Book Review: ‘The Silent Room’ Is A Good Stand Alone Novel From Mari Hannah

Detective Sergeant Matthew Ryan is having a tough time of it. His mother died not to long ago, he’s trying to keep an eye on his blind twin sister, he’s in a bad relationship and now his boss Jack Fenwick is missing. He was found with illegal firearms and was on his way to prison. His transport van was attacked and he was taken and there’s been no sign of him.

Matthew is called in for questioning from investigators O’Neil and Maguire (who has beef with Matthew) and swears he knows nothing about it. He’s put on suspension for breaking another rule (one that was okay-ed by Jack). Jack has a wife and three kids and is Matthew’s closest friend (he’s even the godfather to one of the kids).

Deciding to take matters into his own hands and knowing Jack doesn’t have a lot of time, he works with Grace (Jacks former mentor and Frank (a former member of M15). They pool their resources and begin their own investigation, some of which is illegal. They come up with clues and details that O’Neil hasn’t been able to find.

The bad guys that have Jack are looking for info they figure Jack has written down. They break into Jack’s place find nothing. The one thing that seems to be missing are Jack’s notebooks. They’re no where to be found. As the investigation goes on it leads to a shocking find and more tragedy for Matthew. Will he be able to work with O’Neil and clear Jack’s name before it’s too late>?

Author Mari Hannah is known for her Kate Daniels novels (of which I have never read). This is a stand alone story, full of twists and turns. The characters are fully fleshed out and enjoyable to read. I’m hoping this isn’t just a one and done story. There’s lots of potential for these characters to be a continuing series.

* As an aside I really enjoy British works. She uses terms like tosser, mate, guv and more. Some of which I had to google to see what they meant. The Brits have such cool words I wish we used in the United States!

You can pick up The Silent Room in stores on Tuesday, January 16, from Minataur Books.