Mackall, Dandi Daley The Silence of Murder, 336 pgs. Random House Children’s Books, 2011. $11.98 Language – P (0 swears); Mature Content – PG; Violence: PG; Hope Long moved to Grain, Ohio three years ago with her mother Rita and her autistic brother, Jeremy. Hope is 16 and Jeremy is 19. Rita is not the best role model. She is a heavy drinker and has too many boyfriends. Jeremy is on trial for the death of the town’s baseball coach who befriended Jeremy. Jeremy helped coach Johnson with the baseball team and cleaned up around his horse stable. When Jeremy was about 9 he became selective mute where he refused to speak and only communicates with Hope in writing with a very eloquent hand. Jeremy has a strange hobby of collecting empty glass jars. He carries some empty jars in a backpack and the others, maybe a 100 or more, are kept on shelves in his bedroom. Jeremy is seen running from the stable with his baseball bat that was found to be the murder weapon. His court-appointed lawyer pleads not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. Hope doesn’t believe Jeremy killed coach Johnson nor that he is insane. The story is developed as Hope tries to prove Jeremy is innocent while getting the help from her best friend TJ and the Sherriff’s son, Chase. A romance builds between Chase and Hope and the Sherriff is none to happy about it.
I was eager to follow the story and uncover the clues along the way. While some of the plot was predictable most left you guessing and racing to the end. A very satisfying read! HS – ADVISABLE. Reviewer: W. Child - Cyprus High Library Media Specialist
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