Another good read from Nell Pattinson. I really like this series though all the books could be read as standalones.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

A house on fire. A dead body. A suspect who refuses to speak to the police. Once again it falls to sign language interpreter Paige Northwood to uncover the truth of who committed the horrific crime and why...

When I picked up this book, I didn’t realise it was the third in a series. I only cottoned on when Paige made references to things that had happened to her in the past. That being said, having no prior knowledge of Paige and her history didn’t impact my reading of The Silent Suspect. It can be very much enjoyed as a standalone in my opinion.

Paige Northwood is a sign language interpreter who works primarily for the social services and, occasionally, the police. The story starts with her receiving a frantic call from a client, Lukas, asking her to call 999 because his house is on fire. From there, the story unfolds as Lukas is arrested for murder and Paige can’t help but get involved in finding out the truth of the whole ordeal.

To kick off my review, I’d like to first start off by saying how appreciative I am to Nell Pattison for using her books to raise awareness of the deaf community. I can’t say I’ve ever read a book which has so much communication by sign language, and it is refreshing to experience a diverse cast of characters, many of whom are deaf. The book raises a lot of misconceptions and draws attention to lots of challenges that are faced by deaf people, some of which I’d never considered before. I highlighted a lot of things Paige said or observed which will stay with me and I’ll try to be mindful of them moving forward.

The story itself, however, I found a little more difficult to get along with. As a thriller, the plot is well laid out. I didn’t really figure out where it was going until the last few chapters, which was nice.

My biggest reservations are actually with Paige, our protagonist. She is frustrating, to say the least. Her actions throughout the story baffle me, how she can’t leave well enough alone even when she’s explicitly told to back off. Even when she knows what she is doing is dangerous and, frankly, just plain stupid.

As well as this, I found her friendships and relationships a little juvenile. I understand there is a history I’m not completely aware of (such as an abusive relationship) which no doubt shapes Paige’s actions. But she swings from quite passive in some of her interactions to weirdly assertive in others (often dangerous ones!) which made it hard to click with her. I couldn’t quite picture her as a 31 year old adult. In my mind she seems a lot younger, and very naive considering this isn’t the first time she’s found herself caught up in crime. I did like Rav Singh, though, and his flashes of humour. I felt like the book could have benefited more from his presence, and maybe Paige herself, because all of her interactions are quite serious which gets a bit wearing.

In terms of the writing, Nell’s style is clean and straightforward. There’s not much in the way of scene setting, but I did like how the communication and dialogue was handled. The chapters are a nice length which keeps the story moving, however there were some scenes that were lacking in depth and could have conceivably left out.

While I’m not sure I’ll read another Paige Northwood thriller, I can certainly appreciate the effort. I very much applaud Nell for creating a book which focuses on the deaf community. And I can most definitely recognise her ability to spin an intriguing whodunnit tale. It’s just the main character who is not to my taste, which is a bit of a shame.

A big thank you to Nell Pattison, Avon Books UK and Netgalley for approving me for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I very much appreciate it!

This is the 3rd book I have read in this series and it was my least favorite. This time, Paige is interpreting (and getting herself over-involved yet again) in the mystery of a fire that killed a woman named Nadia, leaving her husband, Lukas, as the primary suspect. Lukas is deaf and Paige interprets for his social worker, Sasha.

I found this story to be a tad boring and predictable, especially compared to the earlier books. Paige severely oversteps and puts herself in major danger, which frustrated me and also required me to suspend my disbelief a bit. There were a couple twists but overall, I didn't feel that there were that many surprises.

I must say, though, that I really enjoy the focus on the deaf community, which is rarely covered in the books I read, and I find the conversations in sign language to not be distracting in any way. I am not deaf, so I am not any sort of expert, but it feels to me to be a good representation of the kinds of things that this population has to deal with; and I always enjoy a perspective into the challenges people face.

Overall, I think this is a good series but this book didn't really do it for me. Looks like I am in the minority with this one, and I still look forward to reading the next one in the series. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this e-arc thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books.

At the start, I was really confused as to who’s perspective the story was being told in. Once some details were revealed, it was easier to follow what was happening.

I was intrigued by the fact that the author had deaf people making up most of the main characters - something which is not common in books.

I loved this book - time flew whilst I read this! I honestly never wanted it to end. I loved the pieces of reveals throughout the book and honestly, I never guessed the whodunnit! That ending though! I can’t believe it just ends with no detail of how it continues! Kinda hope there is a sequel now!

