by Mari Hannah
To the best family a writer could ever have: my mum, Marie; Paul and Kate; Chris and Jodie; Max, Frances and Mo. During the writing of this book there were times when I missed you all so much. Thanks for putting up with my imaginings. It’s safe to unlock the door now.
Praise for The Silent Room
“The explosive opening of The Silent Room introduces a gripping thriller with a very human face. Nobody understands the many faces of cops better than Mari Hannah.”
—Val McDermid
“A tense and compelling stand-alone thriller from one of our foremost crime writers. This book gripped me from the opening pages and never let go.”
—David Jackson
“An author taking a break from a series should revel in the opportunities this offers. With The Silent Room, Mari Hannah certainly has. Totally enjoyable on all levels. Great book, great characters, and superb pacing.”
—Yrsa Sigurdardóttir
“Mari Hannah has always had two key specialities: a gift for genuinely ingenious plotting matched by a skill at choreographing suspense sequences that is the equal of more stellar names in the genre. Both characteristics are at full stretch in The Silent Room, with everyone involved leaping off the page.”
—The Independent (UK)
“Curiously gripping and enjoyable.”
—Literary Review (UK)
“Taut storytelling and razor-sharp dialogue … make this a novel not to be missed.”
—Daily Mail (UK)
“[Full of] delicious twists and turns.”
—Sunday Express (UK)
“A hard-as-nails stand-alone thriller.”
—Peterborough Telegraph (UK)
“Very creepy. Read it on your commute and you’ll be looking over your shoulder all the way home.”
—Marie Claire (UK)
“High drama and thrills kept credible by well-drawn characters.”
—The Sunday Times (London), Crime Club November Pick
“Exciting and frightening thriller that makes you look over your shoulder, even here in peaceful Norway—made me think of Homeland when I read it.”
—Gunnar Staalesen
“The Silent Room by Mari Hannah is a dark, gripping, and brutal work of true quality from a writer at the very peak of her powers.”
—David Mark
“A rollercoaster of a ride involving corruption, surveillance, and espionage … the author is a brilliant writer.”
—The Sun (UK)
“A tightly plotted, page-turning read with believable characters and a good sense of time and place.”
—Choice magazine (UK)
“Hannah’s intelligent plotting is given extra impetus by a cast of vibrant and incredible characters…. Clever, compelling, and sophisticated.”
—Lancashire Evening Post (UK)
By Mari Hannah
The Kate Daniels series
The Murder Wall
Settled Blood
Deadly Deceit
Monument to Murder
Killing for Keeps
Other novels
The Silent Room
About the Author
Mari Hannah is an award-winning author whose authentic voice is no happy accident. A former probation officer, she lives in rural Northumberland with her partner, an ex-murder detective.Mari turned to scriptwriting when her career was cut short following an assault on duty. Her debut, The Murder Wall--adapted from a script she developed with the BBC--won her the Polari First Book Prize. Her second novel, Settled Blood, picked up a Northern Writer’s Award. In 2014, she was shortlisted for the Dagger in the Library. Mari is currently reader-in residence for Theakstons Old Peculier International Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate, England. You can sign up for author updates here.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Acknowledgements
Praise for The Silent Room
Also By Mari Hannah
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A THOMAS DUNNE BOOK FOR MINOTAUR BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
THE SILENT ROOM. Copyright © 2015 by Mari Hannah. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.minotaurbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hannah, Mari, author.
Title: The silent room : a thriller / Mari Hannah.
Description: First U.S. edition. | New York : Minotaur Books, 2018. | “A Thomas Dunne Book.”
Identifiers: LCCN 2017041305 |
eISBN 978-1-250-11567-6
Subjects: | GSAFD: Suspense fiction.
Classification: LCC PR6108.A56 S55 2018 | DDC 823/.92—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017041305
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension. 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First published in Great Britain by Macmillan, an imprint of Pan Macmillan
First U.S. Edition: January 2018
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