The Quiet Dead (A DI Sebastian Locke Mystery Book 1) by NJ Mackay

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The Quiet Dead (A DI Sebastian Locke Mystery Book 1) by NJ Mackay

Fifteen years ago, he confessed to the murder of his wife and children.

As a teenager, Hayley DaSilva walked into a nightmare; discovering the bodies of her mother, twin brother, and friend all brutally slaughtered in her home… and her nine-year-old brother missing. Her father, Leonard DaSilva, confessed to the murders, but Ethan was never seen again.

He lied. But why?

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Now, Hayley has fled her dreadful past in Thamespark – until the call from Detective Sebastian Locke. Little bones uncovered in a shallow grave belong to Ethan… and the investigation reveals holes in the case that prove Leonard’s confession was false. He didn’t kill his family. So why did he say he did?

As DI Locke and the squad realise that a killer has been hiding in plain sight in the sleepy commuter town of Thamespark, the previously cold case becomes an urgent investigation. But as the squad gets closer to the truth of who really murdered the DaSilvas, it becomes clear that the culprit won’t hesitate to spill blood to keep their shocking secrets hidden…

An absolutely unputdownable police procedural with a shocking twist, introducing Detective Sebastian Locke. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Cara Hunter and Sharon Bolton will love this.

My Review

Great stuff! I flew through this, loving the main characters and the story. I’ve read this author before – more than once – I particularly loved The Girls Inside. Anything to do with a religious cult, the more bizarre the better, is right up my street for some reason.

This is very different though. Why would Leonard DeSilva confess to killing his wife, his son and his son’s friend fifteen years ago if he didn’t do it? And where is nine-year-old Ethan, who was never found after that terrible night?

Daughter Hayley wasn’t there at the time – she was out partying in the woods with her friends, drunk, drugged maybe, and totally wasted. Her boyfriend Danny was with her, as were some of her friends.

Then small bones are discovered in a shallow grave – the body of Ethan after all these years. A cold case is now an active investigation and Hayley, married and living in New York, decides to come home to bury her little brother. It’s all on record in the police files, though for DI Sebastian Locke the paperwork is somewhat lacking. Not up to his exacting standards. He doesn’t trust the ‘evidence’. There are too many unanswered questions for his liking.

His first port of call as well as Hayley and her friends, is the police team involved in the original investigation. Superintendent ‘Mac’ has died since, but the other two are very much alive, though neither are still with the force.

Sebastian’s private life is interesting too. His wife Charlie is no longer living with him – she has a major drug problem – but their daughter Tilly and Charlie’s mum make up their little family.

I found this new police procedural featuring DI Locke and his sidekick Lucy so engaging and I can’t wait to read the next instalment. I can imagine this on TV as a series – I just need to cast DI Locke – let me think…

Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of #TheQuietDeadTour

About the Author

NJ Mackay is a writer and a bookworm. She studied Performing Arts at the BRIT School. “It turned out I wasn’t very good at acting”, she says, “but quite liked writing scripts”. She went on to take a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Drama and later won a full scholarship for an MA in Journalism.