What could be scarier than having your child killed while staying with your ex-husband over the weekend? How about that a stranger snuck into the house without you hearing a thing because you are profoundly deaf? Silent House brings up some good points about deafness. However, it is also a twisty thriller, where the suspect is small. Despite that, I never even suspected the murderer until the stunning reveal at the end. Overall, Silent House is a compelling and intriguing thriller set in the soundless word of the deaf.

The Hunter family is deaf so they don't hear the stranger in their home who murders their daughter. But when the police arrive at the scene, they suspect that there's more to the story than the Hunters are telling.

The description of this pulled me in, but the story itself fell short. The characters weren't well developed, which made it hard to get to know or feel attached to anyone. It was also more of an investigative mystery than the thriller the description makes it sound like it will be.

My only stars come for the promising plot of the book. But slow pacing, undeveloped characters and not so witty and full of repeating disappointed me. My final result is THREE STARS for this book.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for opportunity to read and provide my honest feedback on this arc.

I’m a pick a book based on its cover kind of gal and this one definitely won me over that way. I thought the premise of the book was interesting but it did feel slow in many parts and I didn’t feel that invested in the characters. This book was a meh for me. I finished it and don’t feel like I wasted my time on it, but at the same time I’m not going to gush about it and recommend to all my friends if that makes sense.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this #arc. This book has such a fascinating concept. In a house where everyone is deaf- who will hear the intruder? Who will hear the bad man who has come to hurt someone?
This thought of being so vulnerable permeated the story and added to my suspense. The protagonist was born into a deaf family, but she is able to hear. She has grown up in a deaf community, being a link between the hearing and deaf world. She has gotten a call to come be be a interpreter for a deaf family who had their daughter murdered as they all slept in their beds. Being deaf, they slept through it.
This begins The Who-dun-it and why of the story. It’s an intriguing look into a different world and a story filled with possible suspects. Worth a read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

Let's start with the cover. I absolutely love it. It's a great, eyecatching cover.

I loved that this book featured some deaf representation. I feel like that isn't represented nearly enough in mainstream novels, tvs, etc.

The book ... was good, but I felt like it was missing SOMETHING. I can't quite put a finger on what was missing, but it just didn't wow me.

Got this read through NetGalley. A toddler is murdered overnight in a house of deaf parents. A police sign language interpreter helps figure out who did it. A beautifully written take on a disability and a tragedy.

The Hunter family has had a quiet night, slept well, but woke up to a nightmare. Sometime in the middle of the night, someone strolled through their house and viciously murdered their young daughter.

They didn't hear a thing .. but then they are deaf.

The police call in Paige Northwood, an interpreter for the deaf, to take statements from the victim's family. Although they seem to be in various stages of grief, Paige senses they are hiding something.

How did someone get into the house? Why would anyone target this child? Is the killer a member of the family? Was this a random opportunity? Did someone have a grudge against the family?

There are more questions than answers, and Paige is determined to find the truth.

There are plenty of suspects to follow in this well-crafted mystery. Paige is a unique character. As the author, herself, is a teacher and specializes in Deaf Education, I expected a certain level of credibility .. I was not disappointed. There are twists and turns leading to a most unexpected conclusion. This is the first of a terrific series.

Many thanks to the author / Harper 360 / Avon Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Holy bejeezus....
It is finally over! Sorry, but that was one of the slowest paced books I have ever read. It was way too much for me. No thanks..

The Silent House is about a deaf family and this was a first for me. I’ve never read a book with deaf representation. That is what intrigued me about this story. It is wonderful to see this kind of representation. With that being said, I struggled to like or connect with the characters. I also felt like the pacing was slow. Some readers love a good slow burn, I am not one of those readers.
The premise of this book was so strong but it felt a bit short for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

The concept of this book was very interesting. I am part of the blind community but don't know that much about the deaf community. We learned some but I wished for more. Paige was an interesting character but some of her choices were questionable. I do plan to read the next one.

Unusual premise which I really liked. A little girl is murdered but the Hunter family is deaf. In comes Paige Northwood who can hear but grew up in a deaf family. I thought it would be more of a story centered on the death but it was more geared towards Paige (hence book 1). I really liked it. Well written, good story and a great ending. Thank you so much

I requested to read The Silent House because I thought it had Hush (the movie) vibes and I was not wrong. It went above and beyond what the movie covered and I loved it. Terrifying and wonderful.

Thank you Netgalley for a free advanced reader's copy of this book. Unfortunately, I did not finish the book.

I loved the premise of the plot because the victim and victim's family are deaf, which makes the case more difficult to crack.

The reason I couldn't finish the book was because of the main character. She was extremely unlikeable. She crossed a lot of boundaries in her job as an interpreter which predictably would lead to more problems. I think because she was so unprofessional that I found it difficult to continue with the book.

First – great read. Enjoyed the story very much. The use of the deaf community seemed to serve only as a plot tool to provide Paige (main character) the opportunity to be part of the investigation rather than just a friend of a friend of the family.

