About the Book

Book: Dead Silence

Author: Robin Caroll

Genre: Christian Suspense

Release Date: June 2020

Political games can be deadly…

Elise Carmichael is a court sign language interpreter who reads lips all the time. As a widow with a young son who is deaf, lip reading is simply second nature, until the day she reads the lips of someone on the phone discussing an attempt to be made on a senator’s life—a senator who just happens to be her mother-in-law. Before she can decide what she needs to do, she receives the information that her son is rushed to the ER and she must leave. Then she later sees the news report that her mother-in-law has been shot and killed. But when she comes forward, her life, as well as her son’s life, may now be in the crosshairs of the assassin.

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About the Author

“I love boxing. I love Hallmark movies. I love fishing. I love scrapbooking. Nope, I’ve never fit into the boxes people have wanted to put me in.” Robin Caroll is definitely a contradiction, but one that beckons you to get to know her better. Robin’s passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others and come alongside them on their faith journey—aspects Robin weaves into each of her twenty-five-plus published novels. When she isn’t writing, Robin spends quality time with her husband of nearly three decades, her three beautiful daughters and two handsome grandsons, and their character-filled pets at home. Robin gives back to the writing community by serving as executive director/conference director for ACFW. Her books have been recognized in such contests as the Carol Award, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, RT Reviewer’s Choice Award, Bookseller’s Best, and Book of the Year. You can find out more about Robin by visiting www.robincaroll.com.

More from Robin

Hi, there. . .Robin here. I’m getting so excited for the release of my thirty-fourth novel, DEAD SILENCE. I have to say, I love this book. The heroine is strong, yet flawed. Her love for her son—willing to do anything to protect him is a mother’s instinct I relate to so well, having three daughters and two grandsons. The love of a mother for her child is so ingrained in me that I wanted to share that in a story.

I’ve been asked why I opted for a heroine who is an ASL translator and who has a deaf son. Many years ago, I became friends with someone who is deaf. She shared with me some of her frustrations, but also how her way of life is in comparison to mine. It got me to thinking that being deaf could be thought of as a disability but could also be used as an advantage…it was all in how you looked at it. My friend shared many stories of how she “eavesdropped” by reading lips and learned much about people and how they reacted to issues, enough that it led her into her career field today—a counselor, specializing in providing therapy for the hearing impaired as they live in a hearing world. I hope that I portrayed my characters in this positive light.

While I’m a Louisiana girl at heart, I reside in Little Rock, the capitol city for Arkansas. Since Bill and Hilary Clinton lived here and claimed it home before Bill was President, we have many political plans and posturing here. I saw it as a perfect backdrop for this particular story with the political undercurrents running rampant throughout the story.

I hope that you enjoy reading DEAD SILENCE as much as I enjoyed writing it.

My Review

Over the past couple of years, I have not read as much in the suspense and thriller genre as I normally do, mostly because I read almost exclusively for the purpose of reviewing rather than free reading, but also for the sake of enjoying more peaceful stories. Nevertheless, when the opportunity arises to review a Christian suspense book, I tend to go for it. It makes for a nice change of pace once in a while, especially when the author is one I know spins a good yarn. Last year I read “Stratagem” and was very impressed, so I was eager to read another novel by Robin Caroll.

As soon as I heard that “Dead Silence” featured a court sign language interpreter, Elise Carmichael, as the main character, I was in! This despite the political aspect, because as much as I hate politics, I have always been fascinated with sign language. I watched the 1962 film version of “The Miracle Worker” in high school so many times that I had all of the dialogue memorized. So this book beckoned to me, and even more so when I learned that Elise’s seven-year-old son, Sawyer, is deaf and mute. Elise’s job and skills are what entangle the two of them in a harrowing investigation related to the assassination of Senator Lilliana York, Elise’s mother-in-law. So far, so good; I appreciated that while this story takes place in the political realm, the mystery and suspense are the focus, and I honestly had a difficult time putting it down due to the quick pace.

Caroll skillfully writes a strong faith element into “Dead Silence.” Elise has drifted away from God in bitterness and anger over her son’s perceived disability and her husband’s death, which makes her a sympathetic character whose coming-home journey is fraught with distrust and fear. Most of us can relate to some degree: “Maybe that’s why she had been so resistant to turn back to God. Putting Sawyer, the one thing, the one person she loved more than anything else in this world, into anyone else’s hands besides her own terrified her.” We know from Scripture that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28) and that He is higher and greater than all else, and Elise comes to truly understand this throughout the novel.

There are some points of this story that kept this from being a 5-star read for me. While I can attest that many people do not know how to do their jobs, I found the degree of ineptness demonstrated by the FBI in this book rather farfetched. Elise and her entourage are more capable and have more connections than I thought likely, as well; although I loved their proficiency, I did not think it very credible overall. Some details are left out, such as how the assassin enters the Senator’s home undetected, and one of the main characters in the beginning of the story suddenly drops out for the rest of the narrative. I did think that the ending was too tidy and abrupt after all of the detail and the rather slow passage of time prior, but I was nonetheless rather pleased with the resolution. All of this is to say that while I did have some issues with certain elements, I still enjoyed “Dead Silence” very much, and if you are able to suspend disbelief a bit, this is a gripping story of murder, conspiracy, healing, and the power of both a mother’s love for her son and God’s love for us.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.