The Silence of Murder

by Dandi Daley Mackall

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 life Hope has known that Jeremy's just different than other people—better, even. As she works to prove his innocence—joined by her best friend T.J. and the sheriff's son, Chase—Hope uncovers secrets about the murder, the townspeople, her family, and herself. She knows her brother isn't the murderer. But as she comes closer to the truth, she's terrified to find out who is.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Suspense, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Romance, Teen

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2011

About the author

A professional writer for over 20 years, Dandi Daley Mackall has written dozens of articles for popular magazines and published around 500 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. Awards include the Edgar Award for Best YA Mystery, the Helen Keating Ott Award for Contributions to Children's Literature; Distinguished Alumni Award from Mizzou; ALA Best Book; Christian Children's Book of the Year, Amelia Bloom, Mom's Choice Awards. Her YA novel, My Boyfriends' Dogs, is now a Hallmark movie.

Reviews

[Maria Kramer · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 -- and romantic feelings for Chase.

This book just did not do it for me, on several levels. First of all, I am so over the "my sibling/friend is such a special snowflake, let me describe them to you in exquisite detail" style of teen book. Secondly, there were major dialog and character voice problems -- so many times when I was reading I would stop and say "Nobody talks like that! And nobody thinks like that!" It was jarring, stilted and unconvincing. Thirdly, practically everything Hope did annoyed me. Every time she got fixated on a solution and wouldn't let it go, all her attempts to play girl detective, just seemed childish and really poorly thought out. Lastly, the end of the book and the result of the trial just seemed unrealistic. Jeremy's case was tied up too neatly, and yet other loose ends were left hanging. This is kind of a "Jodi Picoult Lite" for teens.

Recommended for fans of:
Shine
I'll Be There
Where Things Come Back

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was definitely a page turner. I was surprised as heck by who the killer ended up being. I was torn between who I thought it was. At the end of every chapter I kept changing my mind. The love Hope had for her brother Jeremy was amazing. It was so heartwarming that no matter what she never gave up on him. Rita was just a horrible person. There were times when T.J. would annoy me with how rude he was with Hope because of her relationship with Chase.

[Chris - Quarter Press Editor]

For some of my latest reads, I think a lack of star rating is in the best interest for the author, as I don't want to bring their score down based on my not being the "right" audience. This is another of those novels.

There are moments of beauty here, for sure, as some of this book is gorgeous and heart-breaking. Honestly, I also loved the premise and initial setup to the story. However, the execution was not for me.

I felt like the main character could've and should've been so much more. Yes, she struggled with her own insecurities, but she seems as if she was so much stronger than she was portrayed, so that even with her growth, it felt like it was still below the potential / character we'd been presented.

The biggest qualm I had with this is simply in its mystery elements. I'm not a big reader of the genre, but I've read enough to know the conventions and expectations. This one... I had it figured out pretty quick. Like, within the first 1/8th of it. I kept hoping I would be wrong but, no. If even a novice mystery reader such as myself can see all the pieces right from the start, there's a problem.

Still, Ms. Mackall knows how to spin some fine sentences and, again, there are moments of wonder here. In the end, though, I just don't think I was the target audience.

[Kav · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was seriously gobsmacked by this novel. I stayed up until two a.m. to finish because it was so enthralling. The entire story unfolds through the eyes of Hope and is told in first person point of view. Not always my favourite POV, but it really works when it comes to YA fiction.

And Hope is such an intriguing character. She's a survivor. Tenacious. Loyal. And a whole lot desperate. Because she's the only one looking for answers. And her brother's future lies in the balance so if law enforcement won't do their job, she's determined to do it for them.

Breathtaking mystery paired with the all too real and gritty circumstances of Hope's life made for a riveting read. And the courtroom scenes add to the edginess. I honestly couldn't turn the pages fast enough so I could watch this story unfold. There are moments of stark beauty contrasted by wretched ugliness and more than one gasp-out-loud-I-so-can't-believe-that-just-happened moment.

A fascinating look at love and loyalty and the secrets that complicate both. Truly stunning.

