Echoes of Silence

by Marjorie Eccles

Moving back to Yorkshire was the last thing DI Tom Richmonds thought he would do. His superiors are also perturbed by his decision to transfer. Surely after the murder of the young girl, Yorkshire is the last place he should want to be? Is this Richmond's attempt to make peace with the past, or does he have ideas about reopening a bungled investigation?

Whatever Richmond's intentions, events soon overtake him. When a local biographer is found murdered, the investigation leads Richmond straight to the Denshaw family. It's been ten years since eight-year-old Beth was killed, snatched from the garden of the Denshaw family home. Her corpse was found four months after her disappearance in the local park. Even though her mother confessed to the killing, there are still those - Richmond among them - who believe that Beth's stepfather, vicar Peter Denshaw, was actually responsible for her death.

As Richmond's investigation of the biographer's death has him rummaging once again through the Denshaw family's dirty laundry, he cannot help but begin to see clues to the older murder as well.

Genres: Mystery

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Aka Judith Bordill, Jennifer Hyde

Marjorie Eccles has written several romantic and crime novels, which have been published both in the UK and in the US. Many of her book shave been translated and serialised around the world. She has one grown up son and now lives in Hertfordshire

Reviews

[Lizzie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Tom Richmond returning to Yorkshire it was an attempt to make peace with his past, but the death of a local biographer leads him straight back to the Denshaw family and the death ten years earlier of eight-year-old Beth whose death has never been satisfactorily explained.
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Despite his assurance to his superiors that he will only investigate the current case and not delve back into the early death of Beth, Tom finds himself drawn back to that earlier case.

The Denshaws are a prominent family and there was speculation at the time that Peter Denshaw, Beth’s stepfather, had something to do with her death. In her declining years Freya Cass, Peters mother decides to take matters into her own hands, with tragic circumstances.

The book deals with the tragedy of the death of a young person and the aftermath for those left behind. Marjorie Eccles presents us not only with an interesting case to solve, but also the pain and suffering of those left behind, who have to pick up the pieces of their lives and move forward, always carrying with them the pain of the past.

Highly recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes

[Billie Raven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy Ready Eccles! enjoyed

[Nancy Cook-senn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary British murder mystery in which DI Richmond hopes to reveal more about the murder of his own daughter by investigating the new deaths involving her step family. Interesting puzzle, varied characters, obligatory descriptions of English winter weather.

[Pauline Ranieri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't get into this book so stopped reading it.