The Quiet Dead: A thrilling, twisty, addictive crime thriller

by NJ Mackay

Fifteen years ago, he confessed to the murder of his wife and children.

As a teenager, Hayley DaSilva walked into a nightmare; discovering the bodies of her mother, twin brother, and friend all brutally slaughtered in her home and her nine-year-old brother missing. Her father, Leonard DaSilva, confessed to the murders, but Ethan was never seen again.

He lied. But why?

Now, Hayley has fled her dreadful past in Thamespark - until the call from Detective Sebastian Locke. Little bones uncovered in a shallow grave belong to Ethan and the investigation reveals holes in the case that prove Leonard's confession was false. He didn't kill his family. So why did he say he did?

As DI Locke and the squad realise that a killer has been hiding in plain sight in the sleepy commuter town of Thamespark, the previously cold case becomes an urgent investigation. But as the squad gets closer to the truth of who really murdered the DaSilvas, it becomes clear that the culprit won't hesitate to spill blood to keep their shocking secrets hidden

An absolutely unputdownable police procedural with a shocking twist, introducing Detective Sebastian Locke. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Cara Hunter and Sharon Bolton will love this.

Readers are loving The Quiet Dead:

'A fabulous introduction to DI Sebastian Locke...a new hero (and fictional crush!) is born. A cast of liars and cheats makes for a thrilling and tantalising tale. My heart broke with Ethan's story and those little bones.' Sam Holland

'A brilliantly twisty cold case novel which gradually unfurls to reveal the chilling truth.' Marion Todd

'A perfect blend of mystery and psychological thrillerDramatically and emotionally stirring, the unearthing of buried trauma is so deftly handled whilst also providing edge-of-your-seat thrills.' Dominic Nolan

'So well plotted that you'll find yourself staying up reading half the night.' Reader Review

'I absolutely loved The Quiet Dead from start to finish, I thought the story was brilliant...totally unputdownable.' Reader Review

'Really brilliant read. Got straight into it from the first page - really kept you guessing right till the end.' Reader Review

'Brilliant book. Didn't want to read it all in one go as I was enjoying it so much.' Reader Review

'Couldn't put it down, such a good plot and the ending was totally mindblowing.' Reader Review

'I hope there will be more to come in this series...I became engrossed in the characters and the storyline.' Reader Review

'This cold case thriller is unputdownable! I absolutely loved this! It keeps you on the edge of your seat! It was so good!' Reader Review

'An excellent police procedural...Dark, twisty, surprising and welll written.' Reader Review

333 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2023

Reviews

[Lisa Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time I’ve read anything from this author and I really enjoyed it. Kept me guessing till the end xx

[Amanda Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I found this one very long and drawn out. It has an awful lot of police procedure and whilst I did like the characters involved and could see how it is setting up Sebastian Locke to become the main character in a series of books, I just found it a little boring. There were no twist or turns, no dramatic events or action and, at times, it just felt like the story was plodding along. The last quarter of the book did improve slightly but to be honest by then I was already fed up with the story and I just wanted to find out the truth behind the murders. It is a shame because, like I said, I did enjoy some of the characters and thought the original concept was really good. I sometimes felt that it focused on Locke’s personal life rather than the main events and this detracted from the main plot.
I haven’t read any other books by this author and to be honest after reading this one I probably won’t be on the lookout for any others, but maybe this was one of her slower books, perhaps some of the others would be more my cup of tea?

[Alice-May · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, felt like too many names were thrown in too soon which made it difficult to keep up. Read one of her other books “the due date” which I thoroughly enjoyed and flew through, so was slightly disappointed with this one.

[Shontaebutcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really good book with an interesting capturing plot but needed headers to who is talking. After the 3rd of the book, it wasn't confusing to understand who's point we were getting, but before that, it was a bit confusing to understand.

[Emily Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The twists and changes kept me guessing who was the killer, however it was a tad drawn out. I wish the ending was different and went into more detail about what happened to Anita, Matt and Ryan and what actually happened to Ethan. Just wanted more details

[Sue Hickling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good story .

[H C · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good thriller! Thoroughly enjoyed!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many story lines. Hard to follow. Not a favorite.

[Jo Fouracres · Rating 4 out of 5]

first book from this author and enjoyed it. Will read another one as would like to learn more about the detective