[Caylee Thielen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like this book truly! Although I was a little disappointed in the ended. I felt like it ended so suddenly. I didn’t see the killer being the murderer though! Solid 4 stars though highly recommend

[Melissa E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeremy Long had been arrested for murdering Coach Johnson with his bat. Hope had a feeling that he didn't do it ,so she begins to investiage who really did it. Hope came to his defense in the court many times. They had several courts to see if Jeremy is guilty or not. Hope was the only one who knows that her brother couldn't have done this. He was a sweet, weird, and loving brother. T..J. and Chase helps her investiage. T.J wanted to find any kind of motives that someone who wanted to kill John. Hope makes a list of suspect ,and she thinks Mrs. Johnson did it because of marriage, money, or affairs reasons. She tries to prove that his wife killed him. Hope didn't have much luck ,so she and TJ went to Coach's barn where he was killed. Hope looks through the files and drawers in Coach's office. Hope finds a check list that shows that Coach paid a lot of money to Rita Long every month. Hope was shocked because her mother didn't know him very well. As she leaves the barn, a white pick up followed her.

Jeremy was weird because he have a SM which means he selected mute ,so he stopped talking when he was 9. One thing Hope never understood about him was why would he have empty jars. Before she gave up helping, she tries one last time to help her brother. She went into her brother room and looked for evidence to prove he didn't do it. She acitdically broke one of his jars. She found a piece of paper that said the date and what was with that day. She realized that Jeremy was collecting air of memories. She goes to the last court with the last 4 jars that was dated on the day of the murder. She opens each jar and tells the jury what was written. The last jar said the air and blood of his dead father. Jeremy found out when Rita and John was fighting about him being Coach's son in the barn. That why Coach paid Rita every month to help pay Jeremy child care. The jury proved he was not guilty. Who reallly did it? Chase confessed at the end of the court about something. He said that he killed his coach with the bat. He said that he didn't mean to kill him with Jeremy's bat. Hope couldn't believed her friend did it. Jeremy came back home with Hope. They lived a happy life.

I loved this book! While reading this book, I wanted to know who really did it ,and I couldn't believe that Chase killed Coach! Another thing I love this book is that I love how Hope really cared about her brother Jeremy when no one believed he was not guilty. Jeremy was lucky to have his sister. I'm glad he didn't kill his own father.

[Miranda Laming Farnsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a class, but I’m really glad that I read it. I’m not normally into mysteries, but I really enjoyed this one. I thought that certain things were practically obvious, and I saw a lot of things coming, but I had expected that from a YA Lit mystery. Regardless, it was still a really fantastic read. The story kept me interested and the characters were well developed. I really loved the relationship between Hope and her brother, Jeremy. I also really loved how there was an autistic character. I haven’t read a lot of novels, particularly YA Lit novels, that have a major character have a mental disorder like Asperger’s or autism.

I have recommended this book to my 13 year-old sister, and I plan to recommend this to two of my roommates. Even though this book is really easy to figure out really early on, it’s still an enjoyable book, and I can think of quite a few people who would be able to enjoy this novel.

Swearing: Not that I recall.
Sex: No. A few kissing scenes; nothing major. It is briefly mentioned that the mother sleeps around.
Alcohol/Drugs: The mom is an alcoholic.
Violence: There are brief descriptions of the crime scene.

[Tonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay suspense read, nothing special

This book was a quick, easy read. The characters were basic and the story was somewhat predictable. Not much of a twist.

[Thia Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Solid Stars!

This is my 2nd book by this author, and I must say, this one was much better. The beginning of the book was a bit shaky for me because I just couldn't connect with Hope. However, as the story went on, the connection got better.

I really enjoyed the ending and honestly, I never saw it coming (loved that). This was a really good "whodunnit" and the writing had a subtle beauty about it. I love reading about flawed characters and this book was full of them. I think overall this was a well thought out story that wasn't overtaken by a bunch of unnecessary romance--->filler pages. Yes, there is some romance, but it never took center stage, the focus was always on Jeremy and the murder.

