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Connor Westphal #6
Silence Is Golden
There's gold in them thar hills again, but only trace amounts in this sixth Connor Westphal mystery. No one in Flat Skunk, Calaveras County, California, puts much stock in old Sluice Jackson even when he's sober, but there's no denying that what he's just pulled out of his miner's poke has a persuasive shine to it. "Gold," says Sluice, displaying a tooth-sized nugget. First witnesses to the find-if indeed it is one-are Connor, demon reporter (sexy and deaf), and p.i. Dan Smith, her lover (an attentive hunk). Since both like bucolic Flat Skunk the way it is, neither feels sanguine about the prospect of prospectors descending en masse. And they're right to be concerned, since a virulent case of gold fever is accompanied by the expected vicious behavior. For starters, someone burns down Sluice's cabin. Then there's a pair of killings, brutal and inexplicable. Meantime, Josh Littlefield, an old college friend of Connor's, suddenly turns up in Flat Skunk-a "deafie" married unhappily to a "hearie." Could they be in any way connected to Sluice's strike? When Sheriff Mercer arrests Josh on a charge of homicide, Connor knows it's time to dust off her Nancy Drew cap. Legally perky Connor (Blind Side, 2001, etc.) continues to appeal despite criminally porous plotting.
- GenresMystery
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
4 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Penny Warner
141 books138 followersPenny Warner is an award-winning author of over sixty books, including DEAD BODY LANGUAGE mystery series (Macavity winner), HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY series, and the upcoming Food Festival series. Her middle-grade mystery, THE CODE BUSTERS CLUB, won the Agatha Award for Best Children's Mystery.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 18, 2017
During the heady days of the pulps, there was a cycle of mysteries today fondly called the "defective detectives."They were detectives that had a physical defect of some kind. My favorite was The Bleeder, a hemophiliac.
Here we have a newer member of the sub-genre, a deaf detective, Connor Westphal. She's a deaf reporter who solves mysteries in what is called the Gold Country in California.
Gold is once again found and a mini-rush is on. Meanwhile, the wife of a deaf activist is killed, and their daughter kidnapped.
A pretty good update of the sub-genre. Like Billy Joel sang, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me."
Here we have a newer member of the sub-genre, a deaf detective, Connor Westphal. She's a deaf reporter who solves mysteries in what is called the Gold Country in California.
Gold is once again found and a mini-rush is on. Meanwhile, the wife of a deaf activist is killed, and their daughter kidnapped.
A pretty good update of the sub-genre. Like Billy Joel sang, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me."
May 10, 2023
Gold fever has hit Flat Skunk, California, after local eccentric prospector Sluice Jackson finds a nugget. Reporter Connor Westphal isn’t quite so quick to jump on the gold bandwagon, but while she is still trying to figure out what is going on, an old skeleton turns up. Meanwhile, Connor’s college boyfriend is in town with his ex-wife and their daughter. Then a modern body turns up. Can Connor figure out what is going on?
Obviously, there is a lot here, and that kept me entertained and engaged the entire way through. I did feel like the ending was rushed, including a sub-plot getting pretty much dropped. If you are new to the series, you should know that Connor is deaf, and I continue to love how that is portrayed in the stories. This book is now twenty years old, so some things are dated, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. Likewise, there is a little more swearing than you might expect, but not as much as earlier books in the series. The characters, not just Connor, are all great, and I enjoyed spending time with them. If you are looking for a unique main character, you’ll enjoy this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Obviously, there is a lot here, and that kept me entertained and engaged the entire way through. I did feel like the ending was rushed, including a sub-plot getting pretty much dropped. If you are new to the series, you should know that Connor is deaf, and I continue to love how that is portrayed in the stories. This book is now twenty years old, so some things are dated, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. Likewise, there is a little more swearing than you might expect, but not as much as earlier books in the series. The characters, not just Connor, are all great, and I enjoyed spending time with them. If you are looking for a unique main character, you’ll enjoy this book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
April 2, 2025
I picked this up at a library book sale and that's usually a gamble but I figured I like mysteries, I like gold country, why not? The book has such an amateur feel that I almost feel bad for criticizing it but it is the 6th in the series so clearly not a first attempt. But the sentences repeat often and the fact that the tense sometimes switches mid-paragraph drove me batty.
