Scream of Silence

by Bryan Cassiday

How much would you sacrifice to become wealthy and successful?

The hit man Gordon Carney, his wife Karen, a frustrated writer trying to break into print, and their son Brady move into a Spanish-style bungalow in the Hollywood Hills where they experience inexplicable and chilling events. Becoming paranoid Karen suspects the other family members of plotting against her. She comes to believe the house is driving them crazy because it’s haunted. She hires a medium, who Gordon thinks is a quack, to exorcise the house.

Meanwhile, Karen investigates the former owners when she finds out none of the neighbors will talk about them. Consumed with curiosity, Karen discovers that the owner was the wannabe film actor Deirdre Turner who idolized Marilyn Monroe. Karen believes the actor’s obsession with the unstable movie star drove her to commit an unspeakable crime.

Continuing to investigate Deirdre, Karen, like Deirdre, makes the shocking discovery of what it takes to become rich and successful in Hollywood and uncovers a diabolical evil that puts her entire family at risk.

Genres: Horror

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 11, 2024

About the author

Award-winning author Bryan Cassiday writes thrillers and horror fiction. His novel Horde (Zombie Apocalypse: The Chad Halverson Series Book 6) won the 2022 Independent Press Award and the 2021 American Fiction Award for Best Horror novel. His novel Electric Green Mambas was a Finalist in the Reader Views Award for Thrillers 2021-22. His short story "Boxed" was published in the anthology Shadows and Teeth Volume Two, which won both the 2017 International Book Award for best adult horror fiction anthology and the Florida Association of Publishers and Authors President's Award gold medal for best adult horror fiction anthology 2017.

"A bracing page-turner with an unconventional hero."--Kirkus Reviews on Bryan's thriller Murder LLC

His thrillers include the psychological thriller The Payout and the Ethan Carr thriller Force of Impact, which Kirkus Reviews called "A fast-paced detective novel enhanced by exceptional characters and a striking ending."

Praise for Bryan Cassiday's Thriller Bolt

“From the very start, Bryan Cassiday spins what appears to be a typical Southern Californian private investigation novel in Bolt, but quickly takes off in a direction that speaks to our current troubled times. Well-plotted and crisply written, with great characterization, this is one to look for.”--Brendan DuBois, coauthor with James Patterson of The Cornwalls Are Gone.

"Noir suspense at its best! Private eyes, hit men, globe-trotting, and characters you don't know whether you can trust or not. Fans of James Ellroy, Dennis Lehane, and Fredrick Forsyth will love Bolt!"--Matthew Farrell, best-selling author of What Have You Done

Praise for Bryan Cassiday's Zombie Books

"The plot engages from the beginning and holds the reader's interest until the last page."--The Booklife Prize on Horde

"Cassiday blends thoughtful suspense and pulse-pounding terror to deliver a novel with both bite and creeping dread."--David Dunwoody, author of Empire and The Harvest Cycle

"Written with the epic scope of World War Z and infused with the gritty spook works derring-do of a Robert Ludlum spy thriller, Sanctuary in Steel is full of zombie mayhem through and through."--Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Flesh Eaters and Inheritance

"Sanctuary in Steel made me feel like I did the first time I watched Romero. Fresh, exciting and engaging like any outbreak story should be."--Iain McKinnon, author of Domain of the Dead

Reviews

[Milt Theo · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded to 3. The book started quite promising -a hitman, who's also a family man, finds himself increasingly unable to fulfill his latest contract; his new house proves to be haunted, transforming his wife and mother of their young boy into a (occasionally) possessed, erratically behaving person, a threat to her own child; he never takes this situation seriously; slowly, mayhem ensues. By the first half of the book, the text reads like the author's expanded notes on a screenplay: simple, plain dialogue, no descriptions, same settings, same issues, tiresome repetition of the same discussions ad nauseam. By the last third, the story has collapsed into itself, grown into comedy. I found myself laughing out loud, but ultimately the joke was on me, as the book got extremely boring (to the point that the same kind of supernatural attacks happen again and again, as if they've never happened earlier in the story). The ending is entirely arbitrary and utterly disappointing.

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a mix of so many things. It was outrageous. It was terrifying and the end was not EVEN what I expected. The writing kept me immersed throughout the whole book. I could not put it down. I had to see where all the chaos was heading. Another thing that was insane was how all the characters became intertwined near the end of the story. Each person started off on their own journey and then somehow they ended up on the same page. And the house? It looked very appealing, on the outside, while the inside deteriorated quickly the more time the family spent there. I found it insane that with all the red flags the family experienced they never left. But if you do not believe in the supernatural then why would you think any of the situations were red flags? The family played into what the entity wanted. Definitely a different type of read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ all the way.

[Pat McMullen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Goodreads and the publishers for the advance copy.

This book is chaotic at best and reads more like a screenplay than a novel. There are almost no environmental descriptions, rather most information is taken from dialogue. I wanted so much more from the hitman storyline; that thread fades away around the 2nd half. I also found it frustrating that none of the 3 family members accepted that their house was haunted despite the absolutely absurd situations they found themselves in. Every instance was written off in their minds by earthquakes, sleeping pills, stress, Hollywood oddities, sleepwalking, etc. I couldn't help but feel that the reader is always further along in the story than the book is itself. The ending is total lunacy, but is probably the most compelling part. 2.5 stars.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to admit this, but I didn’t care for this. It hit too many typical horror tropes and didn’t add anything new to the genre. It got repetitive. There’s a ton of dialogue and minimal descriptions of anything. And it was also frustrating that everything was explained so matter of factly, leaving nothing to really imagine or think about further. There was even some unresolved plot points.

I received this book for free as an ARC.

[Melanie Houghton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start and very interesting ending but the middle left a lot to be desired. The beginning started off like a good horror story with strong writing. It could have used more character development though. In the middle, the writing changed using phrases like “Demon shmemon,” and I was beginning to wonder if it was supposed to be a spoof horror story. Lots of dialogue but not much story movement until near the end.

[Faith Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of the story was good, very interesting and decently paced, but the middle slowed things down considerably. It picked back up towards the end but perhaps a little too much as the ending seemed slightly rushed. It was still a very decent story all around. I am excited to see what other works the author has released. *I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

[Joanna C · Rating 3 out of 5]

You never know what’ll happen next

Interesting story you think you finally understand what’s going on but then you’re thrown into a totally different direction. I was frustrated with Karen’s attitude for most of the story. I had not expected her ending to be what it was.

Check it out if you want to read a story about possession and evil spirits in a home.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like campy, over the top horror books, this is for you. I found the writing to be repetitive. Definitely not a lot of depth to the story. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Angie Waller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won an advance copy on Goodreads giveaways.
I really enjoyed the story especially the ending.
I hope the writing improves some with some more editing. Since this was an early copy I’m really hoping it improves a lot. Uses the word “decided” over 120 times and the word “wondered” over 100 times. That really takes away a lot from the story. I do plan on reading again after the final copy to see if the writing improves. The story itself was amazing though. 3.5 stars but rounded up after thinking about it. If a book stays on your mind after reading it’s worth more stars. I’m positive the writing will improve with edits so I think it deserves 4 stars.