Silence

Nell Brach #1

by S.E. Green

A dead teenage girl. A growing suspect list. A town full of liars.

At twenty-eight, Detective Nell Brach is both the youngest and the first woman to make detective in her close-knit Tennessee community. Assigned her first case as lead investigator, she’s determined to prove herself and find out what happened to the thirteen-year-old “good girl” found in the woods.

However, the deeper Nell and her new partner, Vaughn, dig, the more potential suspects they discover…including Nell’s lover, a local judge.

With enemies forming right and left, sensitive details being leaked, and a disturbing competition dating back decades come to light, Nell can’t risk only following the rules. One more misstep and she’s off the case. But when she begins to unravel the secrets and series of spiraling events surrounding the girl’s death, it leaves everyone in the small town stunned…

PRAISE FOR S. E. GREEN

“Fantastic thriller! My heart raced the entire time.” (The Lady Next Door)

“Holy hell, I am speechless . I don’t think I have ever read anything like this.” (Vanquished)

“The ending literally left me with my mouth hanging open .” (Killer Instinct)

“ Outstanding and worthy of 10 stars!” (The Strangler)

“Raw. Visceral. Twisted. This may be Green’s best work yet .” (Monster)

“ Edge of your seat and shocking. Green is my new favorite author.” (The Third Son)

“Please, please, please keep writing these fast-paced page-turners!” (Mother May I)

“Holy crap! What a whirl of emotion. And that ending. Oof!” (Ultimate Sacrifice)

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

184 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2025

About the author

S. E. Green is the award-winning and best-selling author of young adult and adult books. She grew up in Tennessee where she dreaded all things reading and writing. She didn’t even read her first book for enjoyment until she was twenty-five. After that, she was hooked! When she’s not writing, she's usually traveling or hanging out with a rogue armadillo that frequents her backyard.

Reviews

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

[Bryanna Berrios · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in two days. The chapters were short which I loved, and the writing makes you feel like you're present within in the book. Even towards the end I thought I had it figured out, but I was wrong! The ending made me a little sad because it just shows how innocent kids can be. This was my first book of the year and my first read by this author and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more of her work!

[Sage Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This book was received as an ARC. This review is voluntary.*

Rating: 5/5

Why I Love This Book: quick read, new info every chapter/never dull, consistent plot, changing POV, twist ending!

Holy. Shit. This was a great impulse download. I’m not familiar with S. E. Green, but I’m adding so many stories to my TBR after this! The book starts out with a great hook. The FMC is strong, but relatable (can we say #trauma). FMC is lead investigator on the case for this story. At no point did it feel like she was treated differently for who she was. She was only held accountable for how she performed. Each chapter is time stamped, which helps move the story forward. I never had to guess about how much time has passed between chapters. My favorite part of this book was the surprise POV change at the end to help wrap up the story! Such a unique way to tie up lingering questions! This is definitely an ARC I’d love to buy a physical copy for my library. A must-have for crime detective buffs!

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great mystery. Silence is one of those books that you get all upset with when you have to put it down and return to your life! "Leave me alone. I am reading a good book!"
A girl is found dead. She died from a rare occurrence. Family dynamics. Small town dynamics. High school antics. Wonderful characters. A very mysterious plot. I love the way the two detectives solve it piece by piece. Well written. Well told.
My only issue was the ending seemed anticlimactic somehow. A very good, surprising, unexpected ending. But the author just tells Scarlett's story in a chapter near the end.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from Hidden Gems.

[RaChelle Holmberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received from Hidden Gems as a gift, this writing style was enjoyable, easy to follow, and exciting. I do wonder if the book is mis-numbered as book one, though, as theres so much backstory alluded to. On to book "two", as it was included in the download. Highly recommended.

[Katie Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

VERY fast read!

[Tiffney McKay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the story and characters. Sometimes a couple hr read is all you need.

[Linda Clemons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m going to download more Nell Brach stories. It was so refreshing to find a detective who doesn’t loath her new partner.