This is not a suspense or thriller (IMO), but it is a great small town feel type of mystery. The story had a really good flow and never dragged on. And the mentioning of Psalm 56:8 in the end was so personally touching to me. Also, this is a clean read---no cursing and no sexual content (only a couple of kisses, but nothing beyond that) which is always refreshing especially for a YA book. Yes, I would definitely recommend this book! Well done Mrs. Mackall!!!

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and it was exactly what I needed! A light yet adventurous mystery novel with many twists and turns to get completely lost in! I love novels that walk you through a full trial; It makes me feel really involved in the case! I would have given this book 3.5 stars, but I just loved the epilogue so I couldn't give it anything less than a 4! I so enjoyed this read!

[Kaitlyn Krispense · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhhh... Oh my goodness, I love Jeremy so much. <3 Although I had the murderer pegged from nearly the beginning, it was still epic seeing how everything played out. Plus, I did doubt my suspicions a time or two. ;)

[mutsa :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

so heartwarming so beautiful i loved it

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hope lives in a small town with her mother and big brother, Jeremy, who hasn't spoken since he was about 9 years old. Jeremy is accused of murdering the town's baseball coach, and everyone is convinced he did it. His lawyer's defense strategy involves trying to convince the jury that Jeremy is insane, which Hope must help with. And while he is different, Hope knows he's not insane and not a murderer. With the police convinced they've caught the murderer, it's now up to Hope, her best friend T.J., and Chase, the son of the sheriff, to try to find the real murderer before Jeremy's trial is over.

I will say that I guessed who the murderer was almost immediately after the character was introduced, although I didn't figure out the motive until later. There is also someone who starts stalking Hope in the hopes of trying to scare her off her investigation. It took me longer to figure out who the stalker was. That all being said, unlike some other books where I'm marveling at how clueless the characters are, I could completely understand how it took Hope a while to figure things out. The murderer didn't have an obvious motive and didn't stand out as an obvious suspect.

Jeremy's trial took place throughout the course of the book, with Hope's testimony starting the book off and the closing arguments taking place in the last few chapters. I did laugh over Hope's comments about how much longer the court procedures took than they did on TV. It just reminded me of the many misconceptions that shows, movies, etc. create about things like court proceedings. I'm still learning about things I "knew" that turned out to not be true. (Sorry, misconceptions created by the media are a bit of a fascination of mine, so I always love when something points things like this out.)

It was a bit frustrating with how attached Hope would get to a theory and then focus exclusively on trying to prove that right, no matter how far-fetched it may be. At the same time, she was desperate to save her brother and scared, so I can understand not being the most rational about everything. She was grasping at straws because she just didn't have a lot to go on.

There were a lot of secrets revealed, especially in the last few chapters, and some of the reveals may have gotten a bit ridiculous, but I was entertained throughout everything. It was a fun and enjoyable read, even if I did figure things out fairly quickly.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

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, cannot tell anyone what you are sure of….that he is innocent!

Hope Long’s world is thrown for a loop when her brother Jeremy is accused of killing his baseball coach with a bat, a bat given to Jeremy and was later found in his closet. As the evidence stacks up against him, the town becomes more convinced that this young man, who is selectively mute, killed their beloved coach. Hope knows without a doubt that her brother did not do it. So who did?

With her best friend T.J. and new friend Chase, the three embark on a journey to prove that Jeremy is innocent. As the lawyers and even Hope and Jeremy’s mom claim that Jeremy is insane, Hope, T.J. and Chase know that is not true and in order to find the truth, they must delve into the town’s secrets and find out who really killed the coach.

A thrilling mystery, The Silence of Murder shows how far people will go to protect themselves and their secrets. The reader tries to figure out the murder as it goes along and is able to empathize with Hope’s situation during the ride. However, readers will quickly be shocked when secrets are revealed about the truth behind the murder.

Highly recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book made me come to a conclusion that I really don't like mysteries. It made me think back to all the mysteries I've read and seen on TV and I realized that the reason I get so mad is because I ALWAYS know who did it right off the bat. I mean really, the author briefly mentions the person who did it in the book and I went, "It's that person." And then the rest of the book I just got so mad because she was so blind. There were SOOOOO many screaming clues. How could you NOT get it? Some people will say I get it because I'm an adult. I disagree. Even as a teenager I always got the plots of almost everything I read/watched. If I had read this as a teen, I know my reaction would have been the same. But the writing is quite nice, especially the symbolism and the imagery the author uses. And even though I knew the outcome from practically page one, the author did a really good job with the ending. It almost made me bump it up to four stars. However there were just way too many mystery stereotypes in this book to make it to that four-star rating. There were also details the author put in that never went anywhere that in my opinion would have really helped the story line.

