The Silent Room is a standalone novel by the author that was very good. The being however made me feel like I was coming into a movie 20 minutes in. I felt like something was missing. There is a big cast of characters and a lot of finger-pointing. It was a thought provoking read

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during that 2nd attempt, I have only managed to make it halfway through so I'd rather stop here and state that this book just wasn't for me.

The Silent Room is the story of Detective Sergeant Matthew Ryan, whose former boss (Jack) is accused of concealing illegal firearms at his home. During a prison transport, Jack disappears from custody. The blowback onto Ryan is swift, so it becomes vital to clear both himself and his former boss from any wrongdoing. With the deck stacked against them, will Ryan be able to trust the system to clear his good name and uncover the truth?

The Silent Room is a standalone novel by the author, but the beginning of the book left me with an impression that I was missing something. It felt like turning on a television program ten minutes into the broadcast: I spent the whole time trying to figure out what was happening. There is a big cast of characters and a lot of finger-pointing. For me, this gets in the way of good storytelling and leaves the investigation as little to be desired. I am usually a fan of police procedural thrillers, so The Silent Room was a big disappointment to me. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend it to other readers.

Disclaimer: Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Silent Room. The choice to review this book was my own.

This had good moments and a action packed ending but I had a hard time following along with this book. It dragged at points and didn't have enough to truly pull me in. A decent read but I didn't truly love it.

****Thank you to NetGalley and Mari Hannah for providing me this copy in exchange for my review.****



I thought this book was pretty good it kept me interested. There were not many twists I would have enjoyed better maybe with some twist. I enjoyed learning a little background information on DS Ryan's life, I would have really wanted more info on DS O'Neil but it was pretty good.

3.5

A classic whodonit! Well paced and intense - parts of the book felt like a roller coaster, especially as you closed in on the end. Hannah does an excellent job with characterization as you can really visualize and emphasize with them. Recommend!

Mari Hannah, has reached new heights!!!! I'm a huge fan of Hannah's Kate Daniels, and I'm already hooked on this one. I'm impressed by any author who can realisticly develop characters of both sexes, and Hannah is a past mater at it. Matt Ryan is the kind of law enforcement officer any victim would want on her/his case! The other characters are equally well developed. Hannah does an especially good job of providing just the right of back story to weave the many threads of this complicated thriller into a perfect tapestry of intrigue and heroism. Book discussion groups may need extra long meetings to discuss this one! Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing so many hours of reading pleasure.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to prevew The Silent Room by Mari Hannah.
A policeman charged with a crime escapes and his friend, a suspended policeman, believes he is falsed convicted.
A police procedureal "whodunit".
3 stars.

3.5*
A transport van is enroute from a bail hearing to prison, carrying just one prisoner - disgraced Detective Inspector Jack Fenwick. Interestingly enough, having being arrested for possession of illegal firearms. Before the paddy wagon reaches the prison walls, the van is forcibly hijacked along a stretch of highway and its single prisoner removed. Accusations begin to fly. The more obvious scenario being that Det. Jack orchestrated his own escape. Or the more far-fetched theory…he was taken against his will.

When Detective Sergeant Matthew Ryan learns of the hijacking, he quickly realizes he may be the next target. He knows the game well - the authorities will soon be turning the spot-light on him, wanting answers. But he certainly didn’t expect their next move. He’s just been suspended from the force. On the trail to find and clear his friend’s name, as well as his own, Matthew understands he’s directly in the crosshairs.

Though enjoyable, this one just didn’t quite grab me the way I’d hoped. At times, I had trouble following along, the book not able to totally hold my attention. But if you like a good police procedural with a bit of international conspiracy thrown in, then this may be right up your alley!!

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press -Minotaur Books and Mari Hannah for granting my wish for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

In looking at my notes for this book (I read it a couple of weeks ago) I really have to laugh. They read:

Lots of action
Whiny ass cop
Good cop goes rogue or he thought he has
Good characters
Do guys always think like this?

Pardon my momentary lapse of review.

I really like this story a lot. The characters were very likable and I connected right away. The action begins like on the third or fourth page and doesn't stop until the very end.

A carefully plotted and utterly absorbing read that had me mesmerized from page 3 and on.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

What an intense book! I felt like I was on a thriller roller coaster and this novel was whipping me back and forth! The plot was pulse quickening and the characterisation was perfect! I felt like I could feel the intensity in the character’s emotions. This story sucked me in from the beginning and held my attention all the way through!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was my introduction to Mari Hannah and her writing. I've heard great things about her other police procedural series, but this one is a standalone thriller! THE SILENT ROOM includes a hijacking, international conspiracies, and a cop accused of attempting to help free an inmate from prison.

A security van is en route to Durham prison. Aboard is the disgraced Special Branch officer, Jack Fenwick, but he never makes it to his destination. The van is hijacked by a group of men, and the prisoner is taken. Detective Sergeant Matthew Ryan is under suspicion of helping coordinate the escape for his former boss and isn't allowed anywhere near this investigation. Matthew is determined to prove that he wasn't involved in any way, so he begins his own investigation and manhunt for Fenwick.

With everyone on to him, he decides to drop off and go dark. He enlists the help of others to continue his own investigation into the escape. As they continue, they find connections to the death of a Norwegian national who died under suspicious circumstances. The deeper Matthew goes he begins to unearth an International conspiracy. How far is he willing to go to prove his innocence?

