The Silent Room

Description

A security van sets off for Durham prison, a disgraced Special Branch officer in the back. It never arrives. En route it is hijacked by armed men, the prisoner sprung. Suspended from duty on suspicion of aiding and abetting the audacious escape of his former boss, Detective Sergeant Matthew Ryan is locked out of the manhunt. Desperate to preserve his career and prove his innocence, he backs off. But when the official investigation falls apart, under surveillance and with his life in danger, Ryan goes dark, enlisting others in his quest to discover the truth. When the trail leads to the suspicious death of a Norwegian national, Ryan uncovers an international conspiracy that has claimed the lives of many.

Mari Hannah is an award-winning author whose authentic voice is no happy accident. A former probation officer, she has contributed to CID training for Northumbria Police and lives in rural Northumberland with her partner, an ex-murder detective. Mari turned to scriptwriting when her career was cut short following an assault on duty. Her debut, The Murder Wall (adapted from a script she developed with the BBC) won her the Polari First Book Prize. Its follow-up, Settled Blood, picked up a Northern Writers' Award. She went on to be shortlisted for the Dagger in the Library and is currently Reader in Residence for Harrogate International Crime Writing Festival.

Exciting and frightening thriller, that makes you look over your shoulder, even here in peaceful Norway - made me think of "Homeland" when I read it. -- Gunnar Staalesen A tense and compelling standalone thriller from one of our foremost crime writers. This book gripped me from the opening pages and never let go. -- David Jackson, author of Cry Baby The Silent Room by Mari Hannah is a dark, gripping and brutal work of true quality from a writer at the very peak of her powers. -- David Mark Nobody understands the many faces of cops better than Mari Hannah -- Val McDermid Exciting and frightening thriller, that makes you look over your shoulder, even here in peaceful Norway - made me think of "Homeland" when I read it. -- Gunnar Staalesen It has everything a good thriller should, compelling characters, a gripping plot and storyline, superb pacing and a strong sense of place. In addition it has heart, something many thrillers sorely lack. Mari Hannah's superb writing style is put to good use during this break from her series and I was annoyed every time I was forced to put the book down and do mundane yet necessary stuff like eat or sleep. -- Yrsa Sigurdardottir The Silent Room by Mari Hannah is a dark, gripping and brutal work of true quality from a writer at the very peak of her powers. -- David Mark A tense and compelling standalone thriller from one of our foremost crime writers. This book gripped me from the opening pages and never let go. -- David Jackson, author of Cry Baby Mari Hannah has always had two key specialities: a gift for genuinely ingenious plotting matched by a skill at choreographing suspense sequences that is the equal of more stellar names in the genre. Both characteristics are at full stretch in The Silent Room, with everyone involved (notably the warring officers in the Northumbrian police) leaping off the page. But a crime novel stands or falls on how vividly its central protagonist is conjured, and Hannah has come up with a real winner in Detective Sergeant Matt Ryan. -- Barry Forshaw * Independent * Taut storytelling and razor-sharp dialogue - not to mention Hannah's use of the Northumberland countryside - make this a novel not to be missed. * Daily Mail * Very creepy. Read it on your commute and you'll be looking over your shoulder all the way home. * Marie Claire * Mari has had a varied career and her partner was once a murder detective, which perhaps explains why she pulls some punches about the police force here...This story is based on actual experience, like so many crime novels. It is relatively mild, as far as language and explicit violence go, and despite or because of that it is curiously gripping and enjoyable. -- Jessica Mann * Literary Review * Pacey, standalone thriller . . . turns out to be an International conspiracy, with all the delicious twists and turns that entails. * Sunday Express * Hannah knows how to keep up the pace of her narrative with an excellent mix of action scenes and engaging character . . . Best of all, she creates high drama without using psychopaths, paedophiles or lost children. * BookOxygen * A rollercoaster of a ride involving corruption, surveillance and espionage . . . the author is a brilliant writer. * Sun * A tightly plotted, page turning read with believable characters and a good sense of time and place. * Choice Magazine * Marks out this former probation officer as one of our most exciting and accomplished crime writers . . . Since the publication of The Murder Wall in 2012, Hannah has deservedly moved into the top league, producing deep, dark, action-packed thrillers that showcase her keen eye for authentic police and forensic detail, masterful plotting and superb characterisation skills . . . As always, Hannah's intelligent plotting is given extra impetus by a cast of vibrant and credible characters, each beautifully portrayed and each explored and developed with the author's remarkable insight, empathy and sensitivity.Clever, compelling and sophisticated. -- Pam Norfolk * Lancashire Evening Post *