The Silent Ones – K.L. Slater

Well I just loved this book K.L. Slater! I devoured this in one day and was left with a rather large book hangover. This ticks all the boxes for me, a great plotline with plenty of characters to dislike and suspect. It’s made complete with all the thrills and spills we have come to expect from your novels. My one criticism and its not a criticism as such but I always feel like the books could/should be longer (or is that me just being greedy?)

The way that social media has been portrayed in my opinion is pretty accurate. It’s almost a trial by social media and its scary, with keyboard warriors deciding that they are ‘judge, jury and executioner’ long before guilt has been proven. Its as if because they are that step removed they have the right to abuse, hurt and troll anyone they choose and yes I’m aware of free speech. As both communities and individuals we are too quick to get involved by either knowingly or unwittingly adding fuel to the fire and pain to people who are already struggling to cope.

How do you cope when you’re told that your ten year old daughter and niece have been arrested? Arrested for what ultimately turns out to be one of the most heinous crimes that can be committed made worse by the fact that two ten year olds are ‘responsible’. What must have made it worse was that the girls seemed to have made a pact to say nothing and I do mean nothing, nothing at all. On top of this there’s already a case of sibling rivalry between the girls mothers dating back to their own childhood.

This is a dysfunctional family at its very worst so full of secrets, lies and resentments. Each and every one of them is hiding things from each other so it’s plain to see where the girls learnt the power of staying silent. There’s so much suspicion between the mums, which to a degree is understandable because of their past. It’s so obvious that there’s not a lot of love lost between any of the main protagonists that in my opinion makes them even more untrustworthy.

I found myself wondering just how I would cope if I was in the same boat as the two sisters in The Silent Ones. I can’t begin to imagine if I wouldn’t do the exactly the same. Maybe that ‘mama lion’ instinct would kick in and I’d ultimately protect my own first, even against family.

This is extremely well written thriller of a book. Told to us in the past and present tenses with more than a few intriguing subplots all of which come together at the end with a BANG! I felt quite chuffed with myself for working some bits out but I was way off with the finale (I read voraciously and usually I don’t do too bad at joining up the dots) and that makes me very happy indeed.

This a cracker of a novel and I would highly recommend this for a summer read or to anyone that just loves a bloody good book. Honestly if you’re looking for a psychological/Police procedural this is definitely worth a punt.


Read for an honest review. Thank you K.L. Slater, Bookouture and Netgalley.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Ten-year-old cousins Maddy and Brianna are rather bored and have managed to sneak away to visit an elderly woman named Bessie. This was something the girls often did. They were watched by their grandmother, who obviously wasn't paying close enough attention. The girls were up to no good and have just been arrested for harming Bessie. When Bessie succumbs to her injuries, the charge is raised to murder.

However, neither girl will talk, not to the police, not even to their parents. Their mothers, Juliet and Chloe, feel their daughters could never have committed this act. Juliet and Chloe had a bit of a strained relationship as it was, but with their girls not saying a word, things begin to deteriorate between them.

Time drags on while they are trying to get the girls to talk, Juliet is especially haunted by the family's past. This very past has affected Juliet more than any member of the family, and this ultimately has changed her relationship with husband Tom. The combined strain of the murder accusation, their daughter's silence and her childhood past is about to unravel Juliet.

I was on tenterhooks while reading The Silent Ones. It was so tragic with the girls being so quiet, but as the recollections of the past were revealed, my sadness increased. The story was a fast-moving one and had some powerful revelations and long-hidden secrets revealed as well as a shocker a conclusion, one that left me applauding and a bit emotional.

This was another excellent book by K.L. Slater, and I literally lost sleep as I read it from cover-to-cover. I look forward to reading more by her soon.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh wow. I love this author's books and this is exceptional. I was hooked from the start until the very last page.

The storyline was heart breaking and it really plays with your emotions. The twists were fantastic and I had no idea what was going to happen.

I will recommend this book to everyone.

This is one psychological thriller that readers will find hard to put down. Two sisters sharing an up and coming business lives are put in turmoil when their ten year old daughters are arrested for murdering an elderly woman. There are many twists and turns to make readers wonder what behind the girl's silence. A dysfunctional family that is way out of control is just part of this rollercoaster story! Highly recommended!

Compulsive reading, this is an addictive suspenseful psychological thriller like no other.

The plot is unpredictable with lots of twists and turns along with solid engaging characters.
There is also a sense of dread as the story deals with the deep and dark corners of the human psych.

I very much enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone!

I’ve been reflecting on this novel for awhile and I’m not sure how I feel. It definitely stirred up emotions. The bulk of the story centered around family dysfunction in the face of a tragic murder. The characters were so well developed and the family tensions made me feel stressed! It was like I was there. However, the ending left me disappointed. I found it difficult to accept how everything comes together. This would be a great book club read. I really want to discuss this book with someone!!