The characters are caricatures that don't even feel real. I feel like saying that the only time a black character appears, she was described as "cool as a chocolate milkshake" speaks for itself. I know the book is getting up there in age but there's no excuse for that, come on. Also, I can't even describe how paper thin and stupid the plot is. Most of the information we are fed throughout the story ends up having nothing to do with the murder, or is never mentioned again.
It's a quick read, I'll give you that. But I wouldn't read any other books in this series and I definitely wouldn't pick the author up again.
The characters are caricatures that don't even feel real. I feel like saying that the only time a black character appears, she was described as "cool as a chocolate milkshake" speaks for itself. I know the book is getting up there in age but there's no excuse for that, come on. Also, I can't even describe how paper thin and stupid the plot is. Most of the information we are fed throughout the story ends up having nothing to do with the murder, or is never mentioned again.
It's a quick read, I'll give you that. But I wouldn't read any other books in this series and I definitely wouldn't pick the author up again.
November 28, 2018
I always enjoyed Connor Westphal series because the protagonist is deaf and I also enjoy detective books. This is not the best detective book but I enjoyed that it was an easy read and entertaining. This book talks about how a drunken person, Sluice, discovered gold years after the gold rush. Immediately, people comes rushing in and dug up several dead bodies. Connor investigates who is behind the deaths while risking her life, as always.
January 14, 2009
Back in June I stumbled upon a delightful mystery series by Penny Warner. I read and reviewed Blind Side which is midway through the Connor Westphal series. At the same time I had picked up Silence is Golden, the book that follows Blind Side. I hadn't realized it was part of the series; I just liked the cover. Later I realized my good fortune and I had to drop what I had been reading for fun to read Silence is Golden. I have also picked up the other books in the series and hope to get the read and reviewed later this year.
The quiet life at Flat Skunk California has been interrupted by gold fever. Sluice Jackson, the town's oldest living prospector has found a gold nugget and opened up a can of worms in the process. Besides the gold fever mayhem, Penny finds herself in the middle of family dispute between her ex-boyfriend and his wife who are at odds over their daughter's deafness. The hearing wife wants to have the daughter operated on to get a cochlear implant; the husband doesn't. Connor, who is also deaf is torn at seeing this little girl in the tug of war.
Both those plots alone would be enough for an interesting novel but Warner is writing murder mysteries. There are a number bodies in this book. For Sluice, there is the body of an old prospector that might overturn the old town's balance of power. For Connor there is Gail and it looks like her ex boyfriend murdered her to prevent the operation. The aftermath of Gail's murder and what happened to Susie (the daughter) made this mystery more heart wrenching than I had expected but I still enjoyed the novel.
My favorite parts of the book through were the ones that focused on Sluice Jackson, the century old bones and the history of Blind Skunk. I also enjoyed learning more about Connor, sign language and deaf culture. She's an interesting unreliable narrator because the gaps and errors are there because she has either misread someone's lips or had her back turned and couldn't hear what was said. It's a refreshing way of keeping the reader guessing rather than having a protagonist who keeps things secret for personal or under-handed reasons. Connor is the antithesis of Dr. James Sheppard and that's a big part of why I adore her.
The Connor Westphal series so far is as follows:
* Dead Body Language (1997)
* Sign of Foul Play (1998)
* Right to Remain Silent (1999)
* A Quiet Undertaking (2000)
* Blind Side (2001)
* Silence is Golden (2003)
* Dead Man's Hand (2007)
The quiet life at Flat Skunk California has been interrupted by gold fever. Sluice Jackson, the town's oldest living prospector has found a gold nugget and opened up a can of worms in the process. Besides the gold fever mayhem, Penny finds herself in the middle of family dispute between her ex-boyfriend and his wife who are at odds over their daughter's deafness. The hearing wife wants to have the daughter operated on to get a cochlear implant; the husband doesn't. Connor, who is also deaf is torn at seeing this little girl in the tug of war.
