The Silent Children (DI Robyn Carter book 4) – Carol Wyer
The silent children is the fourth book in Robyn Carter series.With a complicated case and Robyn’s personal struggles Carol Wyer takes us through a roller coaster ride with lots of twists along the way. One thing I noticed about her books are that she doesn’t place her bad characters on the dark side completely. She places them in a grey area and tries to give you a perspective of what drives them to do such horrific things.And that’s what I love about her.
There are two completely different narratives in the story. The past and the present.
In the past version, we learn about two kids growing up in an abusive household. The author puts us through pain along with the children and no matter what happens, they were asked by their mother to keep silent.
*” The boy studied the bruise turning yellow at the base of his neck. With quick fingers his mother tightened his tie, and pulled his collar high above it. Her eyes alone said, We will not speak of this… “*
At present, Robyn is frustrated after receiving a photo of her ex-fiancée Davies, taken after his death. She tries to dig more while a man named Henry Gregson is found murdered on the Gruffalo Trail in Cannock Chase and on his phone is a draft text: **I can’t keep this secret any longer.** The recipient is unnamed.
Robyn gets dragged into the case and she enlists her cousin Ross to investigate more about Davies. Few days later, a woman is found in a pool of blood at her apartment. As she investigates both the murders with her team, the suspect list gets narrow (while body count increases) and they come up with road blocks in every direction they take. The plot is so complex that I began to feel frustrated along with Robyn Carter. The victims are loosely connected through a quiz team ( Kind of !!) and why would anyone want to murder members of a quiz team?. As the past and present alternates, every piece of the puzzle slowly falls into place.
When you read a series, the characters are so important as you get to know them better with each book. Although Carol has done excellent work with Robyn’s character, personally I feel that she should focus on adding depth to the characters Robyn’s team.
Overall, its an entertaining read and a great addition to Robyn Carter series. I would definitely recommend this to police procedural/thriller fans.
Thank you bookoture and Netgalley for the review copy.
4/5 Stars
A Sip of Book over Coffee 
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