!). She always waits to tell police something and puts off telling her current boyfriend about her ex-boyfriend involved in the story.
Other than that a really good read and one I am sure you could digest at one sitting
The chapters are sequential over a few days. Interspersed are 'before the murder' chapters by a BSL reader I think. I found the audiobook version difficult to hear so I gave up and I don't think it spoiled anything for me.
You have probably about half a dozen characters who could be the murderer and sadly as usual I did not work out who it was.
The book beautifully shows how frustratingly annoying early teen kids can be with a 'whatever' 'truth omission' approach to life. Do we blame social media for this?
Highly recommended

Atmospheric, chilling and unique thriller with some serious statements.

I was beyond excited to reach for this audiobook based on the description. Especially lately, thrillers too often follow a beaten path with the same motifs and characters in new editions. I was looking for something new - and I'm so glad I found it in Pattison's Silent Night.

This. Book. Was. Insane! It had everything I love in a good thriller and more. In this novel, we are introduced to a missing child case from an overnight trip from a school for the deaf to a chilling, snowy forest. After a fifteen-year-old Leon just vanished, a teacher begins to look for him. But after neither comes back. DS Rav Singh is called to the scene, accompanied by a sign language interpreter Paige Northwood.

I was blown away by the complexity of the plot as much as the wintery, atmospheric setting. This book illuminates the difficulties of living as/caring for a death teenager - something that could have gone very wrong, but the author managed to tackle this issue very respectfully. Since I listened along to the audiobook, I found that the parts of the book featuring a death person were narrated by a person with a speech impediment, which I really appreciated, although it was quite difficult to listen to with comprehension.

With this excellent, tense plot, the only thing I didn't like was that the story was made even more complex with the private life of Paige, who herself is dealing with a serious issue. In my opinion, it slowed down the pace and wasn't integrated as well as it could be,

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Silent Night by Nell Pattison is an excellent thriller about a school of the deaf.

A school of the deaf takes a trip to the woods. When everyone wakes up, Leon, a student, is missing. Next a teacher’s body is found. Paige, a sign language interpreter, helps the police with the interrogations. All of the students seem suspicious, and they are all hiding something. All the students have an alibi. What really happened? What is everyone hiding? Are the missing student and dead teacher related?

Working this case makes Paige face her past. What is Paige hiding?

I loved Silent Night. I especially enjoyed how much I learned about the deaf community in this book. I’ve always been fascinated by the deaf community, and Silent Night was an entertaining way to learn more.

Silent Night is told from Paige’s perspective. This was very interesting because she is an outsider to the situation. She doesn’t know any of the characters besides one person from her past. She is not part of the investigation, but is there to interpret when needed. There are some parts from one of the student’s perspective. This was interesting because it wasn’t until near the end of the book where I figured out which student it was.

There was so much suspense in Silent Night. This is your typical thriller with great character development. I felt like all the characters actions made sense and really fit with their personalities. Silent Night takes you through the suspense of figuring out what happened to Leon and the drama of Paige’s life.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Claire-Louise English and Lara Steward. Both narrators did a great job and I really felt like they were the characters. Laura Steward is deaf which really added to Silent Night.

I highly recommend Silent Night to thriller fans especially if you want to read a novel about the deaf community.

Thank you NetGalley, Edelweiss, Avon Books UK, Harper Collins Audio UK, Avon and Harper Collins for Silent Night.

This audible book has excellent narrators in Claire Louise English and Lara Steward and a good length of listening time at 11 hours. A narrator can make or break an audible book but this one was excellent. Certain chapters I found the narration difficult to follow, which will become clear to the reader as the story continues. The summary on the fly cover will supply the storyline. For me, the main character, Paige Northwood, who works with the police as an interpreter of BSL (British Sign Language), has ghosts in her past and you learn more as the story proceeds. The ending was a surprise. I could not connect with any of the characters, especially Paige, who made me feel annoyed and angry at her actions throughout the whole story.
Is this a good or a bad thing? Each listener will take out of the novel their own interpretation of the story, which was predictable, but I could have been overthinking! This is my first venture with Nell Pattison and the jury is still out regarding my decision to read other novels by the author.

I give a 4 star rating for the narration alone.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF LISTENING TO AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS AUDIBLE BOOK

This was my first audiobook with Netgalley. I'm totally in support of equality and inclusivity, but I have some health issues that mean my brain can only process clear speech, so having a deaf person to narrate this didn't work for me, as there were occasional words that I just couldn't understand.

Fortunately, I've read the e-book as well, so this is my review of the content rather than the narration:

Since the first Covid lockdown started earlier this year, I’ve been struggling with my mood and struggling to read my usual genre of books. I saw the blurb for this book, and it looked interesting, but that turned out to be an understatement! I was totally hooked and enjoyed every single page, reading it in just two sittings. I enjoyed it so much that I then went and downloaded the first book in this series of three and devoured that one quickly as well. Now I can’t wait for the third book featuring Paige Northwood. Paige was the only hearing person in her family whilst her parents and sister were deaf, so she became fluent in sign language. She works as a freelance interpreter for the deaf but is getting more jobs from the police coming her way, as she’s proved her skills to them.

A group of staff and students from a residential school for the deaf go on a weekend’s camping in nearby woods, and there’s a murder. Although Paige is only supposed to be interpreting, she can’t help but get involved in the case, especially as an ex of hers is one of the group and therefore a suspect.

A fantastic read that I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

This is the first book by Nell Pattison I have read/listened to and I was not disappointed.
I was given an advanced copy of the audiobook in return for an honest review.
This book had me hooked from the beginning, the plot is rich, filled with twists. It is just gritty enough and I love the fact it is set within the deaf community- something I have not known in many books of a similar genre. It really adds a whole other level to this multi-layered thriller.
I was torn with my view on the narration. The deaf narrator was a little difficult to understand at times (to me) but this just meant I had to concentrate a little harder during her parts which is no hardship. At first I thought the main narrator was going to be too monotone for my liking but as the book progressed I didn’t notice this.
Overall a great book, a really unique premise and a great thriller

Five teenagers from a school for the deaf go on a camping trip in the woods in winter, but one in the morning, one of them is missing and their teacher is dead. Paige Northwood is an interpreter for the deaf and is brought in to translate for the students to try to find out what happened. It turns out that their are plenty of people with motives for murder and Paige is worried that time may be running out for the missing student. English does an amazing job of bringing this frightening tale to life

I’ve read this as a physical copy and now as an audiobook. I much preferred the audiobook. As a physical copy I found some bits hard to follow and get my head around but I did thoroughly enjoy this book. Listening to the Audio it was much easier to follow. I love a good mystery and this certainly keeps your attention