Grave Silence [Paperback]

Rose Beecham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2005

Montezuma County Sheriff's detective, Jude Devine doesn't face too many challenges based in remote Paradox Valley, where most of the crime involves hiker assaults, campsite thefts, and cattle rustling. However, when the body of local teenager, Darlene Huntsberger shows up with a stake through her heart and missing her tongue, Jude finds herself leading an investigation no one wants to touch. Darlene was a member of a Utah polygamist cult with powerful allies; a cult that silences women who try to leave. As Jude uncovers the truth about Darlene, and tries to save a young girl from being forced into a marriage, she must decide how much she is willing to risk to see justice done. Further complicating her choices is her torrid entanglement with the golden girl of Southwestern forensic pathology, Dr. Mercy Westmoreland.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (December 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933110252
• ISBN-13: 978-1933110257
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,221,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read It and Read It Again, August 6, 2006

By 

K. Isserman "Kisserman" (Columbia, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grave Silence (Paperback)

After spending the last few years writing sexy romances as Jennifer Fulton, Fulton aka Rose Beecham has triumphantly returned to penning mysteries. With the award-winning Grave Silence, she mixes facts, surrounding the activities of the Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints (FLDS), with a riveting murder mystery and crafts a gripping story.

When we first meet Sheriff's Detective Jude Devine, a former FBI agent who has been transferred to a small Colorado town in the Four Corners area, she is unraveling the grisly murder of a young woman left decomposing in a desert wash. The clues to solving this crime take Devine and the reader on an unbelievable journey beyond anything we could have imagined. FLDS is a splinter group not recognized by the Mormon Church that among other things illegally practices polygamy. Beecham deftly weaves a second plot about life on an FLDS ranch into this story. We learn how autocracy and abuse rule the mostly underage girls married to the "master" of the cult, and how silence is used as a survival tool to avoid being punished for disobeying. As the book evolves, these two plots collide forcefully, taking the reader on a compelling adventure with Devine emerging as the silent hero.

After reading this book over eight months ago, this reviewer was haunted by the "facts" of Grave Silence. I wanted to know where the fiction ended, and the truth began. After hearing a talk by Beecham on how she compiled her research and gathered first-hand information about FLDS, I received my answers and was shocked. This is not a book where an author spews her views on religion disguised as a novel. FLDS is a cult that does not adhere to any tenets of any religion. Beecham has done a tremendous amount of in depth research to incorporate these facts into a fictional murder mystery, and the results are an amazing and fascinating book. The writing is tight and fluid. The path to the murder clues grows as the plot moves forward. Beecham strings her readers along cleverly, not releasing us until the final explosive ending.

After hearing Beecham speak about Grave Silence, I reread the book. If she had written a non-fiction account of this cult, I would not have believed the magnitude and far-reaching effects FLDS has on its victims, the young girls who are forced into this way of life by other adult family members. This fictional story, termed a "message mystery" by the author, cannot be ignored. It captures the reader and obliges us to look beyond our world. Beecham's telling helps us swallow the hard reality and reflect upon the importance of unmasking these groups. After reading Grave Silence, I suggest you take another glance. The implications of this novel are significant and cannot be overlooked.

(Beecham won a 2006 GCLS award in the mystery/thriller/adventure category for Grave Silence. In September 2006 Sleep of Reason, the second Jude Devine mystery, will be released.)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcome return by the author, April 24, 2006

By 

G. Tansey "tanseyg" (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grave Silence (Paperback)

It's good to see Rose Beecham back on the shelves. This is far better than her previous detective series (Amanda Valentine), and that's saying a lot.

This book is one of the rare books that I immediately begin re-reading as soon as I reach the end; it's that good.

Others have described the plot; I'll just add that not only do you learn more about a topic that you really wish weren't true (the plygs) but you have a helluva read.

All I can say to the author is "More!".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare Find in Lesbian Mysteries, February 21, 2006

By 

Linda Purvis (FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grave Silence (Paperback)

It's rare to find a lesbian mystery that is better written and more compelling than most straight ones. Grave Silence exceeded every expectation I had. It's brilliantly researched, riveting to read, introduces a great new lesbian detective, and pulled me into a world so disturbing, I'm still thinking about it.
Rose Beecham combines a terrific crime drama with a blistering expose of a Mormon cult called the FLDS. I had never heard of these people until I read this book, so for educational reasons alone, Grave Silence is more important than most novels. It's also moving, memorable, powerful, funny, sexy, and the writing truly knocked my socks off.
Not only is Jude Devine a fascinating and hot hero, but there are some outstanding secondary characters - sensitive Deputy Tulley, the repulsive Naoma, and Adeline, the runaway "bride", just to name a few.
Beecham also runs several great sub-plots through the story. I can't wait for the next book to see what happens with Dr. Mercy Westmoreland, Chastity (please bring her back), Jude's missing brother, and the creepy white supremacists.
I normally don't get around to reviewing books, but I had to spread the word about this one. Grave Silence is exceptional. My hat's off to its author.