I would hand this to someone who I knew wouldn't get it right off the bat, and who really enjoyed mysteries. I know other people who read this who didn't get everything I did and they probably enjoyed it more than I did. I'd also give it to a aspiring YA author who was looking into writing mysteries. Personally I would take it as a good example of form and style, but not so much story-wise. Seriously. Way too stereotypical.

Sex; Nope
Drugs; Yeah, minor though.
Language; Yes.

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 and entering" main characters. That cost it a star, and I guess it should have cost it more than one, but Jeremy was such a fantastic character that he saved the book. He has the most unique collection ever. What an amazing idea. It made me want to start my own collection. Jeremy is a collector of something so ordinary and mundane, yet unique and precious. I can see him as an old, old man revisiting his collection and basking in the happiness each one would evoke. It made me smile.

[Jill Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 completely sucked in and didn't see the end coming. I'm so glad I bought this book! This is the first I've read of MacKall's books, but I'm going to keep an eye peeled for whatever she writes in the future. If you like John Grisham, you'd like this book. With the wrongly accused and the search to find the truth, this book was one I couldn't put down. Highly recommended.

[Ivy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was an interesting book. It's definitely not the best murder mystery story I've ever read, but neither was it the worst. I appreciated the main character's dedication and love for her brother, as well as her persistence in looking for an alternative murder suspect. I admit, she was really annoying at times, and inconsiderate of almost everyone besides Jeremy. The different perspectives on parenthood were interesting as well.
This is a good teen murder mystery book. It's not all that surprising for adults, but I could see teens getting really caught up in it.

Language: Some parts I felt like might have swear words, but I don't think they actually swore in it.
Drugs: One character is an alcoholic
Sex: Kissing, nothing really sexual
Violence: Blood, murder, mild violence toward small children (slapping)

[Mia Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a pretty decent book for all readers, even if you are more into romance than suspense. The book seemed to long for the type of book it was, almost as if the author was trying to incorporate more into the book then what was needed. After I reached the middle of the book I began to get tired of the clues like the mysterious phone calls and the white pick up truck that always seem to stalk Hope.
Overall, The Silence of Murder was a good book, despite the length of the book, I always was interested in reading the next chapter. The writer did a good job humanizing each and every character in the book. This book had a good moral message that even if someone is different doesn't mean the are a bad person. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a good mystery novel with a plot twist.

[Brianne Sperber · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. Though some plot points could use more explanation, especially the motive for the murderer, and some characters are so unlikable you wonder if they're based on a real person, the overall work is a prime example of what contemporary YA should be.

[Mary Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 herself for her lot in life, but has turned it into strength of character. Great book. I highly recommend it.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was totally predictable, but then again, I have read so many mysteries that it's difficult for me to be truly surprised. But since the young adult genre is in desperate need of books that don't have vampires, I'm giving this a big thumbs up! It was clean writing, had interesting characters and a few good plot twists. If your teenager is a mystery lover, this would be a great choice. Nothing too objectionable (unless you count Rita, the mom, who is a bit of a drunken hussy) and it even has a little romance thrown in there. Overall it was a good piece of young adult fiction.

[ZBoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Silence of Murder” by Dandi Daley Mackall, is about a boy who is suspected of murdering coach Johnson the day of the big game. The only problem is Jeremy has no motive for killing him, and he is the only suspect and he hasn’t talked for nine years and can’t defend himself. “Paced like a riveting television courtroom drama with the ultimate conclusive twist.” -Review by School Library Journal Will jeremy be found guilty? Will Hope solve the mystery? This is a great mystery that you can’t put down, I recommend this book for 6th to 9th graders.

[Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall
“That song, where did you get it? God, he answered, as simply as if he’d said Walmart.”(Mackall 2)This is one of the many great quotes that Mackall provided in the book “Silence of Murder”. Mackall keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the whole book. There are hints throughout the book hinting towards one suspect then hinting to another suspect. You never know who actually did the crime till the very end. While I read this book, I related Hope(protagonist) to myself and what I would do if I was her and who I would think would be suspects. The plot twist that made me stare in awe, made it one of the best books I have read. This is why I give this book five stars. Mackall kept me wondering from the beginning of the book to the end.
I think that this book was one of the most exciting books that I have read. It kept my blood rushing the whole time. I would think that I knew who actually killed Coach Johnson, the Panthers baseball coach, but then then the next moment I wouldn’t. You think that hope is starting to catch on to whoever murdered Coach Johnson but then in just a couple of pages it is a total mystery. Hope and her group of friends try to figure out who actually killed Coach and prove that Jeremy(Hope’s brother) is innocent and did not kill Coach Johnson. Hope’s list grows in the beginning of the book, but later is narrowed down to one main suspect. She gathers clues that would be able to give the suspect motive to kill Coach Johnson. Hope does not play games, and she is willing to give whatever it takes to get Jeremy home. “Rita(Hope’s Mom) swears on the Bible, her voice loud and dramatic, like she’s kicking off her audition.”(Mackall 265) “The defense would like to call Andrew Peterson.”(Mackall 190) Both of these quotes show how Hope’s suspects change from chapter to chapter and how she is trying to funnel down who could and couldn’t be Johnson’s killer. Hope was a well rounded character in the story. She had to keep her friendship alive, while trying to give her all to prove that Jeremy is innocent, but still find out who killed Mr. Johnson. Hope Long made the book exciting and keeps the reader guessing at all times.
Mackall’s book was always mysterious to me. You never knew what was going to happen, or where the story was leading. It was always a surprise who was going to be called up to the witness stand or who was going to be questioned. “The defense would like to call Andrew Peterson.”(Mackall 190) When Andrew Peterson was called up to the witness stand for questioning, I had no clue who this was or why he was being questioned. He was never mentioned in the book before them, and he actually played a role in the final decision. “Why was coach Johnson paying you off?”(Mackall 202) Hope ends up questioning her own mother and considering that she could be a top suspect when the “pieces of the puzzle line up.” Hope questions Rita her own mother about her relationship with the deceased John Johnson. After Hope was pretty much screaming at Rita, Rita ends up throwing the remote at Hope, making her bleed. Both Hope questioning her own mom, and Rita throwing the remote at Hope was never even a thought of what was going to happen. It was such a surprise that these events happened right then and there so quickly. Mackall did an extremely good job on surprising the reader on what was going to happen next. This is one of the reasons why this book was five stars.
This story was extremely realistic. When I was reading this book, I was imagining how and where this story could happen in my world. I thought Mackall did a really good job describing where the setting was taking place, and what was going on throughout the whole book. Doing all this descriptive writing made this book very realistic. On page 203, when Rita throws the remote at Hope, it is still realistic. I can imagine Hope standing in their living room questioning Rita till she snaps and ends up throwing the remote at her. Even when there is not a lot to describe Mackall still finds a way to create a picture for the reader. “Quick as a flash, Rita picks up the remote and flings it at me. I dodge, but it catches my cheekbone before crashing into the TV. The remote breaks into pieces. Batteries fly. The screen looks chipped.” He could have said that Rita threw the remote at Hope and she started to bleed, but he wrote it with descriptive words and phrases. Another example of how realistic Mackall makes it is when Hope sneaks into Chase’s room. “It’s almost as tidy as his dad’s room--bed made, clothes picked up, shades drawn even, but a half-mast, not all the way. On the nightstand is a framed picture of a beautiful woman with blond hair and Chase’s eyes, green as emeralds.” (Mackall 139) Mackall went on to describe the room even more in depth. These examples show that Mackall takes a lot of time making his writing descriptive. This made me able to create a picture in my head throughout the whole story.
I gave this book a five star rating because Mackall kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through the book. He gave descriptive words and created a realistic image in my head. He also made it a mystery who actually did a crime, and kept me guessing. I would recommend this book to everyone, but especially people who would like to solve a mystery or who are into mysteries. This book really made me think about who could be suspects that no one would expect, but I still ended up getting who it was wrong. I recommend that everyone should read this book.

