#TheSilentChildren #CarolWyer

THE SILENT CHILDREN
by Carol Wyer 


The boy studied the bruise turning yellow at the base of his neck. With quick fingers his mother tightened his tie, and pulled his collar high above it. Her eyes alone said, We will not speak of this... 


Years later, a man is found shot dead in a local park. On his phone is a draft text: I can’t keep this secret any longer. The recipient is unnamed. 

Detective Robyn Carter knows this secret is the key to the case, but his friends and family don’t offer any clues, and all her team have to go on is a size-ten footprint. 

Then a woman is found in a pool of blood at the bottom of her staircase, and a seemingly insignificant detail in her stepdaughter’s statement makes Robyn wonder: are the two bodies are connected, and has the killer only just begun? 

When another body confirms Robyn’s worst fears, she realises she’s in a race against time to stop the killer before they strike again. But just as she thinks she’s closing in, one of her own team goes missing. 

Buried in the past is a terrible injustice. Can Robyn uncover the truth before another life is lost? 

*My thanks to the publisher for an advance copy of this novel via NetGalley*


As you can tell from the blurb above, this is a perfectly plotted detective novel full of tension and suspense. It's also the fourth DI Robyn Carter novel from Wyer, but as it's the first one I have read, I can say with all honesty that this didn't affect my understanding of the story at all so it works well as a stand alone for anyone else who hasn't yet discovered this great series. 

Having said that, obviously Robyn Carter has a backstory - one that sounds incredibly intriguing - but I didn't feel confused or that I couldn't follow what was going on with her in this instalment - I just had an enormous itch to go back and start at the beginning because I am desperate to know what's been going on, it sounded so dramatic and emotional. I genuinely liked Robyn's character so much that I want to know more about her and the journey she's been on before this point. I warmed to Robyn and felt she was a refreshing character - a determined Detective, an intelligent woman as well as being realistic, emotional, authentic and easy to relate to. She has a backstory of her own which adds a bit more depth to the plot but she also faces challenges and complications from her colleagues and the case which means she becomes very three dimensional as a character. I felt I got to know her well in these pages and would definitely like to read more stories in which she is the protagonist. It takes great skill to write a series where a new reader can join mid point and not be excluded and at the same time, fans that have loyally read from the beginning of the series still feel satisfied that the character is developing, remaining authentic and that they are somehow continuing on a more emotional journey with her.

I enjoyed Wyer's writing a lot - in fact I was struck by how readable it was. By that, I mean it made me feel relaxed and that I was in the hands of confident and polished author, and I settled in to the storyline from the first page. It was easy to get to grips with the characters, relate to the emotions, events and understand the dynamics between the characters quickly. I was so engaged in the action that I found I had read 20 pages when I thought I'd only read 10, that it was dark outside and dinner was burned because I thought I'd only been reading for 3 minutes but in fact 30 had passed!

The Silent Children has a skilfully executed plot. It is a difficult subject and there is plenty of shocks, emotional scenes and harrowing moments, but it is not sensationalised and although powerfully depicted it is done with care not to overwhelm the reader. The use of italics for the shorter sections help break up the text and define the different voices. Between each of these sections there is plenty of narrative focusing on the police procedural side. Within these sections, the interaction and issues between Robyn and the rest of the team ensure a finely tuned balance between the crime and the rest of the story which means that the more traumatic elements of the crime do not completely overwhelm the reader or ever become too much. 

This detective novel is full of cliffhangers, it is well paced with great dialogue and well crafted characters. It has the suspense, tension, twists, complications and revelations that every crime reader loves, set against a loud ticking clock which ramps up the sense of threat and pressure. I'm delighted to discover this great series and now I do need to go back and start at the beginning but only because I really want to get to know Robyn more! I am so glad I finally got the chance to read Wyer and now I understand why so many crime readers rave about her work. If you are looking for a good read, a page turner with the all the ingredients for you could wish for in a detective novel then look no further!

The Silent Children was published by Bookouture on 7th December 2017. 

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