I thought this was a great edge-of-your-seat thriller. I love anything with a good International conspiracy element, or anything remotely in the political thriller genre. It's something that I don't see enough of and I know its more of a hit or miss type element for most readers. That being said, it's not too heavy in the political ties.

Overall, if you want a good page-turner, then you'll have to pick up THE SILENT ROOM. I will be keeping my eyes out for more Mari Hannah books on my next trip to the bookstore!

I give this one 4/5 stars!

A policeman has been arrested and charged, and on his way to prison, Jack Fenwick is abducted. His friend and partner Detective Lieutenant Matthew Ryan refuses to accept that Jack is a dirty cop and insists that he was not a party to the abduction, but is instead in grave danger. With a group of people who believe as he does, including a former policewoman named Grace and an MI5 operative named Newman, Matt is determined to find Jack and to discover the truth about his criminal case. What Matt finds is a conspiracy that is so big it is dangerous to his life and everyone around him. I have never read a Mari Hannah book before, so this was an intriguing but challenging read for me. I had difficulty keeping the characters straight and relating them to the confusing conspiracy that is unraveled slowly, like a ball of yarn. Entertaining and thought-provoking mystery/thriller.

I liked this story but it was too light on grit for me. It was well-paced and nicely written, but felt so safe. I needed a wild card! A twist! Something to knock me off kilter!

I loved the playful and sometimes tense banter between Ryan and Eloise. Ryan’s emotionally sensitive side was put on display, too. Some of his thoughts?

There were times he’d have preferred to have been a woman with a licence to cry –no stiff-upper-lip macho bollocks that made your throat sore and your head pound so hard it felt like it would explode. He was drowning in sorrow, slipping under the surface, and had forgotten how to swim.

The pissing contest between McGuire and Ryan was amusing as well and this story was an entertaining debut read.

Great story! Looking forward to reading more by this author! Highly recommend!

The beginning of this book was great. I was sorely disappointed when it started to drag. I hate when that happens. Not to my liking.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the eARC.
This was quite a nailbiter! A standalone, after the Kate Daniels books, this had a different feel, but is just as good as the series.
Jack Fenwick, a disgraced police officer accused of arms smuggling, is on his way to prison when the transportation van is stopped by hijackers who bundle Jack into their vehicle. Was it a kidnapping or an organized escape. The powers that be insist it's an escape...
Matthew Ryan, Jack's colleague and friend, is suspended from duty, believed to have aided Jack's escape. Furious and upset, Matthew vows to clear Jack's name and starts an off the books investigation with the help of retired policewoman Grace and an ex-spook.
Matthew is a sympathetic character, loyal and tenacious, he is willing to risk his career for his friend. He looks after Jack's family and is extremely close with his twin sister who happens to be blind as well as being sharp as a tack.
The international aspect was intriguing, with a side trip to Norway, looking into crime involving oil platforms and the cover ups of fatal accidents.
A really enjoyable book, highly recommended.

An excellent, highly believable standalone thriller from Mari Hannah. Fans of the Kate Daniels series would do well to give this one a go and it's a perfect starting point for readers new to Hannah's work. The characters are well-developed, the settings vivid, and the plot tense and twisty. Hope to see more of Matthew Ryan!

This excellent example of a police procedural starts off with the abduction of a prisoner that is being transferred, DI Jack Fenwick. DS Matthew Ryan is distraught about the charges against his boss, so when he disappears after leaving the courthouse Ryan suspects foul play.

Ryan has moved back into his childhood home to be with his twin sister Caroline. Caroline adores Fenwick almost as much as Ryan does. Ryan soon comes under suspicion of helping Fenwick escape. The looming question is whether or not Fenwick had put together an elaborate plan to escape detention or had indeed been abducted from custody for another purpose. Ryan senses that a larger conspiracy is at the center of this whole case, centered around the idea that Fenwick had been set up from the very beginning.

Retired detective Grace Ellis is troubled by the news regarding Fenwick when she hears about it on the local news. She vows to pull together resources to investigate this matter on her own. She soon teams with Ryan and they exhaust every resource to set the record straight. Things take a turn for the worse almost halfway into the book, and Ryan's efforts to clear Fenwick's name are ramped up exponentially. Together they uncover a conspiracy that has far reaching implications, never sure exactly who they can trust along the way, leading up to an explosive and breathtaking conclusion.

I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers, suspense, and police procedurals. I received this as a free ARC from St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Terrifically crafted thriller with a great Northumbrian setting! It's always a challenge to review a novel like this without spoilers. How did Jack Fenwick escape the prison van? Well, no spoilers but he didn't- he was taken. "Disgraced" Matthew Ryan, who loses his badge due to suspicions that he helped Jack, is determined not only to prove himself but also to find Jack. To do so, he enlists Grace and Frank and what a team they make. The characters in this are wonderful, starting with Ryan, of course, but also with the officers of the Professional Standard Branch. This is as much a family story of the Fenwicks and those who rally around them as it is a procedural or a thriller, although it's quite tense. I'd not read Hannah before so it was a treat to discover her via the ARC from Netgalley. Recommend this for those looking for a new thriller writer. This is complex but wholly belieavable and it will have you turning pages past when you planned to put it down.