A River of Silence

Susan Clayton-Goldner

In “A River of Silence,” the third Detective Radhouser book, Radhouser is called upon to investigate his least favorite kind of crime: one involving the death of a child. On the other side of the story, Caleb Bryce is racked with guilt over failing to prevent the death of his girlfriend’s toddler son. But who is really behind it?

“A River of Silence” is a murder mystery, but it’s also the story of two families, Bryce’s and Radhouser’s. Bryce is desperate to build a family after being abandoned as a child and losing his own daughter as an infant; Radhouser’s attempts to create a second family after his first was destroyed in a car accident are jeopardized when his wife becomes ill. Both men struggle to find acceptance and forgiveness for the people who caused them so much pain. The murder mystery is deftly handled and ends with shocking twist, but just as compelling for the reader is how the family dramas will be resolved and whether Radhouser and Bryce will be able to put the past behind them and move on.

The silence referred to in the title could be taken as referring to many things. Most obviously, Bryce is hearing impaired and lives in a kind of semi-silence. All the characters struggle with loss and the silence of those who have been taken from them. And perhaps silence also suggests the peace that can be found in acceptance and forgiveness. This is a murder mystery that will tug at the heartstrings, but also gives hope that it is possible to come back from suffering and loss and find peace with one’s life.

My thanks to the author for providing a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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