"The Silent Ones" had a lot of potential with its intriguing premise. The story revolves around a group of people, each with their own hidden secrets, and as the tension builds, you start to wonder who can be trusted. I enjoyed how the author created an atmosphere of suspense, and there were definitely moments where I found myself hooked, eager to know what was going to happen next.

However, the pacing felt a bit uneven at times. While there were some solid twists, they didn’t always land as powerfully as I hoped. I found some of the character development lacking, and it was hard to connect with them on a deeper level. The plot was engaging enough to keep me reading, but it didn’t quite leave a lasting impact.

Overall, "The Silent Ones" is a decent psychological thriller. It's got the basics—mystery, suspense, and some surprising moments—but it didn't quite reach the level of excitement I was hoping for. Still, if you're in the mood for a quick, twisty read, it might just be what you're looking for.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a K.L.Slater book and I’d forgotten quite how involved they are.

Told from two timelines, the mothers’ childhood (Juliet & Chloe) and then now, their daughters (Maddy & Brianna) and the events they find themselves caught up in.

The distinctly different personalities of Chloe and Juliet were clearly explained, Chloe, bossy, feeling hard done to and the favourite child, not drawing much empathy. Juliet, a workaholic, a much quieter, accepting blame, seemed to naturally accept her place on the family hierarchy.

There are tragic stories from both the childhood of the parents and the crime the girls are accused of now. I found it hard reading how quickly the public are to judge and to condemn with vitriol.

The story gathers pace and urgency in the second half and I thought I knew where the story was going, had it all worked out! How wrong was I?

A great psychological thriller.

This is another one of these books that sounded amazing and was actually an enjoyable read. I liked the pacing, plot and characters

I found this hard to read, the subject matter was quite difficult. 10 year old girls accused of murder - that cant be true, can it? A good read though!

Getting a call from the police is enough to make your heart skip a beat. When the callers informs you that your daughters have been arrested it is enough to make your heart stop completely especially since the girls are only 10 years old and accused of such a major crime.

I suppose I would react the same way Chloe and Juliet were: devastation, unbelief, panic,… and trying to do everything possible to get them out of there, constantly thinking ‘this cannot be happening’, ‘no way my child is capable of doing that’, but then there is the evidence to consider of course…

In times like this family should stick together and have each other’s backs, but it seems like there is more than one secret that is begging to come out.

Like a lot of time, the present is based on events happening in the past and have put there stamp on it, in big bold letters.

What has been troubling that family for so many years? And when you are shocked by that revelations, brace yourself, because you ain’t see nothing yet.

I was blown away by the viciousness some people are able to exhibit. Manipulation, deceit, lies and so much more… that’s what you will find in this emotional story. I loved it. 5 stars

Thank you

This is my second book by KL Slater and was chosen by my book club as September’s book of the month.

Opening with two 10 year old girls who are cousins committing what appears to be an horrific attack on an old lady, the story then continues through the viewpoint of their mothers (sisters) facing police investigations and public outrage.

The first half of the book when the young girls refuse to speak a word is gripping and the parents fear and disbelief is understandably tense. Obviously the similarities between real life child killers makes the book an uncomfortable read and the mob mentality of the public due to social media is topical and current.

Unfortunately for me, once the girls find their voices the story starts looking into their mothers dysfunctional family and childhood which, in my opinion, became less plausible and detracted from the main story.

The ending left me slightly cold as the reveal had a “cartoon villain” feel about it which felt contrived.

This one didn’t quite work for me but I have 4 of the authors other books on my kindle (Blink, Closed, Finding Grace and The Mistake) and look forward to reading them all.

A fantastic, gripping story. This book is enthralling and impossible to put down. K.L.Slater has placed her characters in unpredictable places to take the reader into the unknown of who done it? An incredible writer.

I adored this story. Absolutely brilliant writing and a fast paced plot which kept me reading all night!

This is the story of Maddy and Brianna, two cousins that are best friends, inseparable. The 10-year-old cousins are hauled in an interrogation room at the police precinct after an elderly woman is discovered battered to death. Are they suspects?!

The girls refuse to talk, which leads the two families to become dysfunctional and start pointing fingers.

This is my first K.L. Slater book, but I’ve read rave reviews from this author and that she rarely disappoints! This is a very well-written novel about a dysfunctional family whose secrets and deceit have pulled them apart for decades. I thought I had this one worked out from the beginning, but I was completely wrong. I was gripped to the pages and loved all the twists and turns. Bonus, the ending was completely unexpected and shocking.

Overall, eerie and gripping thriller! I will be checking out other K.L. Slater books!

