Silence for the Dead is a great period piece, set in 1919 in a remote hospital for shell-shocked soldiers. Our protagonist is Kitty Weekes who has applied to, and has been hired to work as a nurse at Portis House. The problem? She's not a nurse and she's running from her past. She has nowhere else to go.
But there's something off about Portis House those who run the hospital. And there are strange noises and sightings of a mysterious figure.
St. James excels in creating atmospheric settings. The possibilities of otherworldly events and characters is right alongside of that which can be confirmed. But not everyone is telling their truth.
I become more immersed in some books when I listen and that was definitely the case for Silence for the Dead. The reader was Billie Fulford-Brown and she did an excellent job. Her voice was perfect for the lead character and matched the mental image I had created for Kitty. She's a versatile narrator, creating and using many different voices and accents for other characters, male and female. She captures the nuances, emotions and actions of the plot. A great performance and an excellent tale. Hear for your self - listen to an audio excerpt.
I'm actually a bit hesitant about reading more from her. I really loved The Broken Girls, but I have felt the supernatural elements have been more shoehorned into her recent books.
ReplyDeleteHmm, the 'shoehorning' is an interesting point of view. I like having the possibility of supernatural elements and a slow road to the answer yes or no. I got turned down on NetGalley, so I'll have to hunt down a copy at the library when it releases.
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