This is the third book in the Paige Northwood series and I enjoyed it although not as much as the previous novels. I like the fact that this and previous books are set around the deaf community especially when issues are raised about the difficulties in communication and some of the stigma’s surrounding people’s perception’s of deaf people.
The book is well written and the plot line good it had some twists and surprises I didn’t see coming but some that were a little predictable. I think my main problem with this instalment of the series was that I didn’t like a couple of the main characters and I felt their actions and personality had changed somewhat from previous books but that’s just my opinion.
Overall as I said I enjoyed the read and look forward to reading the next in the series.
My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 Stars

Sign language interpreter Paige Northwood is determined to leave her amateur sleuthing behind. She’s acquired a good job interpreting for Sasha, a profoundly deaf social worker, as well as enjoying time spent with her boyfriend Max. Everything is finally going well…but of course with her luck, that all comes to a screeching halt. While having dinner with Max, he asks her to move in with him at the same time she receives a video chat from one of Sasha’s clients, Lucas, frantically signing for her to call the fire department because his house is engulfed in flames…and his wife Nadia is inside! After the smoke clears, Lucas is arrested for murder and refusing to communicate to the police or anyone else, Sasha is demanding her help in proving his innocence, and Max is wanting an answer. Even though she knows better, Paige just can’t stop herself…she has to find out who killed Nadia and why Lucas is remaining a silent suspect…

In case you missed it, this is the third installment to this series. While the author did a good job in making this a standalone mystery, if you’d not read the other books, the side characters have an ongoing storyline, which could prove to be a little confusing. My biggest disappointment is that I figured out the ending, but perhaps that was the author giving good clues for the reader to follow. Overall, I enjoyed and would recommend to fans of this genre.



**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I started this novel unaware that there were two previous books featuring the main protagonist Paige Northwood. I soon realised based on Paige’s recollections that something dramatic had previously happened to her and her sister, Anna. There were references made to Paige having worked with the police twice before. This did not in any way spoil my enjoyment of “The Silent Suspect” but I feel I’d have enjoyed it even more having read “The Silent House” and “Silent Night” first.
Paige Northwood works as a BSL interpreter for a social worker Sasha, she’s rebuilding her life after the end of an abusive relationship and living with her deaf sister Anna. Following an urgent late night call from one of Sasha’s client Lukas, Paige finds herself caught up in a murder investigation when Lukas is accused of murdering his second wife Nadia. Sasha is convinced of Lukas’ innocence and persuades Paige despite her misgivings to help her clear his name and get him released from police custody. After an initial disclosure to Paige, Lukas refuses to cooperate with the police and seems stubbornly determined to hinder the investigation into his wife’s death. Is he innocent or does he have another motive for his actions? Her involvement increasingly puts Paige in dangerous situations where she has to rely on her ingenuity.
I found Paige to be an engaging and likeable character. I was rooting for her throughout and found her dogged determination in trying to help Lukas totally plausible. What was so interesting about this book for me was the interactions she had with the deaf and mute community. I had never thought about the implications of being deaf and/or mute in certain situations. It was nice to have a greater understanding of the negative attitudes and challenges faced without it being preachy. All of the characters and their motivations for their actions were believable.
As a thriller it stood up well, lots of dodgy characters, unreliable witnesses, possible suspects, clues and moments of jeopardy. The blossoming romance between DS Singh and Paige was well depicted and touching.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would happily recommend it to friends and family looking for a light, escapist read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Avon for the arc in return for an honest review.

A good and entertaining mystery. This story involves mute and deaf characters who uses sign language to communicate and the main character is Paige Northwood who works as an interpreter for these characters. Soon enough she gets herself entangled in the chaotic murder mystery.

In the beginning, the pace of the story was slow for me and I was getting bored but through halfway into the book, I started to enjoy where it was going.

I pretty much liked the characters but at times Paige felt irritating to me. I didn't like the decisions she made and then beating herself up for her mistakes, just put me off from the story.

Though I liked the action that was taking place, I would have preferred if the main character was a bit better. There were many instances where we are told that Paige is brave but I felt she was rather acting foolishly.

Besides the main character, I found the story quite enjoyable to read.

I really love stories with a complex character, and Paige fits the bill perfectly for this!


It was also really interesting that a deaf character was front and center, and had such a vital role. Very good story!

Such a great read... pulled me right in. Loving all the characters and living it with them. Had nne guessing on who was responsible. Great great ending.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

I definitely did not know that this book was part of a series, but I felt that it was good in the beginning. After a while, I was bored and found it difficult to even finish it. It took a lot of toil and effort on my part to get through, and that is not how books should make us feel.

So, all in all, it is not a book I'd like to experience again.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The Silent Suspect.
I unfortunately wasn't overly enamoured with this book. Some parts I enjoyed but other areas made me skim read bits just to get through it. Overall it was an OK read but just didn't grab me the way other thrillers have in the past.

