I love this series! I like Aoife a lot. She is smart and caring. We both like book clubs so she could be my friend. This book finds Aoife getting closer with Conor but having less luck with his son Blaine. Jason is still in the picture, as Amy’s father that is to be expected, causing problems. She has returned to work though and is getting on with her life.
Then a family is found dead, considered to be a murder-suicide. Both the husband and wife were members of Aoife’s book club. Aoife didn’t know them but is drawn into the investigation by the husband’s sister, who believes her brother was also murdered. As Aoife starts peeling off layers, it appears that others in the book club know more about the murders than they said. Then one of those members ends up dead! Strange things have been happening at Aoife’s house, too. She thinks it’s Blaine but could it be the killer coming for Aoife?
There is a lot going on in this book. It kept me turning pages until I fell asleep right before the reveal! I was laying there, saying, “just one more page,” when I dropped my Kindle with my eyes closed. Ugh. When I awoke, the Kindle was dead so double ugh. I put on coffee while charging and quickly got it turned on. Imagine my shocked surprise when a twist happened that I never saw coming! It was so worth the trouble! I wish I could tell you more but it is best to read it yourself.
This is the third book about Aoife. Each book can be read on their own but I think you will enjoy them much better starting with Girl Targeted and reading Only Lies Remain before reading this one. They are all excellent and you will get to know, and understand, Aoife much better reading them in order. Each book has its own mystery to solve.
This is a series I will continue to read. Being American, I didn’t know a lot about how police procedures may be similar or different from the States. Ms Collins does an excellent job describing how they are in Ireland. There are some differences but also enough similarities for me to have no problem following along. Some of the names are in Irish. The author gives you the pronunciation of these and you can also check YouTube to hear them if you like. They are much easier to pronounce than they look. The author sets the mysteries up with plenty of suspects so you have choices to make in deciding who did it. Not everything is as it appears to be, much like real life. Set aside some time for this one! ( )

A family of five was found dead at their home, and this is the third similar killing in the past three years!
Out of desperation, Lisa requests Aoife to further investigate the murder of her brother, Shane Grogan and his family, in order to find the killer.
As she digs deeper into this homicide, Aoife starts to suspect that the investigation is hitting close to home, and is putting herself and her family in great jeopardy!
The talented Val Collins has adeptly transforming her passion and creativity into this intriguing and suspenseful thriller THE SILENT SPEAK with an unexpected twist at the end!
I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to enjoy this fascinating and entertaining whodunit.
#TheSilentSpeak
#NetGalley ( )

The Silent Speak by Val Collins is a recommended mystery/whodunit.

Aoife Walsh is in a relationship with Detective Conor Moloney. His teenage son Blaine enjoys her young daughter Amy, but is still withdrawn and sullen around Aoife. Conor and Aoife plan to marry after her divorce from her manipulative husband Jason is finalized, but she doesn't want to announce any engagement. She hopes she can have some kind of good, or at least cordial relationship with Blaine, but it currently seems doubtful.

When she hears the horrific news that an entire family has been violently murdered, she is shocked to hear that the two parents were in her book club. The police believe it was a murder-suicide, but the sister of the husband/father is sure that he would never do such a horrendous act. The sister, Lisa, is not getting information or answers from the police so she wants Aoife to investigate. Lisa knows that Aoife is still a part time freelance journalist, so she will give her an exclusive story if Aoife can uncover what really happened. It is an offer that Aoife can't turn down, so she begins to look into the murders.

The Silent Speak is a fast-paced whodunit that can be read as a standalone novel even though there is apparently a previous book featuring Aoife. There are plenty of twists and you will certainly keep reading to see what happens next. There are plenty of suspects as Aoife conducts her investigation and keeps uncovering more and more information that the police apparently may have missed. It becomes even more serious when another death occurs and it is clear that it wasn't a murder-suicide and the murderer is still at large.

This is an enjoyable novel, although there are numerous times you will also have to set your disbelief aside. This would include that a young part-time freelance journalist with a very young daughter would, quite frankly, have the time to do this, uncover new information so quickly, and that she would manage to get people to talk to her so freely. Character development is also light, but that could be due to previous books featuring the characters. It does have twists in the plot and plenty of suspects, though, so it is enjoyable escapism.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Val Collins Books
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/01/the-silent-speak.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3809213660 ( )