The Silent Ones

Father Anselm Mysteries #6

by William Brodrick

Find out why Harry is prepared to blame an innocent man. That's the thread. Follow it. You'll reach the Silent Ones.
Eleven-year-old Harry Brandwell, obviously in great distress, refuses to talk. What, or who, is holding him back?
When a homeless man arrives unexpectedly at Larkwood Priory, the community welcomes him with open arms. But he isn't what he seems: he knows why Harry won't speak.
Father Anselm finds himself on the trail of an impostor, unaware that he is being drawn into the shadows of a mysterious conspiracy, his reputation for integrity exploited by those closest to him. With his attempts to pursue justice thwarted at every turn, it is clear that there are those who eagerly await his downfall. As he is lured into the courtroom to defend a man he believes to be innocent, Anselm begins to doubt his own judgment.
Meanwhile Harry Brandwell, abandoned and betrayed, has decided to take matters into his own hands. But Anselm is completely unsuspecting. He's in the dark, seeking the Silent Ones . . .

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, British Literature

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

William Brodrick was born in Bolton, Lancashire in 1960. Having lived in Canada since he was eleven, he went to school in Australia and England, and went on to take a BA in Philosophy and Theology, then a MTh (Master of Theology) and a Degree of Utter Barrister. Brodrick worked on a logging camp in British Columbia, Canada, before joining the Augustinian Friars (1979-1985). He began his life as a friar in Dublin, Ireland, based on a farm that deployed Iron Age techniques bringing him very close to nature. After several years as a friar, he left the order to help set up a charity at the request of Cardinal Hume, The Depaul Trust, which worked with homeless people. In 1991 he became a barrister. He holds British and Canadian citizenship and is married with three children with whom he lives in France

Reviews

[Peter Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Silent Ones by William Brodrick

This is the 6th book in the Father Anselm Mysteries series and perhaps the best; certainly it is quite different to the five books that precede it.

The plot revolves around the idea that vulnerable people are exploited and that their willingness to show compassion, to show forgiveness to their nemesis furthered that exploitation. A person who does evil can change, he can seek forgiveness but those to whom the evil was done, they can never change, not completely, they can never get back what the evil took from them.

I don't intend to do a blow-by-blow listing of the many intricacies of the story line; it suffices to say that this book has an extremely complex plot. At many times I felt I knew who had "done it" only to be proved wrong a page or two later.

William Brodrick is an extremely competent practitioner of the genre of crime writing. Everything of his that I have read has been very entertaining - what more can I say?

Clearly, I have enjoyed this book and it goes without saying that I highly recommend it. However there is a phrase that seems to repeat throughout the book that I will remember most:

"You don't always have to talk about everything"...

Buy this book, read it and enjoy the work of a master craftsman.

Regards,
Peter

[Tom]

This is a good story about a barrister-monk investigating a case of child sexual abuse by a priest. But all is not as it seems. So begins a story akin to peeling an onion, as some reviewers have mentioned, it's a complex plot. Just as you think you know what's going on, you discover you've been wrong-footed.

I do like stories which is an 'all is not what it first seems' stories.

The Story
A priest is accused of abusing a boy. The boy refuses to talk about it, making any investigation difficult. The priest flees following being questioned by the police and seeks sanctuary in a monastery but not all the monks are happy about his presence.

Father Anselm, a barrister in a former life, is called on to find out why the priest, Father Livermore, fled rather than stay to fight his case. As Anselm investigates, he discovers the secrets and lies that tangle the generations of a family.

Why 3 stars?
This book took me longer than usual to read because I found the story difficult to get into for most of the book, finding the numerous twists confusing at times, as well as the characters and who was who and what their place in the story was.

I have enjoyed theological settings in crime novels before and I wanted to enjoy it and kept reading because I wanted to know what the conclusion was. But sometimes it was difficult to follow.

There was a bright point when the final big revelation came about but it was dampened down by more revelations.

Some other reviewers have also mentioned this book seemed a little long and I tend to agree.

[Phil Lawless · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last book for Father Anselm as of the finish date. I found it to be more unsatisfying than all the ones I have read so far, but a lot of that has to do with it being very convoluted. The plot seems straightforward in the beginning, but it grows deeper and deeper as parts of the trial seem to become resolved. Even into the Epilogue, the parts seem to change.