I have mixed feelings about this book. If it was a stand alone I probably would have enjoyed it more. However I feel like the books in this series are too much alike. This one ended on another cliff hanger so I suspect there will be a forth one, which I will most likely read because I would like to see how things end up. But had I known the stories were going to be so similar I may not have started reading the series. They are enjoyable though but a little boring to get through the middle parts of the book. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Silent Suspect is the third book in the Paige Northwood series. This book can be read as a standalone without too much catch up.

This book has a unique storyline involving a very intense murder mystery. This was my first book by this author and it captures me from the star. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for allowing me to read this e-book.

This is yet another awesome book about Paige Northwood and her work with the officers to solve a case. In this one, Paige is not working with the cops because she is actually a witness. The man they have in custody is a deaf man, accused of murdering his wife, but he won't say a thing, even to an interpreter. Once again there was a lot of accurate information about deaf people and how they act and react to stressful situations. It also really shows the prejudice against the deaf when one woman is talking about how poorly the deaf couple speaks. A person who is deaf can speak just as plainly as anyone else, but can still either face discrimination that they don't speak plainly enough or that they can't be deaf if they speak so well. As a deaf person, I have a soft spot in my heart for these books and I will always happily read any book from this author as I've grown to love their writing style and kind approach to disabilities.

Another favorite by a great author. The plot of the story was very well written. The author really draws the reader in as you read. I thought I was interacting like I was character in the story.

Paige Northwood is called to help her employer Sasha - a deaf social worker for whom she is the interpreter - when she is alerted that one of her clients has had his home set on fire, but the situation becomes more sinister when it is learned that his wife was still inside, and she had been murdered before the fire was started. Despite the police insisting that they stay away, Paige and Sasha do what they can to investigate by themselves when the police seem to be coming to the wrong conclusions, but this puts them in harm's way...

This is the third in the series of books following BSL interpreter Paige Northwood as she works in conjunction with the police as they solve crimes involving people from the Deaf community. It's not necessary to have read the previous two to enjoy this book, as although relationships develop between characters during the series, there isn't a particularly complicated background plot there to catch up with, making the books work very well both as a series and as standalone novels. I'm beginning to wonder for how long this series could be prolonged without it being unrealistic at how many murders there were involving deaf victims in Scunthorpe over a relatively short time period, but put that aside for a moment to enjoy this investigation which is pacy and has plenty of twists in the plot to keep you guessing until the end.

With thanks to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The third installment in the Paige Northwood series and honestly my least favorite so far.

Paige Northwood is a British Sign Language interrupter. While she was an interpreter for the police department in the first two books, she’s now landed a job as an interpreter for Social Worker, Sasha. When one of Sasha’s clients is charged with the murder of his wife and arson of their home, Sasha pleads with Paige to help her uncover the truth.

While I say the mystery aspect was excellent and filled with good twists, Paige is the absolute worst in this book. Her character continuously seems to make terrible decisions based thinking she ‘can handle it’ It would be one thing if her character was actually a detective and she was putting herself into these situations. Instead she’s a civilians, with no training, basically lying her way into some witness’ homes. She’s repeatedly told to stay away from the investigation but atlas she doesn’t.

I liked the story, and I love learning more about the deaf community, but Paige’s character in this book was awful and annoying to read. Hopefully, she does plenty of character development for the next book.


The Silent Suspect comes out March 16 , 2021. Huge thank you to Avon books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

The silent suspect is book three in the Paige Northwood series. But you can read it as a standalone. As, I have not read the previous two books.
Paige Norwood is a BSL interpreter and works part time with a social worker called Sasha. When she gets a call from one of her clients Lukas Novak that his house is on fire. Paige rushes to the scene of the fire where Lukas has been frantically searching for his wife but unfortunately, they recover the body of Lukas’ wife Nadia. When an autopsy is performed, they find out that Nadia was dead before the fire started.
When Lukas is questioned, he refuses to say anything and is eventually accused of his wife’s murder. Paige doesn’t believe he would do such a thing and she goes out of her way to find out what happened and who wanted Nadia dead.

Thank you, Avon, for a copy of The silent suspect by Neil Patterson. Regardless of the slow start I did enjoy this book. It had a unique storyline and a great plot, and it was an easy read, and I read it quite quickly. The only thing that was bugging me is that what kind of jurisdiction did Paige have to get involved the murder case as she is only and Interpreter? But maybe there is more to it in previous books that I am not aware of. As I haven’t read them, but I will sure now and go investigate the other books in this series. 4 stars from me.

DNF at 30%- characters were very unlikeable and there was way too much information being throw at me at once. I dreaded picking it up so I know it's sadly not for me- but other reviews are more positive so give it a try if you think it sounds interesting!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.