Cover Image: Silent Night

Silent Night

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Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio for kindly providing me with a digital audio copy of this book for review.
I was very graciously gifted an e-arc of this book as well so I have reviewed the story on that feedback page, and I will just review the audio performance here. To avoid repeating myself.
I think the producers of this audiobook did a very forward thinking thing by actually including a hearing impaired actor to read one of the dual perspectives of this book, which was actually a deaf character. I’m not going to lie, I did have to concentrate hard on these parts to fully understand what was being said, but I fully applaud the decision to include authentic representation. I do hope that more companies continue this good work. I am mother to 2 autistic children and they both have speech delays, resulting in very distinct ways of talking that can be very hard to understand at times. And due to communication issues the intonation and grammar are often off. My point is this, I actually understand my children’s difficult speech very easily, because I hear it so much and I’ve become accustomed to it, whereas people meeting my children for the first time often have to look to me for interpretation. I feel the same could apply to using hearing impaired actors in audio performances- the more we hear them, the easier it will be to fully understand what is being said.
I did enjoy this audiobook very much, and while I didn’t find it spine chilling, I think it will still make a good listen over the colder months.

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I received this as an Audiobook from Netgalley. Thanks to them and Harper Collins Audio for the ARC.

The Audiobook is read well and I enjoyed the story. It kept me gripped and wanting to keep on listening. The story has you guessing with twists and turns throughout. An enjoyable listena dn a book I would go back to again.

I was not aware that this was the second book in the series so it can be read as a stand alone.

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I loved the narration. An original, suspenseful and engrossing listen. It’s 5/5 stars from me, can’t fault it.

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Intriguing storyline with good character development. Would have preferred to stick with one narrator throughout but liked the building of suspense.

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This was a great story, so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming!

I loved the split narrative and switching between the characters.

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I have listened to the audio version of theis book. A few comments on the content and delivery:
Title could be misleading along with the cover. This is not a Christmas story or one which gives you a lovely seasonal glow. It is a mystery which I'm afraid to say drags. For me it was not helped by the narration. I found the voice of the main reader somewhat annoying and sadly found the deaf narrator rather difficult to understand. I value the publisher using someone with language difficulties but it does not help us the listeners to appreciate the story.
I understand that this is the second in a series. That is ok as this stands alone as a mystery. I found the plot somewhat conveluted and thus sadly I cannot really recommend it. If I had read it myself, I might have found it more enjoyable as I could have speeed read the repetitive parts and found out 'who did it' with less time and boredom.

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I received my audio copy of Silent Night via Netgalley. This is apparently the second in a series but worked just as well as a standalone although references were made to what had gone on before mostly to add depth to the characters.

I enjoyed listening and found the narrator's lack of 'different' voices for different characters quite refreshing as quite often the voices are more annoying than helpful.

Unfortunately, whether it was because I myself wear hearing aids but I missed a lot of detail during the narration by the deaf reader. I still beleive it to be a good addition as it adds authenticity to the fact that the whole plot is based around a deaf community.

The ending was easy to spot although there were a number of red herring that took me off track for a while.

The story is told through Paige, a BSL interpreter working for the police, and whilst this worked very well for continuity etc., as a person I found her a bit annoying at times and she seemed to have more influence over the police officers than I would have expected.

Overall a good and interesting plot that I enjoyed listening to.

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I listened to the audio version of Silent Night.
It took a while for me to get in to but then I really enjoyed it. The story line was unique and I was gripped.

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This is my first adult audiobook, I’ve only ever listened to books with my children up until now. The story was a good, original one and whilst this was the second book in the series, it didn’t matter at all.
I have to say I really struggled to understand the chapters read by the deaf narrator, I feel bad for saying it, as it’s such a brilliant idea and did add authenticity to the story, but I missed a lot of what happened in the chapters she read. I am planning to read the book however and it certainly won’t put me off other audiobooks.

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Silent Night is the second book in the series by Nell Pattison featuring Paige Northwood, a sign language interpreter.