Absolutely superb read! I never once saw that twist coming at the end. Losing a child is one of every parents worst nightmare. But the way Tom and Juliet face losing their daughter is unimaginable! You would never believe you daughter is capable of something so sinister. But sometime you may not know your child as well as you think you do, the secrets they hide. This was my first book by this author and I can assure everyone this will not be my last. Kept me on the edge of my seat for over half the book with the fast paced short chapters and a twist around every corner. Kept me guessing right up until the truth came out!

Really enjoyed this book, loved the switch between the different characters with plenty of twists and turns. Great style of writing, will be keeping an eye out for future books from K.L Slater.

She's done it again, another absolutely amazing book. I can't get enough of this author, This was a gripping, emotional, what would you do read. Brilliant.

4.5 stars. I’ve read a few of this authors book and they’ve all been brilliant. I loved this and I knew it wouldn’t be straightforward with some twists and turns. Fantastic book and I loved the ending.

I absolutely loved this book, it had me hooked from the start. All the family secrets had my head exploding with all the questions. It was a great twist in the story which I never seen coming. Just my type of book, would highly recommend this book.

Two young 10-year old girl cousins accused of committing a sickening, horrendous crime. This book started off slowly for me, but picked up drastically as I got a quarter of the way in. "The Silent Ones" by K.L. Slater is perfect for readers invested in dysfunctional family dynamics and who like to ask themselves, "Who really did it?" I appreciated the fact that this book got me to dig in deep and think about who I thought was really capable of this crime and why? To be honest, I felt like I was watching an episode of Dateline. While the focus on the 10 year old cousins was interesting, I found the dynamics and friction between Chloe and Juliet (the girls' mothers) far more compelling. I love when a book has interesting, complex, interwoven storylines. I felt that K.L. Slater was genius in including that in the story. I can honestly say that I was surprised when it was revealed who committed the crime. I finished the book last evening, but still cannot quite come to terms with who the assailant ended up being. A strong, interesting book, but to me the ending felt a bit rushed and unbelievable. But hey, in this day and age, crazier things have happened. Overall, an interesting read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of "The Silent Ones" by K.L. Slater in exchange for an honest review.

Two young children accused of a gruesome crime, a highly dysfunctional family full of secrets - exactly what I enjoy in a good thriller!
"The Silent Ones" had me on the edge of my seat and I flew through it. I liked the claustrophobic atmosphere, the feeling, that everyone knew more than they let on...
Four stars because I felt the ending was a bit too much and too rushed: one huge, plot-twisting revelation after the next, all in the course of a few pages.
But all in all a great, entertaining read!
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

A good read - great portrayal of family dynamics, family guilt and sister relationships. The view point changed throughout - at times, this was slightly confusing. It did help build the suspense. Great twist at the end.

Another perfect 5 star read from Ms Slater. I absolutely cannot fault this book and read it in one day. A great storyline that finishes with a twist that I actually did not guess. Cannot wait for the next one.

This morning, I was packing up lunches, ironing, putting on the laundry I should have done last night. Now my precious daughter is accused of murder.

When ten-year-old cousins Maddy and Brianna are arrested for a terrible crime, Maddy’s mother Juliet cannot believe it. How could her bright, joyful daughter be capable of such a thing?

As the small village community recoils in horror, the pressure of the tragedy blows Juliet and her sister’s lives apart. And things get even worse when their daughters retreat into a self-imposed silence. Can anyone reach Maddy and discover the truth before her fate is sealed?

Maddy and Brianna aren't the only silent ones. This is a family of silence. And the unleashing of secrets has devastating consequences. The plot is expertly paced. The twists are great. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

A story of past and present secrets colliding with a gripping plot intertwined around an arcane murder. K.L. Slater does it once again as she seamlessly narrates a story-line full of trepidation and intrigue. The characters are each uniquely developed and play perfectly off one another. The writing is smooth and effortless while keeping the reader engaged. Perfect for readers who are burned out on familiar tropes and indulgent foreshadowing as Slater offers none of this. She goes the complete and opposite direction, leaving literary pandemonium in her wake. Great read. 5 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #TheSilentOnes

I really enjoyed this one as I have enjoyed all of K L Slater's books, they are great reads. I love stories about dysfunctional families and this one is the family from hell! Plenty of twists and turns that certainly took me by surprise. The portrayal of mob rule and self righteous accusers was extremely well done, especially when it is whipped up by social media. It is very disturbing that people draw their own conclusions about things and cause so much harm when the facts haven't yet been established.
The only niggle I had about this book was that so much seemed to happen in the one day, the girls were only brought in to police custody in the morning and by the afternoon the police had background reports from the school and family counselling sessions were already happening. I just felt too much being crammed into such a short space of time made it slightly unrealistic. Very enjoyable story though and I would recommend any of this author's books.

Maddy and Bree are staying with their grandparents the day a terrible tragedy strikes. The ten year old cousins are not speaking about anything. Their mums, sisters Chloe and Juliet, face the wrath of the village but ultimately believe their daughters are innocent.

Up to about 85% this was such a great read but the ending fell a bit flat. It just seemed rushed and so many questions left. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Really good story. Really well written with a few shocks thrown in. I did not guess the ending at all. Brilliant.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.