Dead Silent

Calladine and Bayliss, Book 2

By: Helen H. Durrant

Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble

Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

A body is found in a car crash, but the victim was already dead....

Police partners, D.I. Calladine and D.S. Ruth Bayliss race against time to catch a vicious serial killer. The first two victims are American university students and both have livestock tags fixed to their earlobes. Who wanted them dead and what's the connection?

The detectives piece together the forensic evidence and track down the witnesses, to reach a shocking conclusion. If you like Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, Mel Sherratt, Ruth Rendell, or Mark Billingham you will be gripped by this exciting new crime fiction writer. Dead Silent is book two of a new series of detective thrillers featuring D.S. Ruth Bayliss and D.I. Tom Calladine.

In this second book, Calladine faces personal tragedy and startling revelations, and Ruth's relationship with Jake Ireson develops. Tom Calladine is a single, 51-one-year-old detective inspector who is devoted to his job. His personal life, however, is not so successful. Having been married and divorced before the age of 21 has set a pattern that he finds difficult to escape.

Ruth Bayliss is in her mid-30s, plain-speaking but loyal. She wishes she had more time for the gym and a love life. She uses her demanding workload as an excuse not to try too hard with the men she meets.

Her hobby is birdwatching. The series is set in the fictional village of Leesdon on the outskirts of an industrial northern English city. There is little work and a lot of crime. The bane of Calladine's life is the Hobfield housing estate, breeding ground to all that is wrong with the area that he calls home.

©2015 Helen H. Durrant (P)2016 Audible, Ltd

Average

An adequate book and an enjoyable listen. 3.5 stars for me.

It just wasn't wonderful. I'm not sure why. Tom has a lot thrown at him - the unexpected daughter, the death of his mother, the murderous cousin, girlfriend issues, and more in this book. Plus a serial killer to find. And the book leaves many story lines still open. I'm unsure if I'll continue.

Dead Silent

I am really enjoying this series, getting to know the characters and enjoying how they solve the murders. Felt this one was not as suspenseful as the first, but still enjoyed it. Really enjoy this narrator, a really good voice and has a way in bringing out the characters.

Great book and awesome narration..

Alrighty then! Another whack-job for Calladine and Ruth to hunt down. There are small descriptions of what the killer did to his victims but I’m so glad the readers didn’t have to be a part of it.

At about 65% I thought OMG not her again. Just like the last book Tom Calladine was wondering if he had a chance with his ex-girlfriend, and should he call her. He was embarrassed that he went to bed with Lydia in the last book. But Lydia left and he was wondering AGAIN if he should call Monika, the ex-girlfriend. And then what happens? Lydia comes back. So, this is probably my last Calladine and Bayliss book. I love the murder mystery/serial killer story but I really hate man-whores.

I also hate cliffhangers! The first book wasn’t really a cliffhanger but this one definitely was. Good grief! I might HAVE to read the 3rd book to see what happened to the person that got shot.

There wasn’t too much swearing and the F-bomb was used only 3 times. There was NO sex. There were 2 fade-to-black kisses. I think that’s funny.

I do like the players in these books: Ruth, Imogen, Rocco. I don’t like Lydia or DCI Jones. Lydia is just slutty and Jones is a cheap-skate, too concerned with saving money than solving crimes.

As to the narration: Jonathan Keeble is what makes the book worth listening to. His voices are fantastic and his emotions are awesome.

Required Text

A more coherent effort than the first book, Dead Wrong, but still suffering from the issues of uneven pacing and poorly drawn supporting characters. The narration by Jonathan Keeble is excellent, but it's not enough to make me want to continue the series.

Very good as well!

I've listened to MANY mysteries/thrillers and really enjoy this author's writing skills in this genre. That, along with this narrator, makes for a very satisfying thriller. I hope there'll be more books to come in this series!
Audible addict,
in Santa Fe, NM

Don't bother

I have been trying to return this book, however its pretty hard to do so. Can an author think up any more horrible means of torture, not necessary, this is the last book I will download from this author.

Nothing original or interesting in this plot

Any additional comments?

Calladine and Bayless are fleshed out well, but the bad guys are stock characters. The violence feels voyeuristic and cheap. The writing is at times banal. Won't stay with the series.