This book is Brodrick ' s perspective on sexual abuse within the Church and it focuses on the damage done to the victims in distorting the rest of their lives. All the plot twists arise from a desire of many of the principal characters to let victims know that they are not alone in their suffering and that they can seek help.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary theme in that the author deals with child abuse. An American priest, Father Eddie, is accused. Is he innocent or guilty? As a whole, the book is not exciting, but it does pose moral questions and there is good courtroom drama where Father Anselm [a former lawyer] takes up the defense of Father Eddie. The story is convoluted and reaches back many years. It is told without sensationalism.

[Karen M M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Likeable characters and good storyline/ plot. Fell down on believability and explanations of actions - BB it kept interest until the end and enjoyed the deduction process of the main character - the monk lawyer.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The topic is contemporary and disturbing but the story handles the issue gently and sensitively. I liked the story and the clerical detective, but it wasn't riveting. I'm thinking of going back to the beginning of this author's series (The Father Anselm series) to see what the early stories were like -- so this one at least made me interested to pursue Brodrick's work further. Intriguingly, Brodrick was an Augustinian Friar before becoming a barrister - religion and crime make a good combination for dealing with contemporary themes.

[Cathi Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I seem to be on a Christian mystery/thriller kick. Inadvertent I might add. First The Watchers now this.
Not sure I’ll read more in either series. Interesting though perhaps a little too “ripped from the headlines” child abuse and the church and the trauma caused by hiding it. The female characters (again) are flat and uninteresting.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brodrick's novels are always more than they initially seem to be; there is always another layer, a deeper level. This book was perplexing, devastating, and ultimately rewarding, especially in its treatment of an unlikely, unlovable hero. Highly recommended.

[Mike Taverner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way to long and unnecessarily complex. The first half was a good read - interesting, topical and mysterious. Then there seemed to be so many irrelevant story lines.

[Fred Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

So he finally tackles the elephant in the room, sexual abuse by clergy. With his usual style and complexity, the conspiracy isn't what it seems at first. I think the moral complexity of some of the surrounding mystery is a good metaphor for how many people associated with the church feel about these scandals. It's not what they know but they have to accept it happens. The mystery here may not be as good as his previous books but the hard moral choices remain.

[Emily Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the latest in the series of the Father Anselm mysteries. I have read all six and find them totally different to other mysteries. I enjoy how the author delves into unspoken subjects, and gently teases out the result. I just wish they could be brought to the television screen. They would make excellent viewing!

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great mystery and examination of the problem of sexual abuse: the shame, the "deals" that are made to cover up, and the harm done to individuals and families. Truth is the beginning of healing.

[Susan j bohler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six stars really

Beautifully written examination of the different ways people are silenced. This book has so many unexpected turns. Nothing in this book turns out the way you expect.

[Alan Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully engaging. An important book to read and understand...

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novel started strong but by the end I just wanted to finish and go to something else.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another quality read from Bill Brodrick

[Wendy Symington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow to take off, but then it races!

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot reminded me of Dorothy Sayers (that's a high compliment). This is part of a series, and is the first one I have read, though not the first in said series, so I am not sure where the monastic characters in it have been before in terms of development. I certainly intend to find out.

I love mysteries, but too often they offer the reader a stark choice between characterization and a good plot. This is particularly true since Amazon offers writers to the chance to sell unedited Kindle Unlimited stuff. "He's a chimp! He's the Pope! They're detectives!!!", as a disgruntled friend of mine once described them.

The Silent Ones is that rara avis. Brodrick uses the current scandals wracking the Catholic Church as the jumping-off point for Father Anselm's investigation. It never becomes salacious, it is always compassionate, and it contains enough genuine plot twists to keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat. I read it in one sitting. Make of that what you will.

I was a Benedictine monk for four years back in my salad days (Brodrick was also a member of a religious order) and he gets the internal dynamics of a monastery exactly right. Moreover, he limns the monastic characters rather than dissects them. This allows the reader to approach them as actual people rather than props. I found myself wanting to know a great deal more about the Prior.

The mystery is not a MacGuffin. It stays front and center throughout the novel, and when it is resolved one feels satisfied. Brodrick's use of the scandals is judicious. The Silent Ones is a salutary reminder that evil lurks anywhere. In this well-written novel, it starts as a small cloud on one family's horizon, and expands until it fills the sky. Father Anselm --- flawed, stumbling but remorseless --- is the best character to confront it I have read since Miss Marple in Nemesis. And just as Christie's old lady is the detective she is because of her life in St. Mary Mead, so too does Father Anselm take his community with him as he enters the outside world to investigate both a crime, and the mysteries of the human heart.

Highly recommend. I will be hunting down the other books in the series.

[Ruth Brumby · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Brodrick uses his own experiences of working with homeless people, of having a mother who smuggled children away from the Nazis, of his noviciate in Ireland and work in a London parish. As a result the book has authenticity despite the plot being complicated, unlikely and confusing.
The main theme is about silence, when you need to speak out, the importance of confession, of publicity, when you need to keep quiet, "being mute of malice or by visitation of God", secrets and promises. He riffs on this, but I would have liked more and more depth.
I was very interested in the ideas about the same events being seen completely differently by different people and this was the reason and justification for the plotting. As a barrister and detective he (Anselm and William) puzzles out the truth. It doesn't seem to me that that is always or even often possible.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than its predecessor! There are obvious "hooks" for anyone who's been aware of unpleasant (euphemism!) happenings within the Church in recent years; Boston Diocese, monks in Ealing and handymen with false names and dodgy previous lives.

However, it's not quite so predictable as that would suggest, or it wouldn't be much of a read, and there are many books, some memoirs, some investigative, and some fiction, on the topic of child abuse involving clergy. Needless to say, the subject really has to be approached carefully in a novel, or it just would seem like exploitation, perhaps especially in a "whodunnit".
This book manages to avoid sensationalism, and, mostly, easy conclusions, certainly nothing of the Dan Brown about it, but let us all pray that the impetus (real life) for writing on this subject withers away.

[Susan Wight · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his former life, Father Anselm was a top barrister but these days he lives in quiet seclusion at Larkwood Priory. He is called on to find out why Father Livermore has disappeared. There seems little doubt that his disappearance is connected to allegations made by the family of young Harry Brandwell but a mysterious visitor to the Priory urges Father Anselm to find out why Harry is prepared to blame an innocent man.

I've enjoyed Father Anselm novels before and this one, a sensitive and satisfying read, did not disappoint.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was afraid this was going to be just another book about the Roman church's paedophilia scandals. And while it was indeed such a novel, it had enough insights and twists to allow the reader to gain a wider and better view of the issues involved. It helped that Brodrick has matured as writer--less obfuscation for the sake of obfuscation and more layering and multiperspectivalism for the sake of depth and true mystery. A worthy entry in this series, which I hope continues (it seems to have stalled at the moment on six selections).

[SueChor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intricate plot, sometimes too much so, as Anselm traces the steps of the missing priest, who’s been accused of abuse by a young boy. His compassion towards all those involved is notable, along with a very open mind. Because of this, he’s able to figure out motivations, including his own, including who set him up to follow these threads. Complex, rich, compassionate tale. Will read more by this writer.

Note: book description names accused “Livermore”, and it’s actually “Littlemore”.

[Christopher Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this one. Found the style a little difficult in the early stages but became more used to it as it progressed. A sleuthing monk is a new one-and a former QC no less! This was quite a complex plot which was another reason it took a while to follow fully. Thought it was well done and certainly intend to try a few more from this series.

[Cathy Putman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cerebral puzzle mystery with two entangled strands and a long denoument. Thoughtful speculation about motive and slowness to judgment by sleuth/advocate Fr Anselm kept my interest until the end when I skipped through some of the explanation. An exploration of the danger of covering up crimes that may not be your own as a way of avoiding shame.

[Rebecca Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engaging

Another in this series, which is a modern twist on a familiar genre. And this one focuses on the some of the real world dilemmas of clerical sexual abuses and the cover ups that have been so shocking and damaging . Recommended.

[Martina Lennon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A case of evil hiding in plain sight. Many layers like an onion have to be peeled back before Anslem finishes his investigation.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the most confusing, most convoluted book I've ever read...or hope to read.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always in this series, interesting ethical dilemmas, which can at times become a little too convoluted. Interesting to read as I am watching the Keepers on Netflix.