Setting that aside, the story was well constructed and Paige’s role in the deaf community and in the police investigation was credible and the story flowed well. I did question the actions of one of the two main officers involved in the story, but that could be because I’m not as familiar with British police procedures as with US procedures.

Great book. Well written, immersive, and solvable by the reader. Really enjoyed reading it.

Honestly, I'm pretty excited to read the next book in the series. I ended up really enjoying The Silent House and it was a good mystery that kept me guessing. I actually thought I knew who the killer was through the entire book. I had my mind made up on who it was only to be told I was wrong at the end of the book. All of the signs were there of who it was but I kept pushing it back because I didn't think this person would do something like that. But I like to be proven wrong when it comes to mystery books!
There are two things that I didn't like about the book and that is how Jaxon was treated and honestly I just didn't like Max. Parents that don't try to get their kid the help they need always bug me. Max I just feel wasn't very understanding when it came to Paige not wanting to date. I do understand why he was so offended, but come on...they had just met. He could at least see it from her perspective!
If you like mysteries that incorporate people with disabilities then I highly recommend that you read this book!

Imagine waking up and someone was in your home and killed one of your children, but because you are deaf you didn't hear a thing. Elisha and Alan Hunter wake up and find that one of their three children has been murdered overnight and they are brought into being questioned and in walks Paige Northwood who can hear, but grew up in a family with deaf mother, father and sister, so she has essentially been an interpreter her whole life.

Paige Northwood was a great character to follow during this story and I loved how she had a unique perspective on the deaf community and that in this town in England it is a tight knit group - so rumors can fly and quick. Paige is intwined in this investigation due to her relationship to the local deaf community and as her whole to interpret for them during these high stakes conversations with the police. I loved how the author put the parts of the conversations that were signed into italics, it was so easy to follow and helped me understand what was spoken verbally and what was signed.

This is my second book this year that has deaf characters and again I appreciated reading about characters that are far from my life experience and give me a look into how life looks like from their point of view.

I hope to read more by this author and with the way this book was put into Goodreads, it seems as though it is the start to the series, so I hope to see more of Paige Northwood.

The Silent House is about a deaf family who’s little girl is brutally murdered in the middle of the night. I’ve never read a book with deaf representation and I thought that in itself was great. Not only was it about one deaf family but there was a whole community of deaf characters! That is pretty much the only thing I enjoyed about this book.

The characters are not necessarily likable or relatable. Our main character Paige is only 30 but she came off as a 60 year old woman with no personality and bored me almost to tears. She’s also very unprofessional in her job and makes dumb choices constantly.

The writing itself was fine but the PACING moved like a snail. I personally don’t think thrillers should be dragged out for eternity and that’s exactly what happened here. I had to force myself to keep going and found myself skimming. There was so much useless information, I really do think this book would have been much better if an editor shortened it a bit.

Thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for the copy of the book!

The following review was published on my blog on 11.7.20:

There's nothing more disturbing than the murder of a child, especially when it occurs in their home with family members asleep nearby. That's exactly what happens to 18-month old Lexie Hunter—she's brutally attacked in her bed, killed while two of her siblings slumber in the room with her. How did no one hear a thing? Simple—everyone in the household is deaf.

As the only hearing person in a deaf family, Paige Northwood grew up "speaking" British Sign Language (BSL). The 30-year-old now works as a BSL interpreter, aiding the police and other entities when they need help communicating with people in the deaf community. When Lexie's death is discovered, the police call on Paige to interpret for the Hunter Family. Although she recognizes the parents' confusion and grief, she also suspects they know more than they're letting on. What really happened to little Lexie? Paige is determined to find out, even if it means angering the police and putting herself at risk. She won't rest until the toddler's killer is brought to justice, even if it means she is the next victim found dead in her bed.

The minute I read the plot summary for The Silent House, a debut novel by Nell Pattison, I was intrigued. Its premise is simple but chilling. I was all in for a compelling murder mystery with a unique deaf community setting, especially since it's written by a long-time BSL teacher who is partly deaf herself. Unfortunately, despite its original twist, there's nothing super memorable about The Silent House. The characters—including our heroine—are not particularly sympathetic or likable. Paige is not very convincing, not as a 30-year-old (she's like an old lady) and not as a seasoned interpreter (her actions throughout the story are often illogical, unprofessional, and far-fetched). She's also cold and whiny, which makes her a difficult character to connect with. Add in clunky prose, a plodding start, and a killer who's obvious from the get go, and you're left with a story that's just not all that engrossing or satisfying. As much as I love the idea of a mystery series set in the deaf community, The Silent House just didn't satisfy enough to entice me to read more. Bummer.

(Readalikes: Hm, I can't really think of anything. Can you?)

Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of The Silent House from the generous folks at HarperCollins via those at NetGalley. Thank you!

I enjoyed reading a book surrounding the Deaf community. I've never read a book regarding this. I loved the way the author had the signed language italicized. The story was very thrilling and suspenseful. It was a mystery that kept me guessing throughout the whole story..