
ISBN: 9781838353421
Publication Date:
February 23, 2021
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Overview
“There’s a lunatic out there who butchered five innocent people and nobody is looking for him.”
Aoife Walsh has plenty keeping her busy—finalising her divorce from her manipulative husband, settling into her still-new relationship with Detective Conor Moloney, and trying to win the trust of his teenage son. So for the moment, her fledgeling career as a freelance journalist has been put on hold.
Then comes the horrific news that an entire family has been slaughtered in their own home. Aoife is shocked to discover two of the victims were members of her on-again-off-again book club. Even more disturbing is the revelation that the police believe it was a murder-suicide.
That’s when Aoife receives a tantalising offer. Lisa, the main suspect’s sister, will grant Aoife access to the victims’ extended family for an exclusive news story—if Aoife will help find the real killer. Moved by Lisa’s unwavering belief in her brother’s innocence, Aoife agrees to help.
As she digs into the secrets of her fellow book club members, Aoife discovers potential suspects everywhere: people having affairs, a jealous husband, and a power-hungry business partner who’s clearly hiding something.
Aoife keeps pulling at the threads of the story, untangling more and more deception. Is the killer really dead and buried? Is it someone Aoife already knows? Could the lunatic be closer than Aoife ever imagined?
You won’t be able to put down this twisty thriller from international bestselling author Val Collins.
Netgalley Reviews
“This is the book to read this year! Highly recommended!”
“A fantastic read!…I read mostly in this genre and often the storyline is predictable but in The Silent Speak that is not the case.”
“A brilliant read.”
“I think the concept was similar to ‘The Guest List’ but I liked this book far more.”
“A great whodunnit book! The characters are very well developed! And the story is really good!”
Excerpt
DCA Office, Manor House, Dame Street, Dublin 2
You can do this. But what if I can’t? You have to. There’s no other way. People do it every day, every hour. They manage and so will you. Don’t think, just act. Another fifteen minutes and all your problems will be over. Life will go back to normal and you’ll never have to think of it again.
Earlier That Day
Sweat trickled down Delia’s back. Her face burned and she could feel something bubbling up from the pit of her stomach. Her hands shot out and were within inches of the girl’s scalp before she realised it. She snatched them away and gouged her nails into the palm of her hand. What was happening to her? She looked around. Had anyone noticed? Her neighbours were on this train. Some of their kids were in Ellen’s preschool. She couldn’t have them thinking the poor child had a lunatic for a mother.
Delia knew she had a reputation for being highly strung, but until recently she had exercised extreme control over her emotions. Her temper tantrums, glorious outbursts that terrified family and colleagues by their violence and unpredictability, were actually carefully orchestrated performances. One or two a year and she controlled everyone in her life. She had always believed more frequent outbursts would be counterproductive. But something had changed in the last month. Almost every day she felt the urge to hurt someone. The previous week a man had bumped against her in the supermarket and she had almost punched him. The incident terrified her. She was a respected member of her community, a single mother with a daughter to support. She couldn’t afford a criminal record. Routine, she decided, was the only answer. Doing the same things, in the same order, at the same time would reduce her stress levels and enable her to keep control. It had worked reasonably well until today.