What do you think?
Rate this book
Eliza Gordon Mystery #2
Dead Silent
It’s summertime, and in Goodship, New York, the living is anything but easy. Controversial radio shock jock Paul Hackett is found strangled to death with his headphone cord around his neck in the studio of local radio station WSHP. There’s little evidence beyond the initials V.O.S. scrawled across the studio window in red lipstick and a list of suspects that could easily fill the Goodship phone book. And that’s not all. Eliza Gordon, former soap star turned local soup aficionado and amateur sleuth and her pal and unwitting snooping partner radio DJ Midge Sumner must contend with in Dead Silent, the second in author Amy Beth Arkawy’s Eliza Gordon Mystery series. The locals are also on edge thanks to the rumors rolling across The Goodship Grapevine, a new toxic gossip site, and bemused by flyers heeding folks to follow an enigmatic cult known as “The Quiet.” Eliza’s instincts have her searching for clues and connecting the mysteries together, but they also put a strain on her burgeoning romance with Tom Santini, Goodship’s dishy police chief (who also happens to be her late husband’s best friend). The sudden reappearance of her elusive playboy brother-in-law, Jonas Gordon, sparks unexpected feelings in Eliza and may hold the key to connecting the mysteries and solving Hackett’s murder. Join Eliza Gordon and sidekick Midge Sumner as they embark on this intriguing and dangerous sleuthing escapade. Will they solve the mystery or wind up Dead Silent?
- GenresMystery
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2013
11 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Amy Beth Arkawy
5 books25 followersAuthor of the Eliza Gordon Mystery Series: Killing Time, Dead Silent; 2014 Mystery & Mayhem Award Winner, Murder, She Tweets (Cozy Cat Press); featured in Chasing The Codex, the Cozy Cat Press Group Mystery, Short Story "Dangerous Appetites" featured in Hen House collection "Fiction Noir." Author several plays including: "Psychic Chicken Soup" (McClaren Comedy Award nominee); "Full Moon, Saturday Night;" "The Lost Mertz;" "The Postman Always Writes Twice;" "Rage Amongst Yourselves;" Plays have been produced in festivals in NYC & across the country; several published in anthologies.
Host popular radio talk show featuring compelling conversations with authors & other storytellers.And help others find their voices as a creativity coach/writing teacher.
B.A. Sarah Lawrence College; M.F.A. Fellow University of Massachusetts; M.S./Counseling; Long Island University
Host popular radio talk show featuring compelling conversations with authors & other storytellers.And help others find their voices as a creativity coach/writing teacher.
B.A. Sarah Lawrence College; M.F.A. Fellow University of Massachusetts; M.S./Counseling; Long Island University
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 7, 2013
Dead Silent is the second in a series of clever mysteries of the cozy variety. This just means there is more intrigue and less blood and guts to the storyline. This story continues with the characters of Eliza and her friend Midge in the sleepy town Goodship, NY. The dialogue is quick-witted and feels so real. The jokes are funny and the references to both old tv and movie classics as well as good ol' rock n' roll make this book a delight to read. There is more romance in this sequel than in the first and I am looking forward to seeing who Eliza ends up with in the third of the series--which I hope comes out soon.
Definitely read this whodunit--it is great for the beach or for travel, or for anytime.
Definitely read this whodunit--it is great for the beach or for travel, or for anytime.
November 13, 2014
Hey Guys and Dolls,
It’s summer time in one of my favorite small towns and the living is easy or maybe it’s dying that’s easy especially if you are a mouthy radio shock jock. Eliza Gordon and her best friend Midge are back doing what these two ladies do best, working out what the local gossip is really all about and solving a murder faster than the police can get the clues.
In Dead Silent, the second book in Amy Beth Arkawy’s Eliza Gordon Mysteries, I am delighted to tell you that there’s also plenty of gossip, mischief, a dash of romance, and delicious soup. Things are heating up for Goodship’s young widow as she is trying to move on with her life. Murder and gazpacho are best served cold or perhaps not at all in upstate New York if you want Eliza and Midge to mind their own business. At least that’s what detective Tom Santini would like these girls to do!
Yours truly, can only toast the bubbly to Ms Arkawy and wait patiently for the next book in this fabulous series. Eliza Gordon is my kind of gal a savvy, sweet and ‘souper’ sleuth!
It’s summer time in one of my favorite small towns and the living is easy or maybe it’s dying that’s easy especially if you are a mouthy radio shock jock. Eliza Gordon and her best friend Midge are back doing what these two ladies do best, working out what the local gossip is really all about and solving a murder faster than the police can get the clues.