[Landon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quick and easy to read I am a huge fan of mysteries, I really enjoyed "The Silence of Murder." The characters are enjoyable, the pace is great, and the plot twists were great!

[Sabrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Silence of Murder” is a very action packed book. There are two main characters in the book, one who is a girl named Hope, and the second who is her brother named Jeremy. Hope is a very loving sister and works hard to keep her family together since her dad has passed away. Rita who is Jeremy’s mom is more of an alcoholic and is not the wealthiest. Rita is always yelling at Jeremy because she thinks he is crazy, for all the weird stuff he does like collecting empty jars that his sister gives him.
Now, the actual issue is that Jeremy is being accused of killing his baseball coach, Coach Johnson. The only big issue is, is that Jeremy has not spoken in 9 years. How are they going to get him to admit that he was the one who killed Coach Johnson? Maybe, he wasn’t the one who killed his coach. Although, Coach Johnson was killed with the very bat Jeremy owned, and there is blood on it and nothing but Jeremy’s fingerprints. Jeremy also worked from Coach Johnson in his barn cleaning stalls for animals and other jobs in the barn that was needed. Coach Johnson and Jeremy were very close, so you would not suspect Jeremy would want to kill him. I guess you will have to read it to figure out if it really was Jeremy or someone behind the scenes.
I personally loved this book. Now I’m not a huge fan of mystery or court books about trying to solve the murder, but this one was actually interesting. I think it was the fact that since it is teenagers in the story, I could somewhat relate to them. I also have a sibling and I can see from Hope’s point that I wouldn’t want to believe that my sibling would have done something like murdering someone because I would end up fighting for them too. There were a few parts that I although did not like. For example, when Hope’s friends or people just pester her about what happened that day on the murder and all. They don’t need to keep doing that because I’m sure in a small town like that news travels fast. I have not read any other murder or crime scene mystery books because personally, I do not enjoy them so I can not relate this story to any other book that I have read.
One main idea or big idea of this book is the bond that Hope and Jeremy have. Jeremy has not talked in 9 years, so Hope has a certain way of communicating with him. She knows what he wants and how he is feeling without Jeremy even needing to reply back. Rita, Hope’s mom, sometimes got in the way of there bond because she thought Jeremy was crazy and messed up. Hope kept telling her no and that her brother is just like any other person in the world, except with a few flaws. “Not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity”(Mackall, pg. 6). Jeremy was what would seem to anyone, as an insane person. All of his teachers sent him to specialists to get looked at because he could not focus in class. Jeremy was different and he did have issues, but Hope knew his brother was just like any other kid. “Tried? All you had to do was tell them Jeremy’s insane. And you couldn’t even pull that off?”(Mackall, pg. 83). Again, Hope is defending her brother because she loves him. Rita her mom, just wants Hope to admit her brother is insane even though Hope knows Jeremy is not. Now that is a love of two siblings, Hope is fighting her very own mom because she knows she is right and loves Jeremy so much.

[nn ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Silence of Murder...
“Hope’s tears — Psalm 56:8”

The Silence of Murder is about Hope Long whose brother has been accused of murder. The only thing is her brother, Jeremy, can't talk and others are convinced he was the one who did it. Hope knows her brother wouldn't be capable of such things. He can’t defend himself and he can’t tell his side of the story, which leaves the question of, who really killed Coach Johnson? This book was very interesting from the first page. The whole concept of the story was something I’ve never read about before. The ending and the reveal of ‘who did it?’ was very surprising to me. I enjoyed it for the most part. Without spoilers, you should read this book. It was a page-turner, but like ‘50 pages today, 20 pages tomorrow.’ kind of page-turner. ‘Put it on the back burner’ type of book. I can say when everything wrapped up in the end, it was very pleasing.

