Review -- Fear The Silence

Fear The Silence by Iain Cameron

**Disclaimer: I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

A missing woman is not what DI Henderson needs right now, just when he's on the verge of nabbing whoever is behind big drug shipments coming into Shoreham Harbour in Sussex. The missing woman is none other than Kelly Langton, once the glamour model 'Kelly,' and now an astute businesswoman. Even without the police evidence against him, her husband's robust manner and aggressive attitude have swayed public opinion. He is arrested and questioned but Henderson is not convinced as everyone else seems to be, and even more so when another woman goes missing in what he believes are similar circumstances. 

Note that Fear The Silence is the third instalment in the series featuring Scottish Detective Inspector Angus Henderson from the Sussex police force. When I initially requested this book from the publisher, I did not know that it was part of a series. However, this did not prevent me from enjoying the story as Iain Cameron did a good job at providing background information whenever needed.

I enjoyed this police procedural in general, especially the main plot around the disappearance of Kelly Langton and the subsequent quest for the culprit. The story was crafted skilfully enough that I kept trying to guess the killer's identity until the end. 

Likewise, I quite liked the character of DI Henderson, which I thought was an interesting lead and believable in his actions and words. Overall, I believe that Cameron has done a good job of bringing his characters to life, even if I did not care much for the other protagonists, such as Walters, etc.

As in most crime books, there was a sub-plot to the Kelly Langton disappearance, which centred around drug shipments in the Shoreham Harbour (Sussex). This sub-plot was apparently one of the main plots in the first two books in the series and, in this latest entry, DI Henderson is still trying to nab his nemesis, the drug lord operating in the area. Now, I understand the need for sub-plots in books and I generally think that they really add to the narrative. 

However, I found this second plot quite confusing at first as one of the characters was common to both storylines and this made me wonder had I missed something crucial in the narrative. Similarly, I was not really drawn into the drug dealing thing. Not that it was badly written or anything, but I just felt that it detracted from the main plot and did not add much to the whole story.  

As for the end, I feel that it was somewhat rushed and neglected a bit. One thing that I do not understand is the meaning of the title. I did not really see any specific reference to silence in the book. Maybe I missed it. I know that it is only a detail, but I like being able to correlate the title to the story. But that is just me.

The Bibliovore's verdict ⋆⋆⋆

Overall, Fear The Silence was a decent read but I do not think that I will read the first books in the series, nor the next one for that matter. There was just something lacking for me, that je-ne-sais-quoi that would have made it great.