This is a great book for readers who enjoy twists and turns! The relationship of the two main characters is developed well and the book has a creepiness throughout with underlying tones of malice and distrust.

After reading another book by the same author I was nervous to read this one as well since I didn't enjoy the other book. Sadly this one didn't hit me any better and was a disappointment.

Apologies for the late feedback on this one. It's quite a page turner, full of twists and turns like KL Slater's other books. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

What happens when a tragedy tears a family apart? Maddy and Brianna are 10-year-old cousins who also happen to be best friends. The two of them are accused of brutally murdering an old lady, this leads to the young girls being brought in for questioning. The problem? They both refuse to speak. Juliet [mom] is crushed, she will stop at nothing to figure out what happened that day with her daughter Maddy. In order to do so, Juliet must uncover secrets from her past with the aid of her sister.

I was hooked on the plot from the start, I've heard of stories of children being accused and even committing murders - but it's not a topic that is breached often. This was my first K.L. Slater book, and it certainly won't be my last. This book is filled with a bunch of twists and I found myself wanting to binge read just to see what really happened.
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I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

THE SILENT ONES is the ninth psychological thriller by bestselling author of twelve psychological crime thrillers.by K.L. Slater. After being a huge fan of her novels, I noticed that I have two novels that I haven’t read, which include, The Silent Ones and her latest novel, The Girl She Wanted, so I am now catching up, as I love her novels. This is the review of The Silent Ones.

Her Novels Include:

Safe With Me (2016)
Blink (2017)
Liar (2017)
The Mistake (2017)
The Visitor (2018)
The Secret (2018)
Closer (2018)
Finding Grace (2019)
The Silent Ones (2019)
Single (2019)
The Apartment (2020)
Little Whispers (2020)
The Girl She Wanted (2020)

The Silent Ones is bound to be well received. and will keep you guessing right until the very end. Her novels just get better and better. This is a fabulous read, that will reel you in …one line at a time…

TWO LITTLE GIRLS. ONE TERRIBLE CRIME.

When ten-year-old cousins Maddy and Brianna are arrested for hurting an elderly lady, Bessie, a few streets away from their grandma’s house, Maddy’s mother, Juliet cannot believe it. How could her bright daughter be capable of such a thing?

It was a staff training day at their primary school, so the girls were bored, while staying with their grandparents, and wandered off to Bessie’s house. It was supposed to be fun, but this had got out of hand. When one girl came from the bathroom, she saw blood from the side of Bessie’s head. It was an accident. They ran home from the scene.

The locals are horrified by the incident. The two sisters are called down to the police station, and now begin the process of having to defend their daughter’s innocence. The police have reason to believe that one or both of the girls may have assaulted the victim.

But both girls are refusing to speak…

The police bring in a child therapist, Dana to deal with the situation.

Juliet knows that she needs to find out the truth, to save her daughter. The two sisters must confront their own secrets that remain locked up and not spoken about.

Love the family drama and the characters in this novel. Another enjoyable read.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and Net Galley for my digital copy.

KL Slater is an excellent writer. This one did not disappoint. Two young girls accused of murder, and a raft of old family secrets that threaten everything. Highly recommended.

I really liked this book until I got towards the end of it. The end was just too rushed, too far fetched for me Also, it didn't really seem realistic that all of this, from start to end, happened in just 24 hours. Crime, arrest, counselling sessions, interviews, meetings etc etc etc. PLOT MOVE TO FAST
All in all it was a good idea, a good plot, but a bit rush I not sure i like this book

This is a great book about two ten year old girls that are accessed of murdering an old lady, the girls refuse to speak about what happened and as the story unfolds it becomes apparent that things are not as they seem and events from the past has came to haunt the girls mums. An enjoyable story that kept my mind going in lots of different directions.

"The girls backed out of the room and had just stepped into the kitchen when they heard it... a scuffling sound, like the movement of feet. They froze as a shadow loomed in the hallway and advanced towards them."

What would you do if your 10 year old child was accused of murder? This is the reality for sisters Juliet and Chloe, when they are told that their daughters were at the scene of a horrific crime. And the girls haven't spoken a word to anyone since. Along with the police, they must find a way to discover the truth. But at what cost?

The book starts with what seems like an awful crime, and I was glued straight away. Throughout the book, we slowly discover what has happened and why, but along the way we get to see what happens when you add weight to an already dysfunctional and fractured family.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read it.

Ummm wow 😮 Now that had some plot twists I didn’t see coming! Juliet’s family were not very nice either 😢 I completely thought her husband was having an affair with her best friend too!

I'm finding this author's stories are very enthralling! Hard to stop and put down.

Fastly becoming a favourite author.