My drawbacks of this story were that Hope is, more or less, annoying. There also doesn't seem to be any character development for Hope. The whole book she seems very closed off and very ‘me against the world’ which doesn't seem to change even when she loses her ‘best friend’ of three years. She doesn't care about him and instead focused more on Chase which really upset me. I remember she did say she felt like she knew more about Chase then she did TJ, but it really had me go, ‘wow.’ It would've felt nice to see her realize that although the only person she seems to think she has is her brother, she has room for more people in her life, like TJ. She's a very opinionated person and when presenting her arguments to other people on why Jeremy’s innocent it got really frustrating at times… like always. It got really frustrating at the end when we, as the reader, and even Hope come to the conclusion that Chase committed the murder and she still continued her speech putting the blame on Rita. There were a lot of moments in this book where Hope really frustrated me and numerous times in my notes where I wrote that I disliked Hope.

Some things I do love about this story is how the jars ended up being a very substantial part of proving Jeremy’s innocence. They were used to paint him as ‘insane’ but in the very end, those jars were the one thing to prove he was innocent. I enjoyed how its Hope, TJ, and Chase in the main parts of the story but eventually one by one they don’t seem as important anymore and the story closes in on just Hope like it was in the very beginning. Making Chase the killer was a really good choice too, in my opinion. Once I reached the end I was shocked because I remember he tried to put the blame on TJ. I also think it was a really good idea to make Chase and Hope become closer to add more shock value, but at some point, it just became too much. I wrote in my notes while reading this book, “Hope talks about Chase so much that I called my cat, Ace, Chase…”


P.S. For some reason with this book I kept a counter on how many times god was mentioned and here we go... 42. God was mentioned 42 times. =)

Would I recommend The Silence of Murder to a friend?
Yes, I would recommend The Silence of Murder to a friend. Is it a must-read, at this moment, type of book? No, I would definitely save this for a rainy day.

[Asia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book “The silence of a murder” by Dandi Daley Mackall a story of a sister seeking justice for her detained brother for the murder of coach Johnson. When reading, it provides readers with an insight of a thrill seeking mystery of passion and murder. Or at least you think it will, but instead taking you on this uphill roller-coaster that never comes down. First you have the suspect Jeremy who is voiceless or at least when he wants to be. Who is insane yet perfectly normal at the same time. Showing one of the many examples of indecisiveness in this book by trying too hard to show a character’s “true feelings. Also you have the big “climatic” ending having the main character’s love interest hope, actually be the killer. This provides so many loop holes, and takes so long to find out that you have already lost entire interest in the book. Making it worse, you have the whole corny scenario of “of course I love you” idea after knowing his guilt the whole time is entirely useless. However, the book does provide you with a bit of suspense even though it takes almost the whole book to get there. However, the suspense is so played out by the time you do get there it’s not even shocking its confusing. The ending of the book than just returns to this whole “back to normal theme” which is just so off, after everything that happened. Not understanding how they can go from chaos to Little House on the Prairie. Also by trying to dig down into the characters they have to many open stories that are never explained or just doesn’t go along. In the end the book is just slow and the pure definition of trying too hard.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

In “The Silence of Murder” by Daley Mackall, innocent Hope has a problem when her brother is convicted of murder. Jeremy is accused of killing the baseball coach, John Johnson. I have to be honest this book is very easy to get glued to. It is very suspenseful and keeps me on the edge of my seat. The book is mostly about Hope and Chase Wells trying to prove that her brother is innocent. As most things go, there were ups and downs. Right when they thought ‘who did it’ is solved, they just got proved wrong. Will they solve the murder? Sorry I won’t spoil it, read it for yourself. The author does a very good job of making the actual killer a secret. At the end of the book when the real killer is revealed, it made me think, “How did I not see that?” and what a surprise. The book takes place in Grain, Ohio. The town is very small. The book is very action packed, as well as them breaking into buildings to prove Jeremy’s innocence. And Chase’s dad constantly trying to stop them and being mean to them. There is a romance side to this book as well. In the beginning, there is kind of a thing between Hope and T.J. But that all blows up when Hope and chase fall in love. This book has a lot of suspense and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. I recommend this book to anyone. The book is very good because you never want to put it down. I’m not much of an avid reader myself, but this left me wanting more. If you are a reader looking for a good book, “The Silence of Murder” is perfect for you.