This is a captivating and thoroughly original series and this instalment is even better than the first one, The Silent House. Dripping with atmosphere, the remote woodland setting created a real feeling of creepiness and apprehension. A perfect read for a dark, wintery night, I read this over a few nights snuggled under a warm blanket but still felt the chills from the author's expert writing. With an exceedingly strong plot and comfortable pacing, the mystery was absorbing and compelling. There were abundant twists and turns as the plot unfolded, and many of the characters could not be trusted as most seemed resolutely determined to hamper the investigation.

The character development was impressive, building on the solidity of book one, particularly of Paige and the police team, though the students and teachers were well portrayed too. The little darts of something brewing between Paige and DS Rav Singh were thrilling and I would like to see where that might go. The author dropped in plenty of tension, and used snowy weather to full effect. The conclusion was dramatic and one I definitely didn’t anticipate.

The audiobook was narrated by Claire-Louise English and Lara Steward, and listening to the story was a terrific decision. I thought it was narrated really well and both narrators brought oomph to the proceedings. Overall, Silent Night is another fantastic, highly recommended, gripping mystery/ thriller from Nell Pattison and I look forward to seeing what Paige gets into next in book three, The Silent Suspect.😊 ❄🥶

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Avon Books and HarperCollins Audio UK via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

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I listened to this audiobook, at first enjoying the story slowly developing with alternating chapters splitting between two key characters. Set in the deaf community and with a missing student and a murder on the same night, it sounded like it could be an exciting read. But the focus on the mundane life and thoughts of the main character, Paige, detracted so much from the main story that I just was not gripped. Perhaps it is because I haven't read the first book in this series.

The voice actors on this were particuarly good, though.

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I listened to the audiobook version, but I also had a copy of the ebook.
This was a great thriller, fast paced and some MAJOR twists in the second half that I did not see coming. The plot was brilliantly composed and executed.
My only difficulty was following the narrated chapters that were spoken by the BSL interpreter. It was very difficult to distinguish some of the words and I found that I needed to read those chapters on the ebook version to fully keep up. The voice sounded almost robotic at times too.
loved the idea to have that in the audiobook. It really added an extra level to the narration.

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This is the second book I have read in this series though this can be read as a standalone novel, as long as the reader doesn't plan to read the first book because the plot for that is revealed early in this book.
I absolutely love audiobooks and murder mysteries/ police procedurals are fantastic via audiobook because it's so immediate and vivid - you can become properly immersed.
I really liked the story and it was great to have (now) DS Singh back - I'm often more interested in him than in the primary character, Paige.
As far as the reading on this one goes, I believe strongly in diversity and inclusion, however as someone who often recommends books to my grandmother whose eyesight has failed her and who has to turn the volume way up on any books, I can't recommend this one to her because while my ear adjusted to the deaf reader, there is no way my nanna's will. It took me quite a while to be able to hear the words clearly myself and I, like some other reviewers here, had to replay sections of the text. The other reader used is absolutely competent, though I feel was lacking in energy.
I am giving a 4* review for the book and 3* for the audiobook
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an audio ARC of this book.

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I enjoyed this book and I think it was especially good as an audiobook. For me the plot is so thrilling and it simply took me away with it and I loved listening to the book. There is a lot going on in the book and I think that makes the book so good. I constantly kept thinking that okay this is the murderer or this is the murderer and it turned out to be someone I had never even thought about.

I like Paige as a character and I might have to go and read the first book in the series since there seems to be some stuff that has been discussed in the first book and is not so in the center in this one.

Like I said earlier, the audiobook is great and I enjoyed listening to it a lot. I like the narrator, but the bits that are read by an BSL interpreter were really hard for me to understand but I think they make the book have more texture and they make the experience more authentic.

All in all, a great book!

*ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley

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I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would!
I found it easy to follow which was great as in the past I have struggled to follow audio books.

I liked the characters and thought the storyline was great!
I also loved that some chapters were narrated by a deaf person!

Great book!

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A good story that is based around the deaf community which I found very intriguing as I haven't heard of any current books based around this subject. A good plot with interesting , likeable characters. It took me a while to get into the story but all in all an enjoyable book.

