The Price of Silence
Set during WWI, The Price of Silence has Doctor Anthony Brooke, a secret agent for the British government, trying to make sense of the murder-suicide of an unlikely couple. Before long the investigation becomes more complicated and widespread. All clues point Anthony to a gang of blackmailers and extortionists, using a housekeeping agency as their front. But every time Anthony gets close to any person with ties to the gang, he or she is killed off. At the very bottom of the investigation is Milly, a little girl hidden in a Belgian orphanage in German-occupied territory. Anthony must race around the clock to solve the crimes in order to get to the bottom of the murders, understand what Milly has to do with it, and then rescue her before she falls prey to the gang.
The Price of Silence is a fast-paced and enthralling mystery that hooked me from the onset and kept me guessing and mystified as any good crime-mystery should. Gordon-Smith keeps loading on more complications, adding to the suspense as Anthony tries to unravel the mystery, which isn’t resolved until the very end. According to the publisher’s write-up, the novel is “Dolores Gordon-Smith’s tribute to John Buchan and the Thirty Nine Steps, now celebrating its centenary. All references and similarities are intentional.” I have not read this novel, but thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Gordon-Smith’s spin. A fun and exciting read
