Review: DEAD SILENT by SHARON JONES

Title: Dead Jealous

Author: Sharon Jones

Series: Poppy Sinclair #2

Release Date: February 6th 2014

Age Group: Young Adult

Genre: Mystery Thriller

BLURB

A snow angel etched in blood. An elite society. A secret dying to get out.
​The second Poppy Sinclair Thriller.
When Poppy Sinclair and her boyfriend visit snowy Cambridge, she doesn't expect to discover the body of a student - arms outstretched in the act of smearing bloody angel wings on the chapel's floor.
Suddenly, Poppy is faced with the possibility that the one closest to her heart might be the one committing the most malicious of crimes.
Dodging porters and police, dreading what she might find, Poppy follows the clues left by a murderer bent on revenge...
Long-hidden secrets are chillingly revealed, an avenging angel seeks forgiveness and red-hot vengeance must be quelled in the amazing new Poppy Sinclair thriller.

Purchase: Amazon

Review

Aside from the bloody murder scene which begins Dead Silent, much of the novel is spent examining Poppy's relationships, both with her Dad and boyfriend Michael. The young couple are visiting Cambridge University where Poppy's Dad is Chaplain and where Michael has an admission interview. Sharon Jones communicates the depth of emotion shared between the lovebirds, but they are at a crossroads in their relationship and trying to decide whether to progress it physically. I felt a lot of the coded discussion between them was unnecessary and a little immature, but it also helps to remind the reader of Poppy's age and character traits, particularly the fact that she hastily makes decisions based on the feelings of others.

Poppy's relationship with her Dad is complicated and full of misunderstanding. She resents him for leaving her and her Mother to fulfill his vocation in the church and he finds it difficult to accept that his little girl is growing up. Throughout the story we see their relationship grow, as they develop a mutual trust.

Poppy becomes involved in the mystery of the Cambridge University murders after discovering her father kneeling over the body of the first victim. Despite the fact that Dead Silent is a young adult novel Sharon Jones is not afraid to fully describe the scene Poppy witnesses,

"It was then she saw him . . . 

The guy's black jacket had fallen open, revealing a shirt that was no longer white, but had merged with the gaping wound in the centre of his chest. He'd bleed so much that the blood had pooled around him and somehow his arms had smeared through it, creating bloody wings beneath his outstretched arms."

In using this detail Sharon Jones allows us to share Poppy's revulsion, fear and confusion, drawing us further into the plot.

Poppy's interest in the so-called 'Angel' attacks increases when her father is arrested as a suspect. During her investigations she becomes entangled in the secret society traditions at the centuries old establishment, meaning that finding the perpetrator is not as easy as she anticipated.

I enjoyed Dead Silent, particularly the way in which Poppy discovers the extent of her supernatural powers, but unfortunately feel its lacks the punch of Dead Jealous. 

Rating:

Dead Jealous Review