Book review: The Silent Ones by Ali Knight. With a unique take on a serial killer psychological thriller this one you shouldn't miss!

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From the author of Wink Murder, The Silent Ones is a deliciously complicated compelling psychological thriller. What intrigued me most about The Silent Ones was Knight's unusual take on the usual psychological serial killer thriller combined with the brilliant series of twists that left me absolutely gob smacked.  Knight writes with heart and perception and tells a damn good story into the bargain.


Olivia Duvall is a convicted serial killer who will not reveal where the bodies of her victims are. Ten years after her daughter Carly disappears Melanie Evans, now suffering from cancer, requests a meeting with her killer, to beg her to reveal her daughter's whereabouts.  Duvall dispassionately refuses, cruelly patronising the grieving mother.  So, when Carly's dog dies, her brother Darren has an epiphany and
determines to discover where the missing girls are and manages to secure himself a cleaning job in the mental hospital where Duvall is incarcerated.


 Knight flaunts the norms of serial killer writing.  For starters most serial killers are male and usually female serial killers work with a partner - Olivia Duvall, on the contrary is extremely disparaging of those who suggest she must have had a male counterpart.  Then, not content with that unusual slant Knight introduces the brother, of one of the victims as the main character.  What appealed most to me was the way Darren's character was developed throughout the story- almost like a rite of passage.  
Skillfully told in turn through the eyes of the different
characters Knight delivers a well thought out, beautifully crafted piece of crime fiction.  If you like a good psychological thriller with a bit of a quirky slant to it then this one's for you.  

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