In Dead Silent, the second book in Amy Beth Arkawy’s Eliza Gordon Mysteries, I am delighted to tell you that there’s also plenty of gossip, mischief, a dash of romance, and delicious soup. Things are heating up for Goodship’s young widow as she is trying to move on with her life. Murder and gazpacho are best served cold or perhaps not at all in upstate New York if you want Eliza and Midge to mind their own business. At least that’s what detective Tom Santini would like these girls to do!
Yours truly, can only toast the bubbly to Ms Arkawy and wait patiently for the next book in this fabulous series. Eliza Gordon is my kind of gal a savvy, sweet and ‘souper’ sleuth!
June 30, 2015
I read this book right after I finished the first book in this series, KILLING TIME. And I have to say, this trip to Goodship, New York was even more thrilling than the first.
Between murder, a toxic gossip site, and a cult, there is not one dull moment in DEAD SILENT. And Eliza Gordon and her friend Midge Sumner are back and in the thick of it all trying to uncover the truths in the mysteries around them.
Author Amy Beth Arkawy really stepped up her game in this second installment of her Eliza Gordon Mystery series DEAD SILENT. (That’s really saying something considering how good the first book was) It was a wonderful crafted mystery that has me second guessing myself all the way through the book. Every time I thought I was on the right track, the author threw something into the mix to knock me off track. And the exciting reveal . . . well, I didn’t see it coming at all.
Cozy mystery and not so cozy mystery fans alike will all be thrilled with this excellent book. I was so absorbed reading it, everything around me became dead silent. ;-)
I suggested in my review of KILLING TIME that you add it to your summer reading list. Well, you’re going to want to add DEAD SILENT at the same time.
Like with the first book, this one also includes a couple of yummy soup recipes in the back of the book!
Between murder, a toxic gossip site, and a cult, there is not one dull moment in DEAD SILENT. And Eliza Gordon and her friend Midge Sumner are back and in the thick of it all trying to uncover the truths in the mysteries around them.
Author Amy Beth Arkawy really stepped up her game in this second installment of her Eliza Gordon Mystery series DEAD SILENT. (That’s really saying something considering how good the first book was) It was a wonderful crafted mystery that has me second guessing myself all the way through the book. Every time I thought I was on the right track, the author threw something into the mix to knock me off track. And the exciting reveal . . . well, I didn’t see it coming at all.
Cozy mystery and not so cozy mystery fans alike will all be thrilled with this excellent book. I was so absorbed reading it, everything around me became dead silent. ;-)
I suggested in my review of KILLING TIME that you add it to your summer reading list. Well, you’re going to want to add DEAD SILENT at the same time.
Like with the first book, this one also includes a couple of yummy soup recipes in the back of the book!
September 20, 2024
too many misspelled/misused words
too many punctuation errors
too many loosely defined minor characters to remember clearly
too many punctuation errors
too many loosely defined minor characters to remember clearly
December 9, 2013
Dead Silent by Amy Beth Arkawy
An Eliza Gordon Mystery
This is the 2nd in the Eliza Gordon Mystery series and as we enter the busy soup diner, people are coming and going, snippets of conversations can be heard, and fresh descriptive phrases flow across the pages. Although I did not read the first in this series, book two has enough exposition to learn that Eliza does have a history to her character, allowing insight into her motivations and actions. While appreciating the need to set the scene and character, I think it took far too long for the murder to happen and bring tension to the story. There are moments of superfluous conversation between Midge and Eliza; but, on the other hand, there is really good use of misdirection and delicately planted suspicion to keep me guessing. Although I wish Eliza would have been the one to figure things out, the plot wraps up nicely and such intriguing developments with Jonas will definitely have me reading the first and the rest of the series.
An Eliza Gordon Mystery
This is the 2nd in the Eliza Gordon Mystery series and as we enter the busy soup diner, people are coming and going, snippets of conversations can be heard, and fresh descriptive phrases flow across the pages. Although I did not read the first in this series, book two has enough exposition to learn that Eliza does have a history to her character, allowing insight into her motivations and actions. While appreciating the need to set the scene and character, I think it took far too long for the murder to happen and bring tension to the story. There are moments of superfluous conversation between Midge and Eliza; but, on the other hand, there is really good use of misdirection and delicately planted suspicion to keep me guessing. Although I wish Eliza would have been the one to figure things out, the plot wraps up nicely and such intriguing developments with Jonas will definitely have me reading the first and the rest of the series.
November 6, 2013
I had the feeling that if I'd read the first book in the series I might be able to keep track of all the characters better -- as it was, I needed a scorecard to get through some of the group conversations. The mystery is good. I really like the character Eliza and think I may read another in the series to see if I get a better handle on it.
July 1, 2013
This is a great beach novel. I fell in love with the characters and their quick wit and energy. Amy Beth Arkawy has given us not only a cute book but some great recipes!
July 19, 2021
I enjoyed how this was solved and it took a lot of sleuthing.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews