Silence Is the Killer: The Products of Deceit

Returning home after his brother-in-law’s apparent suicide, a man quickly learns the small town he grew up in holds secrets no one wants revealed. When questions arise about the death, the town becomes a dangerous place where some will stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden. A thoughtful, compelling, and meaningful exploration into the lives of suicide survivors and the roles that community and family play, John R. Henderson’s second book is a searing portrayal of the pain inflicted and the costs of death on those who remain. Jack Brace gets the call in the early morning: his brother-in-law is dead, ostensibly having killed himself with his deer rifle. It’s why Jack is heading home to the small Missouri town in which he was born and raised—the same place it’s always been, the same place it will always be. As Jack and his sister attempt to put the pieces of her family back together, the secrets that hold the town together begin leaking through the cracks and pretty soon discrepancies appear. When the local newspaper editor raises additional questions and the sheriff becomes involved, what seemed like the open and shut case of a man bringing his life to a premature end now looks like it could be a dangerous beginning. Racism and sexual deviancy provide the subtext as Henderson paints a portrait of rural and urban lifestyles and how rural identity affects one’s ability to truly return home. You have changed. It hasn’t. Deeply rendered characters elevate the mystery to unexpected levels of dramatic richness as the clues begin to unravel the truth of a small Missouri town. Drawing distinct lines between the power and resonance of suicide and murder, Silence is the Killer: The Products of Deceit is a powerful testament to our need as human beings for understanding and communication in order to stay connected with others.