Book # 7 : The Silent Ones, K.L. Slater

"We willingly accept different standards of behavior from different people and before we know it, the brainwashing is complete."

This morning, I was packing up lunches, ironing, putting on the laundry I should have done last night. Now my precious daughter is accused of murder. 

When ten-year-old cousins Maddy and Brianna are arrested for a terrible crime, Maddy’s mother Juliet cannot believe it. How could her bright, joyful daughter be capable of such a thing? 

As the small village community recoils in horror, the pressure of the tragedy blows Juliet and her sister’s lives apart. And things get even worse when their daughters retreat into a self-imposed silence. Can anyone reach Maddy and discover the truth before her fate is sealed? 

Juliet is crushed. Nothing will ever be the same for her darling girl. But she knows that to find out what really happened that day, she and her sister must unlock the secrets of their own terrible past, a past they swore never to speak about again … 

The most unputdownable psychological thriller you’ll read this year from the bestselling author K.L. Slater. If you love The Wife Between Us or Gone Girl, you’ll be totally hooked on The Silent Ones. 

Discussion Questions: 

As you were reading, who did you think killed Bessie?

 

How do you think your family’s dynamics would change if you were in Juliet’s place; knowing that your family lied to you about the death of your little brother? 

 

How did you feel when you discovered the brother was not only still alive but put up for adoption? Could you imagine doing this to your child after such a tragedy and lying to your other children? 

 

What would your reaction be if your teenager was taken into custody for possible murder?

 

Do you believe Maddie an intelligent, quiet animal lover or is she secretive and sneaky? 

 

Did you think the police would end up charging one of the girls for murder under false pretenses? 

 

Did you believe that Brianna was a spontaneous, wear-your-heart-on-the-sleeve bubbly, joyful little girl or that she got a mother of all tempers? 

 

How did you feel when you learned that Beth was double playing literally everyone and some of them in a very long game type of way? Dana, Juliet, etc. 

 

How about the mothers of the girls, how do you see each woman Juliet and Chole? 

 

What was your perception of Dana? 

 

Is it ever possible to see your child absolutely objectively? 

 

Did you think the girls would talk after their vow of silence they seemed to have taken? Were you shocked by who cracked and what was said? 

 

What if one of them was innocent, but is protecting the other one?

 

What if it is your child who is guilty, would you be ready to accept the truth and the subsequent blame and punishment?

 

How did the town’s community backlash and punishment make you feel as you read?