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Silent Night

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Silent Night

By: Anita Waller
Narrated by: Harrie Dobby
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About this listen

One snowy night. One brutal murder. One shattering secret.

On Christmas Eve, Reverend Steve Rainforth leads midnight mass in his quiet Yorkshire village. Among the congregation sits a nervous young woman, a stranger to most—yet before the night is over, she will be found dead in the churchyard, and Steve's world will be shattered forever.

As Detective Inspector Adam France and his team race to uncover the truth, buried secrets begin to surface—secrets that reach into the heart of Steve's past and threaten the fragile life he has built. With the New Year approaching, loyalties will be tested, lies will unravel, and a devastating revelation will change everything . . .

Dark, chilling, and impossible to stop listening to, Silent Night is a gripping crime thriller perfect for fans of Joy Ellis, L.J. Ross and Faith Martin.

©2025 Anita Waller (P)2025 Dreamscape Media Crime Thrillers Mystery Police Procedurals Thriller & Suspense Crime Christmas
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I was hooked from the start and thoroughly enjoyed this book, however I have to say the ending didn’t come as one bit of a surprise and I kind of guessed early on . The title is very apt and Anita Waller almost lulls the reader into a gentle acceptance, leaving us to guess at the fall-out in the wake of the conclusion.
Very different and extremely well written.
I love this author and she never fails to deliver.

Silent Night Indeed.

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There is effectively only one plausible suspect in the entire novel, and this is clear from the opening chapters. The choice is so obvious that I kept assuming it must be a deliberate red herring, or that a major twist was being held back. Unfortunately, that never materialises — the person who appears guilty almost immediately is, in fact, the culprit.

Characterisation is thin throughout. Most characters are underdeveloped, and one character’s backstory involves a heinous crime that feels awkwardly inserted, as it does not align with how that character is otherwise portrayed or discussed by others across the novel. It reads like a late editorial addition rather than an organic part of the narrative.

The most serious flaw, however, is structural. No one actually solves the murder. The detectives fail to detect: they overlook obvious inconsistencies, allow suspects unrestricted access to evidence and crime scenes, and accept transparent lies without challenge. As a result, the resolution feels unearned, not clever — the outcome happens despite the investigation rather than because of it.

For a novel marketed as a mystery, the lack of genuine deduction, suspense, or surprise is deeply disappointing.

The narrator was good, though, and I would be happy to listen to a better novel narrated by the same voice actor.

Killer obvious, characters unlikeable

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