Crime of Silence [Hardcover]

Patricia Carlon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

A brilliantly plotted mystery by one of Australia's best suspense writers.

A child has been kidnapped. His father, Evan Kiley, a newspaper reporter, telephones the home of the Wintons, a well-to-do family whose daughter had been abducted a year or so earlier. The Wintons paid the ransom and their child was restored to them; they did not call the police. Now Kiley blames this decision for his son's abduction, and George Winton feels guilty. The men who took Robin Kiley may well have been the same kidnappers; the new crime seems to follow the same pattern as the old. Perhaps if Winton had notified the authorities, the criminals would have been caught and the Kileys' son would have been spared. So Winton agrees to help Kiley in his time of need, and gradually the two are drawn together in a plot to thwart the kidnappers and get the boy back. But something goes wrong, and a murder is committed. As in all of Patricia Carlon's subtle psychological thrillers, the climax of this chilling novel is utterly unpredictable.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Amazingly, Patricia Carlon's terrific crime novels weren't at first published in her native Australia; they were turned down, as an author's note tells us, because publishers there in the 1960s "didn't want anything but police procedural stuff." Luckily, the books were published in England, and now in America. Carlon is an absolute master of wringing every drop of suspense from a simple phrase or an exchange of glances--as good as Alfred Hitchcock at his best at showing us the skull beneath the suburban skin.

Crime of Silence starts out as a story of compassion: the father of a kidnapped child who was returned after a ransom was secretly paid, agrees to help another father in the same perilous situation. But as Evan Kiley, the reporter whose son has just been taken, begins to play on the guilt of businessman George Winton, you'll watch in growing horror (tinged with admiration at Carlon's skill) as the story changes into something much darker. A woman dies; a body is disposed of; lives are apparently linked. By the time you get to the chilling conclusion, you will most likely be eager for more of Carlon's unique brand of brilliance.

Other Carlon books available in paperback: The Running Woman, The Whispering Wall, The Souvenir. --Dick Adler

From Library Journal

When someone snatches his 15-month-old son for ransom and leaves the sitter dead, journalist Evan (having been warned off the police) begs Winton and Annette, whose own child was kidnapped, for help. Winton feels so guilty about never contacting the police?even after the return of his child?that he provides ransom cash and helps Evan hide the babysitter's body. Later, Evan disappears and police accuse Winton of murdering the babysitter. This nasty turn of events, like that in Carlon's The Running Woman (LJ 1/98), upsets the original version of things and spices up the plot. For most collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Soho Press (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569471312
• ISBN-13: 978-1569471319
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,723,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stunning writing, but with a fairly unbelievable ending, October 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Crime of Silence (Hardcover)

This is the third book of Carlon's that I have read(all over 30 years old) and she can write!! The character development and plot are outstanding. However, and I don't want to spoil it for those who have yet to read it, I found the ending a bit unbelievable and convoluted. The motive and plan seemed unrealistic, involving a house of cards that could have fallen if only one little event hadn't played out as planned, part- icularily the reaction of the intended victim to to events he was presented with. Having said that, I wouldn't miss her next book--if there is one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Suspensful! The subtle twists & turns took me by surprise!, February 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Crime of Silence (Hardcover)

I found Crime of Silence at my local library in the new books section - altho' written by Australian author Patricia Carlon in 1965 - it was only published in America in 1998. After the first few chapters I was hooked - while still getting used to some of the language differences. This is a great physochological thriller! I thought I had it figured out but I wasn't even close! Patricia Carlon has a masterful way of being subtlely suspenseful. I hope to find more of her novels in the US soon. I highly recommend this book to any mystery lover.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story, January 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Crime of Silence (Paperback)

This is the second book I have read by Patricia Carlon. I loved the storyline and the way she had you believe one thing when it turned out to be something totally different. I plan on reading each one of her books. I hope to see more from her.