Broken Silence

By Danielle Ramsay

Early one morning in the seaside resort of Whitley Bay, the lifeless body of a young girl, Sophie Washington, is found brutally murdered – her face mutilated beyond recognition

DI Jack Brady, recovering from a vicious shooting incident, is on the edge. Struggling with his marriage break-up and his tortured past, his problems intensify when friend and colleague DI James Matthews confidentially reveals that he was with the victim the night of her murder.

Brady's loyal deputy, the clean-cut Detective Sergeant Harry Conrad and police psychologist Dr Amelia Jenkins are assigned with Brady to solve the victim's murder. But the investigation becomes increasingly compromised as Brady realises that Matthews is holding something back.

As Brady delves ever deeper into Sophie's life, he comes to realise that the three men who should have protected her during her short life are the chief suspects in her murder: her teacher, her step-father and a police detective.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Oct 14, 2010
• ISBN: 9780007387076

Danielle Ramsay

Danielle Ramsay is a proud Scot living in a small seaside town in the North-East of England. Always a storyteller, it was only after initially following an academic career lecturing in literature that she found her place in life and began to write creatively full-time. After much hard graft her work was short-listed for the CWA Debut Dagger in 2009. Always on the go, always passionate in what she is doing, Danielle fills her days with horse-riding, running and murder by proxy.

Reviews for Broken Silence

[andrew1theqm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'd never heard of this author or this series of books before, which were set in a region of England that I lived in for 14 years. I have to admit to really enjoying this book, as it moves along at quite some pace and is quite a quick read. It is quite a complex mystery, without being greatly in depth and intricate. A lot of the plot line is developed by the interaction between the main characters. The main character is quite interesting and has quite an interesting background and connections to one of the local hoodlums.

In many senses this reminded me of the Logan MacRae books by Stuart MacBride set in Aberdeen. I think this book does as much for the tourism industry in the North-East of England as the Logan MacRae books does for Aberdeen. Interestingly although it is set in the North-East of England the author is Scottish and this may explain some of the similarities in my opinion. It certainly has a flavour of some other Scottish authors too, e.g. Ian Rankin, although not in the same class! Just be aware if you read it in places some of the locals use the 'f' word a fair bit but this didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. If you enjoy a good mystery with some twists I would recommend this book, I will certainly be continuing the series.

[edwardsgt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

DI Jack Brady is called in to take over a murder case after extended sick leave when he was shot. However he is taking over from a close friend who compromised the crime scene, then disappears after making cryptic comments about being in deep trouble. Jack has been drinking heavily since his wife left him and receiving counselling so isn’t best equipped to solve the murder. Authentic Northeast locations add to an often brutal plot involving those living on the margins and the people who exploit them.