The Silent Room

This disappointing thriller from Hannah (the Kate Daniels series) opens on an exciting note, with the carjacking of a prison van in the north of England. The van’s cargo, Det. Insp. Jack Fenwick, who’s in custody for such offenses as concealing firearms in his garage, disappears. One of Fenwick’s direct reports, Det. Sgt. Matthew Ryan, is convinced of his senior officer’s innocence, but he’s suspended because the “rubber heelers,” the British equivalent of internal affairs, suspect him of helping Fenwick escape. Ryan is determined to find and clear Fenwick, which means unraveling the corruption case that Fenwick was looking into before the van incident. Unfortunately, this foreground story doesn’t fully engage the reader’s attention, in part because the plot is so convoluted and in part because Hannah’s narrative technique—exposition via interior monologue and an overwhelming number of asides—robs the story of any real momentum. And the impetus for the case, Fenwick’s corruption investigation, is murkier still, seriously undercutting the suspense. Agent: Oli Munson, A.M. Heath (U.K.). (Jan.)