A father is murdered in the dead of night in his London home, his head wrapped tightly in tape, a crude sad face penned over his facial features. But the victim’s only child is left alive and unharmed at the scene.

Met Police detectives Grace Archer and Harry Quinn have more immediate concerns. Notorious gangster Frankie White has placed a target on Archer’s back, and there’s no one he won’t harm to get to her.

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Then a second family is murdered, leaving young Uma Whitmore as the only survivor. Once again the victim’s face is found wrapped and inked.

With a serial killer at large, DI Archer and DS Quinn must stay alive long enough to find the connection between these seemingly random victims. Can they do it before another child is made an orphan?

My Review

This is the third book in the trilogy involving Met police officers Grace Archer and her sharp-as-a-tack, sarcastic partner Harry Quinn. Grace was brought up by her Granddad and he features highly in the book. Grace and Harry’s relationship is purely professional (if they have history then it’s not alluded to in The Silent Man).

There are three main threads here. A sadistic killer is on the loose having murdered a father who is discovered with his head wrapped tightly in tape, a crude sad face penned over his facial features. His young son is left alive though. His wife was out at the time.

Gangster Frankie White (who I guess is a major player in the first two books) is responsible for the death of Grace’s father and has designs on her too. She knows that neither she nor Granddad will ever be safe while he and his mobsters are at large.

Finally we have a totally unrelated story. Fourteen-year-old Brynn is bullied at school and abused by his drunken father at home. His mother left years ago to run off with another man and he hasn’t seen her since. His only friend is Iris, who has come to stay next door. She is also bullied because she wears a helmet to protect her head when she has an epileptic fit and falls over. The bullies call her Epi-Iris.

I will warn you that parts of the story are really quite graphic and gruesome, but also emotionally heart-wrenching and often seem personal. Brynn’s treatment by his father is harder to read at times than the murders.

It’s a brilliant book, far better than the average crime thriller – The Silent Man is about as creepy and chilling as they come. I know it is the final chapter in the series but there are hints that there may be more to come.

Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour and to NetGalley for an ARC. 

About the Author

David Fennell was born and raised in Belfast before leaving for London at the age of eighteen with £50 in one pocket and a dog-eared copy of Stephen King’s The Stand in the other. He jobbed as a chef, waiter and bartender for several years before starting a career in writing for the software industry. He’s been working in Cyber Security for fifteen years and is a fierce advocate for information privacy.