Skip to main content
book cover for The Malice of Silence

The Malice of Silence

A Novel of Buried Witness

Sign In or Register Now to see if this title is available for request.

Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Book 3 of Malice and Mercy

Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app


1

To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.

2

Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.

Pub Date Jan 27 2027 | Archive Date Mar 31 2027


Talking about this book? Use #TheMaliceOfSilenceBuriedInSilenceMaliceAndMercy3 #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

In December 1990, journalism student Laima Paulauskas travels to the USSR just as Lithuania’s independence movement is gaining momentum. She stumbles into a story far more personal than the one she came to write about her grandfather’s national legacy, a story that could upend everything she was told about him. She then discovers her dying professor was an eyewitness to the murder of tens of thousands of Jews at Ponary, and that he hid his written account in vodka bottles buried in the ground to protect them from being destroyed. Now Laima must risk her own safety to recover it, as ultranationalists determined to keep Lithuania's wartime history "sanitized" pursue her in a life-and-death race to destroy this important eyewitness account, or keep it buried forever.

This is a dual-timeline historical novel about endurance, and the courage needed to speak when silence is safer.

It's the third book in the Malice and Mercy series, but each novel stands on its own, and readers who enjoy them in order will find subtle connections between them.

Praise for the Malice and Mercy Trilogy

"A piercing and detailed look at a lesser-known aspect of the Second World War." — Kirkus Reviews

"Sobering, meticulously researched, and emotionally raw." — BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly), Editor's Pick

"Lucid, cinematic prose… accessible and propulsive, yet it sustains moral weight." — Historical Novel Society



In December 1990, journalism student Laima Paulauskas travels to the USSR just as Lithuania’s independence movement is gaining momentum. She stumbles into a story far more personal than the one she...


A Note From the Publisher

We are especially eager to hear from reviewers and bloggers who cover Holocaust literature, WWII historical fiction, and Baltic/Eastern European history, as well as Jewish community media, Lithuanian diaspora publications, and librarians or educators planning programming around International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27).

The Malice of Silence is Book 3 in the Malice and Mercy trilogy. Each novel stands on its own, so no prior reading is necessary, though readers familiar with Books 1 and 2 will notice a few subtle connections.

Print galleys will be available in mid-October 2026 for qualified reviewers, journalists, and bookstore buyers; please contact info@americanlegacymedia.com to request one.

We welcome early feedback, and reviews shared on social media can be tagged #TheMaliceOfSilence.

We are especially eager to hear from reviewers and bloggers who cover Holocaust literature, WWII historical fiction, and Baltic/Eastern European history, as well as Jewish community media, Lithuanian...


Marketing Plan

The Malice of Silence publishes January 27, 2027, deliberately timed to International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Trade reviews: Submitted for pre-publication review to Kirkus Reviews, BookLife (Publishers Weekly), and Midwest Book Review, all pending as of this listing.

Podcast outreach: Pitching author interviews to history, WWII, and book-club podcasts, with a particular focus on shows covering Holocaust history and Baltic/Eastern European history.

Jewish organizations: Direct outreach to Jewish community organizations, synagogues, and Holocaust education programs planning January 2027 remembrance programming.

Lithuanian diaspora organizations: Outreach to Lithuanian-American cultural and heritage organizations, given the novel's setting and subject matter.

Holocaust memory and education groups: Outreach to Holocaust museums, memorial foundations, and educational nonprofits, tied to the January 27 publication date.

Bookstores and libraries: Outreach to independent bookstores and public/academic libraries planning Holocaust Remembrance Day displays or programming.

University outreach: Outreach to Baltic studies and Holocaust studies departments at universities, given the novel's grounding in original historical research and the author's own interviews with figures from Lithuania's independence movement.

Author platform: The author's existing readership, including a LinkedIn following of approximately 13,000 and an active author blog, will support pre- and post-launch promotion.

Backlist support: The Malice of Silence is Book 3 in the Malice and Mercy trilogy; Books 1 and 2 have received favorable trade reviews from Kirkus, BookLife (Editor's Pick), Midwest Book Review, and Historical Novel Society, providing a proven readership base for cross-promotion.

Author credibility: The author is a former journalist who personally interviewed Lithuanian Foreign Minister Juozas Urbšys and Vytautas Landsbergis during Lithuania's independence movement, offering a firsthand historical perspective for media interviews.

NetGalley availability: Advance ebook review copies are available now on NetGalley; audiobook review copies will follow. Print galleys will be available in mid-October 2026 and can be requested by qualified reviewers, journalists, and bookstore buyers at info@americanlegacymedia.com.

Social media: Reviews and social posts will be aggregated under #TheMaliceOfSilence.

The Malice of Silence publishes January 27, 2027, deliberately timed to International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Trade reviews: Submitted for pre-publication review to Kirkus Reviews, BookLife...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781736457658
PRICE $15.95 (USD)
PAGES 296

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Reader (EPUB)
NetGalley Shelf App (EPUB)
Send to Kindle (EPUB)
Download (EPUB)

Available to Buy

Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

BISAC Codes

FIC014050 FICTION / Historical / 20th Century / World War II & Holocaust
FIC031020 FICTION / Thrillers / Historical
FIC031060 FICTION / Thrillers / Political
HIS043000 HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century / Holocaust
HIS022000 HISTORY / Jewish
HIS032020 HISTORY / Russia / Soviet Era
FIC046000 FICTION / Jewish