The Quiet Ones Die First

by Ayman Hamadeh

In Pinewood, the children don't speak. And the last teacher who asked why never left.

When Leah Mercer accepts a teaching position in the remote mountain town of Pinewood, she's looking for a place to disappear. After losing everything—her career, her reputation, her home—for daring to report abuse at her Boston school, a six-month contract in a town too small for GPS seems like the fresh start she desperately needs.

But from the moment Leah steps into her classroom, she knows something is wrong.

Nine students. Nine desks. And not a single voice.

The children of Pinewood don't speak. Not to her. Not to each other. Not even by accident. They communicate through gestures, through glances, through a secret language of the body that Leah can see but cannot read. When a pencil drops, the room freezes. When a child coughs, fear flickers across every face.

The principal calls it composure. The townspeople call it tradition.

Leah calls it what it terror.

As winter deepens and the roads become impassable, Leah uncovers a conspiracy that stretches back seventy years—a pact signed in blood by the founding families, renewed every decade with a sacrifice. The missing teachers. The graves in the forest. The children's teeth, kept in drawers like trophies.

And this March, Leah is the one who's been chosen.

With time running out and no way to call for help, Leah must decide how far she's willing to go to protect children who have been taught that silence is the only way to survive—and whether the courage of one voice can break a cycle of violence that has held this town captive for generations.

119 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 16, 2025

About the author

I write dark, intense fiction. The kind that crawls under your skin and stays there. Psychological thrillers, dark fantasy, and the occasional story that doesn't fit neatly into any box. But I don't like staying in one lane. I write a little bit of everything, and I go wherever the story takes me.

What I care about most is making every page earn your time. I want you hooked from the first line and still thinking about the ending days later. That's the standard I hold myself to.

If you're here, you probably like stories with teeth. Pull up a chair. I think we'll get along.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

so i randomly discovered this book and it is a psychological thriller, will count for my "Q" pick for my A-Z challenge, and is not even very long because i was able to read it all in one sitting. it is definitely on the creepier side of horror/ thriller with a good amount of suspense. this is a short story about a teacher named Leah who comes to a small town as a substitute for another teacher, only to find that these townspeople are very quiet and keep to themselves, do not want her to go to the neighboring town for food or supplies, and none of the nine children that she is responsbible for teaching talk. Leah is determined to find out why, and she eventually comes across some horrifc information: every so often all of townspeople participate in a cultlike sacrificial ritual and if any of the children attempt to speak of it, they suffer the consquences. this was a good short read but ended kind of abruptly with a bit of a cliffhanger so i guess it is possible there might be more story.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Silence Is Deep

This is the first book from Ayman Hamadeh I have read. And boy oh boy, I sure am glad to have discovered him! This story will stay with me for a very long time. Silent children alone is enough to creep me out. This is just the start, my friend.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing

I was intrigued by the end of Chapter 1. Although this is short, it didn't lack in suspense, drama and action. Leaves you thinking. What if this is really happening in towns.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please tell me there is more

I absolutely loved reading this book. It is quick paced and keeps your attention till the very end! I will definitely be reading more from him!