[Dawn Moore-Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a quick read. Although this book is the second book in the series, and I didn’t read the first book, I enjoyed reading it. During the story line I got the gist of the first book, and I have intentions on reading it. There was decent back stories of the characters and character development. The story line of a young detective who takes in her first lead in a case, while struggling to take care of personal matters. I look forward to the first and next book in the series.
I would recommend this book to YA who enjoys a detective based book. There isn’t any squeamish details like the other crime solving books that I’ve read.

[Angie Holden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silence is a fast paced suspense/mystery that quickly pulls you in. When Nell Brach arrives on the case of Scarlett, a teenage girl who was found dead, she is determined to find out who killed her. As this is the first case she has been assigned lead on, is she in over her head? She quickly realizes that many in the town are keeping secrets. There are so many twists turns and secrets coming to light, and the suspect list is growing. That list includes her secret lover, the town judge. Not only is Nell working hard on the case, she has her own personal matters to attend to as well. The ending is not one you will see coming, but is definitely worth waiting for.

[Venus · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fun murder mystery

I really enjoyed this one. It’s a super quick read, and pretty casual. It’s classic mystery with multiple persons of interest with multiple motives. I would have liked to have known more about Scarlett as a person, but what we did get was a sweet girl. Nell comes off as very human, which is not the norm with stories like this. I appreciated that, but wish we got more of her back story. A lot felt unsaid, but I’m sure that’s what the next books are for. Overall, a great read.

[Anna Peterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I expected from this author.

This is the third SE Green book I’ve read. It didn’t live up to my high expectations. I had a hard time keeping the characters straight, like who was who and how did they fit in to the story. It was simply boring. Luckily it was not very long!
I’m going to choose another book by this author and hope it will be much better.

[Garrett Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and complex story well told.

Nell and her partner have their hand full trying to solve a murder and get the right person or persons arrested


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[Noella Allisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Third Son by this author and decided to read another of her books. Good decision. I do like her writing style. Not overly heavy or complicated. I’ll be reading the next of her books starring this same detective.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh just not impressed sorry .
Spoilers below
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I feel like I read almost the entire book .. for nothing . What kind of an end to that crime was that !? No crazy omg moments were had during this book. Only a what the fuck really that’s all that happened . Booooooo.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

SILENCE

Great story, loved how the plot keeps you interested and I could not stop reading. The end was a shock.... Sorry to say that, must continue on to the next book, the author has an awesome imagination !!!

[Michelle VanDaley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb had me excited for this story. The overall plot was good but the execution fell flat. I found the story to be predicatble, pacing was slow and the ending was disappointing. This is a good quick beach read IMO

[Sandybb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

I love this story kept me really engaged that I wanted to keep reading it. I appreciate that there were no extraordinary sex scenes I just want a really good story and this delivered.

[Donna Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one too 🖤

Sssssooooo can't wait for the next book in this series I couldn't put these down
This author is freaking AMAZING 🖤

[Nathan Snowden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series keeps getting better and better.

[Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fast read cut to the chase we love that! I felt like it was an episode of law and order👌🏽

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great development of characters and storyline

[Lisa Kintzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful, fast paced, I read it in one sitting! Loved it!

[Bob Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable

This is exactly how I like my mysteries. It was fast-paced, well-written, keeps me guessing, and interesting characters. Very well done.

[Darlene Lindner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy reading. Good story that kept my interest until the very end. Looking forward to the next, which is being downloaded.

[Gloria S. Overby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that keeps your interest

A young lady assumes responsibility for her job as well as parent to her brother. In the meantime, finding a young girls murderer.

[Sandra Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really good! Enjoyed the characters and the twists!

[Chantel Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping

Such a good book. Kept me guessing until the end. I'm hooked on S. E. Green. I can't wait to tag all her books

[John Avlakiotis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally not my kind of book. But it was well written and short so i managed to finish it. 2.5.

[Barb Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

This was a real page turner. Read in two days because I couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to the next one so downloading it now. Thanks S.E. Green. Keep writing 😉