Publisher:
Date of publication: October 1st, 2023
Genre: Mystery, Paranormal
Series: Haley Arquette Murder Files
Perfect in Death—Book 1 (review here)
Deceptive Silence—Book 2
Unlikely Justice—Book 3
Purchase Links: Kindle
Goodreads Synopsis:
Hailey Arquette found the ultimate photo opportunity deep in the Texas bayou, a pair of playful panther cubs. Before she can capture the shot, she witnesses a different type of shoot that lands in the crosshairs of a vicious killer.
FBI agent Trenton Briner has long known the coastal waters of Texas are ripe for the opportunity for smuggling. His current investigation leads him to a mouthy teen with an uncanny knack for landing in the thick of trouble at every turn.
When another body turns up, the trio must untangle the mystery before the smugglers find their target.
First Line:
Before the sun peeked over the horizon’s rim to separate the lush greens, golds, and browns that would comprise the best picture in Haley’s portfolio, misty gray held the bayou’s secrets tight within its obscure and deadly grasp.
Deceptive Silence by Reily Garrett
Important things you need to know about the book:
Pace: The pace of Deceptive Silence is fast. It starts with a bang (with Haley witnessing a murder) and ends with a bang. The book had little to no lag, which is rare because books with faster storylines have some lag.
POV: Deceptive Silence is told from Haley, Casper, and Trenton’s 3rd person point of view.
Series: Deceptive Silence is the 2nd book in the Haley Arquette Murder Files series. While you can read this book as a stand-alone, I suggest reading the first book. There are references to events in the previous books that might confuse you.
Trigger/Content Warning: Deceptive Silence has trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:
- Blood (graphic, on and off page)
- Dead Bodies and Body Parts (graphic, on and off page)
- Mutilation (moderate, off page)
- Death (graphic, on and off page)
- Captivity and Confinement (moderate, on and off page)
- Gang Violence (graphic, on and off page)
- Kidnapping (moderate, on page)
- Murder (graphic, on and off page)
- Attempted murder (graphic, on and off page)
- Gun Violence (graphic, on and off page)
- Assault (graphic, on and off page)
Sexual Content: There is no sexual content in Deceptive Silence. Haley does lust after Dante, but it goes no further than that.
Language: There is moderate swearing in Deceptive Silence. There is also some offensive language used by the Jackals (the gang) during interactions with Haley and Casper.
Setting: Deceptive Silence takes place in and around Hamchet, Texas.
Tropes: Found Family, Dark Secret, No Romance, The Red Herring, Twist Ending, Surprise Turncoat
Age Range: I recommend Deceptive Silence to anyone over 16.
Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):
Haley is out in the bayou, photographing panther cubs for her portfolio, when she witnesses the murder of an undercover ATF agent. After speaking to his spirit, Haley is determined to find out who murdered him and why. With the help of Casper, a teenager who has her reasons for being in Hamchet, Haley starts looking into the murder. When another person is murdered, Haley and Casper must work quickly to figure out who the killer is. Because if they don’t, they could become the next victims.
Main Characters
Haley Arquette: I liked Haley, but I felt that she did take unnecessary risks when it came to investigating both the Jackals and the ATF agent’s death. She kept putting herself in harm’s way and risking exposing her growing powers. I liked how she handled everything and how her powers grew throughout the book. I can’t wait to see what Haley will do in the next book.
Casper: I enjoyed seeing more of her character in Deceptive Silence. She was a favorite of mine in The Guardians series, and I was happy that the author chose to include her in this book. Her skills (and those of her family) did add an extra oomph to the storyline. I enjoyed her mouthy quips and comebacks to Trenton (the interrogation scene had me giggling). But, most of all, I liked that she was a true friend to Haley. She had Haley’s back no matter what.
My review:
I have been reading books by Reily Garrett for a while, and I have come to expect certain things from her books. There should be a lot of action, well-fleshed-out characters, a well-written plotline, a great mystery/thriller, and a good romance. So, when she approached me to review Deceptive Silence, I immediately agreed. This book delivered on everything that I outlined above except the romance. But, with everything going on in the book, it would have been too much if she added romance to Haley’s plate.
There are two storylines in Deceptive Silence. Both are well-written and kept my attention throughout the book. I liked seeing characters from The Guardian series (and maybe the Mind Stalkers series) show up in the book. It was those added details that made me enjoy the books even more.
The first storyline in Deceptive Silence follows Haley as she tries to solve the murder of the ATF agent. This storyline is entrenched with the storyline, making it hard to follow. But it didn’t affect how much I liked the storyline or how surprised I was with the twists that came with it.
The second storyline is a carryover from the first book. It follows Haley as she investigates the disappearance of a former gang member. This storyline does get a little gory and gross. At one point, Haley ends up in a mausoleum. I liked that Haley became more aware of her powers in this storyline. I am also very interested in who Dante was and why he was untraceable. There could be a romance there, but I don’t know.
The mystery angle of the book did take me by surprise. I was not expecting how the ATF agent’s death and the missing gang member were connected. Now that I read the book, I see slight foreshadowing throughout. But at the time I read it, I was shocked.
The end of Deceptive Silence was interesting. The author merged the two main storylines with a surprising connection. However, the epilogue caught my attention and made me want to read Book 3.
Many thanks to Reily Garrett for allowing me to read and review Deceptive Silence. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
If you enjoy reading books similar to Deceptive Silence, then you will enjoy these books:
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