Both those plots alone would be enough for an interesting novel but Warner is writing murder mysteries. There are a number bodies in this book. For Sluice, there is the body of an old prospector that might overturn the old town's balance of power. For Connor there is Gail and it looks like her ex boyfriend murdered her to prevent the operation. The aftermath of Gail's murder and what happened to Susie (the daughter) made this mystery more heart wrenching than I had expected but I still enjoyed the novel.
My favorite parts of the book through were the ones that focused on Sluice Jackson, the century old bones and the history of Blind Skunk. I also enjoyed learning more about Connor, sign language and deaf culture. She's an interesting unreliable narrator because the gaps and errors are there because she has either misread someone's lips or had her back turned and couldn't hear what was said. It's a refreshing way of keeping the reader guessing rather than having a protagonist who keeps things secret for personal or under-handed reasons. Connor is the antithesis of Dr. James Sheppard and that's a big part of why I adore her.
The Connor Westphal series so far is as follows:
* Dead Body Language (1997)
* Sign of Foul Play (1998)
* Right to Remain Silent (1999)
* A Quiet Undertaking (2000)
* Blind Side (2001)
* Silence is Golden (2003)
* Dead Man's Hand (2007)
May 23, 2008
It’s immensely satisfying to enjoy a book by an author who’s new to me. Penny Warner is one of several “new” authors I’ve been lucky to find this year. Her entertaining novel, Silence is Golden, is part of a series featuring journalist Connor Westphal, a smart and funny woman who happens to be deaf.
Set in the Sierra Nevada’s Gold Country, the adventure begins when the town of Flat Skunk’s oldest prospector, Sluice Jackson, discovers a gold nugget the size of a tooth on land owned by someone else. Soon, fortune seekers are everywhere. Also new to town, is Connor’s old college boyfriend, Josh, his wife, Gail, and their daughter, Susie. When Gail is found dead in the trunk of her car, Josh is arrested and Susie taken away by Social Services. Connor’s mission is to clear Josh’s name. Adding to the excitement is the discovery of a corpse buried near old Buzzard Mine and Connor’s suspicion that the appearance of more gold nuggets might be part of a scam. Given that Connor has a newspaper to run and lots of questions to ask, it’s a good thing her sexy, P.I. boyfriend, Dan, is willing to help. Not that Connor needs much assistance. She’s resourceful, tenacious, and an expert at lip-reading and interpreting facial expressions.
Interesting characters, a great setting, and a look at life from a deaf person’s perspective make Silence is Golden a unique and worthwhile read. I look forward to reading more of Connor’s adventures.
August 15, 2013
The references to Deaf culture were useful and I even liked Connor's spark at the beginning of the book, not even the reminders of who the characters are (it's the sixth book in the series but the first one I read) excessively annoying. But as the mystery progresses Connor gets stupider along with the plot. Why on earth does a deaf person decide to sneak into a presumed killer's home alone? Furthermore, she's supposed to be an investigative detective, how on earth hasn't she figured out this is not a good idea? or, at the very least, learned to check by sight on her way out?
Then there's strange moments, like when she's trapped in a dark place and decides to name drop not just Hellen Keller but the Miracle Worker (the scene is otherwise really interesting). Or the way she silently apologizes to her mother after she escapes certain death and uses a swear word out loud. WTF.
The ending was cliched, but, now again, so were all the feelings the main character has through the book (e.g. guy hot, little girl = sweet, other woman = bitch).
Then there's strange moments, like when she's trapped in a dark place and decides to name drop not just Hellen Keller but the Miracle Worker (the scene is otherwise really interesting). Or the way she silently apologizes to her mother after she escapes certain death and uses a swear word out loud. WTF.
The ending was cliched, but, now again, so were all the feelings the main character has through the book (e.g. guy hot, little girl = sweet, other woman = bitch).
February 10, 2009
Anything this writer writes is fabulous... her character Connor is unique and interesting!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews