Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
84th out of 99 books
—
65 voters
The Silence of Murder
by
Dandi Daley Mackall (Goodreads Author)
Seventeen-year-old Hope Long's life revolves around her brother Jeremy. So when Jeremy is accused of killing the town's beloved baseball coach, Hope's world begins to unravel. Everyone is convinced Jeremy did it, and since he hasn't spoken a word in 9 years, he's unable to defend himself. Their lawyer instructs Hope to convince the jury that Jeremy is insane, but all her l...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
October 11th 2011
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
891)
I liked everything about this murder mystery: the setting, the plot, the pacing, the relationships, the dialogue, and the ending, but I especially liked the characters. The story is told by Hope, who is 16. Her 18 year old brother, Jeremy, has been diagnosed with Asperger's, along with several other disorders, and has chosen not to speak since he was eight. He is also guileless, compassionate, and sees the world in a beautiful way. They have grown up depending on each other, because their mother...more
In The Silence of Murder, Knopf Books for Young Readers (October 11, 2011) 9780375868962, she hit a home run on her first foray into a new genre. Hope Long hasn't had the best life, but she's been able to cope. Her father was killed in a pedestrian accident when she was three, her mother, Rita, is a drunk and a pretty poor excuse for a mother. The only family member who really matters to her is her 18 year old brother Jeremy. Unfortunately, Jeremy has problems of his own. He hasn't spoken for te...more
When Hope's brother Jeremy is accused of murdering the high school baseball coach, she doesn't believe he's guilty. Jeremy stopped speaking at the age of 9, has trouble relating to people, and also has an odd fascination with empty jars. Since the coach was always nice to Jeremy, Hope sees no reason that he would have bludgeoned him to death with a ball bat, although all evidence points to the contrary. With the help of T.J., a long time friend, and Chase, the sheriff's son who was on the same b...more
Hope Long moved to Grain, Ohio three years ago with her mother Rita and her autistic brother, Jeremy. Hope is 16 and Jeremy is 19. Rita is not the best role model. She is a heavy drinker and has too many boyfriends. Jeremy is on trial for the death of the town’s baseball coach who befriended Jeremy. Jeremy helped coach Johnson with the baseball team and cleaned up around his horse stable. When Jeremy was about 9 he became selective mute where he refused to speak and only communicates with Hope i...more
After "Twilight" hit it big, every other book that came out was a paranormal, and now dystopias are all the rage, but mysteries are still seriously underrepresented. I have a lot of teens who are big fans of the mystery, so I'm always on the lookout for them. This was a pretty good one. For one thing, the book plays fair. The clues to the killer's identity are given, so the reader has a fair chance to solve the crime. It does have one of those stupid, intrepid, "I'll solve the case by breaking a...more
This in a lot of ways this is a typical young adult "who dunnit." I figured out the "who dunnit" before the big reveal, and I was annoyed by the red herrings along the way that were not fully resolved after their initial distraction.
What sets this book apart is the character details. The likeable protagonist, Hope Long, struggles with fitting in and dealing with her negligent mother. Once her brother, Jeremy is accused of murder, she struggles to prove his innocence. The descriptions of Jeremy’s...more
What sets this book apart is the character details. The likeable protagonist, Hope Long, struggles with fitting in and dealing with her negligent mother. Once her brother, Jeremy is accused of murder, she struggles to prove his innocence. The descriptions of Jeremy’s...more
This is really a 3 1/2 for me, but I have a hard time grading down to a 3, so I bumped it up to a 4. This is a decent mystery with strong teen characters but few adult characters of any redeeming value which I found a bit disappointing.
The main character, 17-year-old Hope, is shocked when her older brother Jeremy is accused of murdering the town's baseball coach. Because Jeremy has retreated into a world of silence following a childhood trauma, he can't speak up to defend himself. Hope is convi...more
The main character, 17-year-old Hope, is shocked when her older brother Jeremy is accused of murdering the town's baseball coach. Because Jeremy has retreated into a world of silence following a childhood trauma, he can't speak up to defend himself. Hope is convi...more
The Silence of Murder is an excellent, but pretty formulaic murder mystery with multiple plausible suspects, strong motives and great clues. Author, Dandi Mackall, also included a great realistic fiction story. It is a winning combination that most YA readers will enjoy. Hope is a hard working teen determined not to throw her life away making the same mistakes her alcoholic mother did. Hope is also fiercely protective of her autistic older brother Jeremy. When Jeremy is arrested for murdering th...more
This was a good book. I had a hard time putting it down. There is always the lingering question of weather or not he did it, and if he didn't then who did, and how are they going to prove it? There is a nice romance and friendship conflict that I thought was very true to life. I really like the protagonist as well. I think she is a typical teenage girl, with an atypical problem and she handles it like a teenager should. The ending was a surprise and it carried a good message.
This is a good book...more
This is a good book...more
The Silence of Murder is a mystery novel that wraps around the mysterious death of a loved baseball coach in the area. At the crime scene, an 18 year old boy by the name of Jeremy Long is present and is wearing a baseball cap that is covered in the coach's blood. The only problem is that Jeremy hasn't spoken a single word in 12 years, thus the police do not know if he is being honest or not. The story revolves around Hope Long, who believes that her brother is innocent and sets out on her own in...more
Review by Jill Williamson
Coach Johnson is dead, and sixteen-year-old Hope Long is the only person who believes that her eighteen-year-old brother, Jeremy, is innocent. Sure, Jeremy is a little different--he's always been that way--but he's no killer. But there are no other suspects, so Hope sets out to find some and prove that Jeremy didn't kill Coach.
I'm totally impressed! This was a wonderfully creative mystery novel. The writing was excellent, and the characters were even better. I was comple...more
Coach Johnson is dead, and sixteen-year-old Hope Long is the only person who believes that her eighteen-year-old brother, Jeremy, is innocent. Sure, Jeremy is a little different--he's always been that way--but he's no killer. But there are no other suspects, so Hope sets out to find some and prove that Jeremy didn't kill Coach.
I'm totally impressed! This was a wonderfully creative mystery novel. The writing was excellent, and the characters were even better. I was comple...more
Hope's world turns upside down when her beloved brother Jeremy is accused of murdering the baseball coach. The best they can hope for is that Jeremy -- who hasn't spoken in years, collects empty jars, and believes that God talks to him -- will be found not guilty be reason of insanity. But Hope doesn't believe her brother is insane,or that he killed the coach, and she sets out to prove it with the help of her friend T. J. and the sheriff's son, Chase. Hope's investigations reveal family secrets...more
Interestingly enough I was listening to this audiobook at the same time I was also reading a print copy of another book with a "selectively mute" character (Freaks Like Us, which was an odd coincidence. And, they were both mysteries. What are the odds! This book is a good legal mystery, as 16 year old Hope, desperate to convince the world that her older brother did not commit murder, tries to investigate for clues and be a good witness at her brother's trial. Her brother Jeremy hasn't spoken a w...more
Jeremy, 18, is accused of murdering the high school baseball coach that he adored. Since I've had two wonderful high school baseball coaches that I've treasured in my life (Coach Charlie Taylor-Somerset High and Coach Dom Fucci, Tates Creek High), I had to read this book!
At my current school I work with many students with Asperger's on a daily basis. Jeremy was such a neat character to me that he hadn't spoken since age 9 and how caring of a person he was. I liked his obsession with the bottles...more
At my current school I work with many students with Asperger's on a daily basis. Jeremy was such a neat character to me that he hadn't spoken since age 9 and how caring of a person he was. I liked his obsession with the bottles...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In a world where YA is dominated by paranormal romance, vampires, werewolves, and girls who turn into fairies, Dandi Daley Mackall's THE SILENCE OF MURDER is a complete breath of fresh air. A sweet, well-written, well-plotted mystery, Hope Long is a girl all teens and pre-teens can really look up to. Without using sex as a motive, the book focuses instead on family values and fighting for what is right.
This is a must-read for any girl looking for a role model and looking for a fun, smart book....more
This is a must-read for any girl looking for a role model and looking for a fun, smart book....more
My favorite types of YA novels are those that though they are written for teens, they resonate well with adults also. Unfortunately, this book wasn't like that for me. The love interest between Hope and Chase was just a little too much; she was a bit too boy-crazy for him. The adults in the book were so very unlikeable also, making the plot even more of an us-vs.-them mentality. However, I did very much like Jeremy, Hope's brother who quit talking ten years prior and who suffers from a range of...more
This book was astounding. I picked it up at random while I was at the library where I work and started reading it. Immediately I got engrossed in the plot of the story and with all of the characters. They were all so real. I actually cared about what happened to them and I have read so much over my life time that a lot of characters seem the same to me. These did not. They were completely unique and beautiful. The story kept me guessing right until the end. When I thought I had it figured out, t...more
What a great mystery for teens! The Silence of Murder is the story of Hope Long and her mission to free her developmentally disabled brother from prison. Jeremy Long has been accused of killing the well-loved town baseball coach, John Johnson. All evidence seems to point directly at Jeremy who suffers from mutism. He hasn't spoken since an incident in his early childhood. Though the book doesn't say so, Jeremy also displays many characteristics of an autistic teen.
Here's the background. Coach J...more
Here's the background. Coach J...more
This is a great mystery story. Yes, I suspected the culprit, but I never knew for sure. Right up to the end it could have been three or even four different people. Plus, there was a great surprise near the end that ended up helping prove the case. The relationship between Hope and her brother Jeremy is wonderful, the kind that offers hope in the continued goodness of humanity. I also love how Hope has come to deal with the family life that she has. She doesn't waste time feeling sorry for hersel...more
This was such a good book! It had really great plot twists. At the beginning, I thought that the author had brought up something that we weren't supposed to notice (view spoiler) So basically, I thought the book was going to be dumb with a predictable ending. But in fact, the ending was great!...more
Murder mystery about an autistic, mute teenage boy who is charged with killing the town's softball coach.
Told from the point of you of the boy's sister, Hope, the novel starts out very promising but ultimately becomes cliched and predictable.
The characters of Jeremy and Hope are well developed and sympathetic. The other characters, particularly the adults, could've been more fleshed out and well-rounded. The final court room scene is almost unbelievable, with Hope leading the charge against the...more
Told from the point of you of the boy's sister, Hope, the novel starts out very promising but ultimately becomes cliched and predictable.
The characters of Jeremy and Hope are well developed and sympathetic. The other characters, particularly the adults, could've been more fleshed out and well-rounded. The final court room scene is almost unbelievable, with Hope leading the charge against the...more
Name: Sarah Fretz
Citation: Mackall, D. D. (2011). The silence of murder. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Genre: Mystery
Award: YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults-2013
Edgar Allan Poe Award 2012-Best Young Adult
Format: Audio
Selection: YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults-2013
Review:
What happens when your brother, the person you are the closest to, is accused of the brutal murder of his baseball coach? To make matters worse, your brother choose not to speak, hasn’t since he was a child and therefore, ca...more
Citation: Mackall, D. D. (2011). The silence of murder. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Genre: Mystery
Award: YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults-2013
Edgar Allan Poe Award 2012-Best Young Adult
Format: Audio
Selection: YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults-2013
Review:
What happens when your brother, the person you are the closest to, is accused of the brutal murder of his baseball coach? To make matters worse, your brother choose not to speak, hasn’t since he was a child and therefore, ca...more
You don't find many trial-based murder mysteries for YAs, but this one is worth an hour or two.
(I'm not a huge murder mystery fan, but I'll be honest and say that once I picked this up, I only put it down to watch a Perry Mason rerun.)
I'm kind of a sucker for trying to figure out who-dun-it, though, if the plot unfolds apace and the foreshadowing is adequate to the task.
There was a bit of literary licence taken in the closing argument of the defense, but I was perfectly willing to let that slid...more
(I'm not a huge murder mystery fan, but I'll be honest and say that once I picked this up, I only put it down to watch a Perry Mason rerun.)
I'm kind of a sucker for trying to figure out who-dun-it, though, if the plot unfolds apace and the foreshadowing is adequate to the task.
There was a bit of literary licence taken in the closing argument of the defense, but I was perfectly willing to let that slid...more
I did not realize that this was basically a young adult book when I began reading it since my library copy did not state this on the spine. But once I realized it was geared toward a youthful audience more than an adult one, I was able to appreciate it more. Not that I wouldn't have liked it anyway.
The narrator is sixteen year old Hope Long, a character that reminded me of Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird, if Scout had been older and had lived in the present. Hope is vulnerable, yet strong, fear...more
The narrator is sixteen year old Hope Long, a character that reminded me of Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird, if Scout had been older and had lived in the present. Hope is vulnerable, yet strong, fear...more
Hope Long is sixteen-years-old and is stuck in a life where she can barely breathe. This is a girl whose mother is total slime. Old Mom likes to drink like a sieve, hit her kids, go from trailer to trailer, and bed every male slime in the universe; in other words, dear Mom is the essence of trailer-trash. The one bright spot in Hope’s life is her truly wonderful brother, Jeremy. Jeremy suffers from a disease that even the doctor’s fight over - could be Autism, but might be something else. But Ho...more
Now, I must admit, I don't read mysteries; they are just aren't my thing. However, this one, I couldn't put down! I was pleasantly surprised, and hooked, by this murder mystery focused on one sister's love and devotion to her brother. I think this book deserves much more attention than it seems to have gotten.
What caught me about this book wasn't the mystery/court case plot. It was the characters. The main character, Hope, is a devoted and caring sister who would do anything to save her brother,...more
What caught me about this book wasn't the mystery/court case plot. It was the characters. The main character, Hope, is a devoted and caring sister who would do anything to save her brother,...more
Jeremy Long has always been odd. He collects empty jars and hasn't spoken in nearly a decade. But his sister Hope knows that even if some of his actions seem odd, Jeremy isn't crazy. And he certainly isn't a murderer. And yet, he's on trial for murder, and Hope is the only one who believes he's innocent. Determined to prove his innocence, Hope frantically searches for other possible suspects, even as someone is trying to keep her from investigation. As her world is crumbling, Hope finds friendsh...more
Yes, I couldn't put this down. But I've found that's not necessarily indicative of the quality of a book. I get sucked into NCIS and all those other shows with initials, just like everyone else, and it's no different from this book. I just wanted to know WHO murdered coach! Was it the autistic boy who doesn't talk? The alcoholic mom? The best friend? You might figure it out faster than I did. Bonus: there are some underlying Christian themes here for you to discover.
Hope's older brother Jeremy stopped talking when they were young. He has been a selective mute for almost 10 years now, communicating only through written and non-verbal communication. When the well-liked baseball coach is murdered, Jeremy is their only suspect. Hope is convinced her brother would never do such a thing and sets out to prove him innocent.
A good mystery with a very interesting character in Jeremy. Several good plot twists to keep readers on their toes.
A good mystery with a very interesting character in Jeremy. Several good plot twists to keep readers on their toes.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
A professional writer for over 20 years, Dandi Daley Mackall has written dozens of articles for popular magazines and published around 400 books for children and adults alike, with sales of over 4 million.
A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, she lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, horses, dogs, & cats.
More about Dandi Daley Mackall...
A frequent guest on radio and television talk shows, she lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, horses, dogs, & cats.
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
29 août 13:27