The Silent Ones: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller

4.5★s

The Silent Ones is the ninth novel by British author, K.L.Slater. Stunned disbelief is the reaction of sisters Juliet Fletcher and Chloe Voce when they are brought to Hucknall Police Station to learn that their ten-year-old daughters, Maddy and Brianna, are implicated in the fatal beating of an elderly woman in their quiet Nottinghamshire village.

While forensic evidence indicates the girls were at the scene, Maddy and Brianna are maintaining a stubborn silence, making it impossible to know exactly what happened in Bessie Wilmore's living room. Meanwhile, mere hours since the girls have been brought in, the media are clamouring for information, and social media already has the ten-year-olds tried and convicted. The Fletcher and Voce families are shocked at the level of vitriol and vandalism being exhibited by the villagers.

Psychologist and therapist Dana Sewell is no stranger to ostracism, having endured it from this village herself quite recently. This initially gave DI Conor Neary pause when requesting her services in this case, but the priority is to get the girls talking: "'We've got to find out from the kids exactly what happened in that house, Dana.' He fixed his red-rimmed eyes on her. 'The super isn't going to let me wait around forever. The press are frenzied, the locals are already baying for blood. I'm not going to be able to shield the girls for much longer.'"

It's already clear to the reader early on that, despite being in business together, Juliet and Chloe don't get on well, but once she has met the girls, their parents and grandparents, Dana senses a great deal of tension between the members of this dysfunctional family. Once the girls do talk, Dana feels it's essential to understand the source of this to be certain that what they are saying is the truth.

Slater gives the reader a cleverly plotted page-turner with a number of twists and red herrings leading to an exciting climax and, because, apart from the prologue, the narrative is from the perspective of the sisters or the therapist, the reader is not privy to some key pieces of information, maintaining the intrigue. Long-held family secrets, selfishness, guilt and blame all feature.

Against the real-life background of child murderer cases like Mary Bell and those of Jamie Bulger, this is both a topical and thought-provoking premise, and the story also deftly demonstrates the power of the online press and social media. Some of Dana's actions may strike reader as unprofessional, but this serves to illustrate that these clinicians have the same human flaws and weaknesses as anyone else. This is a gripping read.

This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Bookouture