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I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins Audio UK in exchange for an honest review.
Had I realised this was a police procedural type book, I probably wouldn't have requested it. Having said that, I was pleasantly surprised by Silent Night. Paige is a deaf interpreter hired by the police to help out when a student and teacher go missing at a school for the deaf. When the teacher is found dead, the hunt for the student intensifies but with both students and staff keeping secrets, this is definitely not a clear cut case.

There was a lot going on in this book in a good way and having the main character being an interpreter did add a nice spin on the usual detective story. I liked the main character on the whole and I thought her past and life added to the plot greatly which isn't always the case with these thrillers. In particular, her relationships with her sister and her ex were some of my favourite parts of the book, and they really drove the emotional core of the story.

I listened to this as an audiobook and I would definitely recommend it this way. The main narrator was great and easy to listen to. There was an additional deaf narrator brought in to narrate some chapters from a student's point of view, something which is fantastic in concept but I feel isn't executed well. Those chapters are simply not very clear and I really struggled to make out what was happening in them. I don't think this is the fault of the narrator but more to do with the way it was recorded/produced as it mostly seems to be a volume issue, at least for me. It's a shame because it really added to the tone of the book and I think it's a fantastic decision representation-wise.

Overall, Silent Night is an engaging police procedural thriller with a unique and interesting setting. There is a lot of meat to the plot but it never feels confusing, and the strong relationship with the characters keeps you invested throughout. I would definitely recommend giving it a try and if you like police procedurals, I'm sure you will love this more than I do.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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I thought that the narration on this audiobook was really good, particularly the narrator of Leon, who I am assuming is deaf. It definitely made the story more tangible.
The plot itself cracks along at a rapid pace with the bodies piling up and secrets being uncovered. Most of the action occurs at the school for the deaf, and, coupled with the bad weather, this creates a somewhat claustrophobic bubble that adds to the tension. With a murdered headteacher and a missing vulnerable pupil, the race is on to crack the mystery and locate Leon. Key to solving the case is the secrets that Leon's friends are hiding and I would have liked to know more about the school friends and the relationships between them. Instead, much of the focus is on Paige and her own amateur sleuthing trying to solve the case. There is an added problem in that Paige's abusive ex-boyfriend is linked to the case a good deal of the plot revolves around their relationship. I would have preferred to understand more of Singh's police investigation and the personal and professional dynamic between him and Paige.

I would like to thank Net Galley and the publishers for the audible copy in return for an honest review.

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Before reading the book I didn't know that Silent Night is the second book in the series, even while reading it I didn't have any problem catching up as the author made the plot, characters and their relationships very clear. 

Five teenagers from a Lincoln School for the deaf went for an overnight school trip to the snowy woods at the start of winter with school staff. In the morning one of the students is missing and the teacher who went to look for him is found dead in the forest.

Paige is a freelance and independent sign language interpreter, who has been hired by the police to assist in the case. She has previously also assisted police in a case that is when she and DS Rav Singh met. 

As the story moves forward more characters are introduced; Paige's deaf sister, her boyfriend, and her ex boyfriend Mike who is now working at the Lincoln school.

When the investigation started progressing Paige realised that there is something fishy going on at the school and both staff and students are hiding it. 

The one thing I liked most about the book is that there are a lot of characters and all are developed pretty well. I was so intrigued to know what exactly has happened that I finished this book in a day. I did flip back and forth between the audio and the book so I can safely review both versions,This book is definitely for those who like suspense, mysteries and detective stories.

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This was a somewhat fast paced book, for a second book in a series (even though it can be perfectly read as a standalone... if you don't intend on reading the first one, as it will give you some spoilers).

However, I found it a bit predictable and I didn't find the representation to be very believable unfortunately.

I read along with the audiobook, also kindly provided by NetGalley, in hopes to get a more immersive experience, but was sadly left disappointed, which is too bad as I was really looking forward to this one, given how much I had enjoyed the first book.

Not a bad read, but.... not great either.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my review and honest opinion.

#SilentNight #NetGalley

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