In this blog post, I reviewed Nell Pattison's the Silent Suspect, the third installment in the Paige Northwood thriller series. This will hook you from the first page to the last to keep you in suspense. It all started when Paige, a BSL interpreter, received an urgent call from one of her clients, Lukas Nowak. When she rushed to the scene, he was trapped inside his burning house with his wife Nadia. Shell-shocked, the fire department rescued him when it was too late to save Nadia who was already dead before the fire started. As he grieved the loss of his wife, it was up to Paige to contact his social worker, Sasha Thomas, to help him through this difficult time. At this same time, Paige's boyfriend Max asked her to move in with him, though she wasn't too sure if it would be a good move in their relationship. During the investigation into the fire and Nadia's murder, Lukas is on the hot seat as the culprit when both Paige and Sasha try to approve his innocence and did a bit of sleuthing on their own. She also becomes face to face with DS Rav Singh, someone she has had strong feelings for, and while they dig into Nadia's and Lukas's silent life, they learn some shocking truths about their past and discover the true culprit was right under their nose all along in the end in a life-and-death battle for Paige.
This was a real compelling and diverse read to feature hearing impaired characters into the storyline. We really need to see more stories with them nowadays. I really cared about Paige on how she used sign language and regular English to speak and communicate with others. I also felt bad for Lukas who had been dealt a tough blow when it came to trusting people. I really liked the flashbacks on what events led before and after the fire to set the scene in this chain reaction. I also would like to see Paige and Rav get together at some point in the series. I liked the various of English locations set around Lincolnshire for the scenic settings. If you love a compelling mystery thriller that keep you on your tenterhooks with non-stop drama, plenty of action, suspense, and lots of twists and turns, the Silent Suspect is right up your alley! Check it out today!