THE SILENT SCREAM by Betty Sullivan LaPierre
E-Pub2000 - August 2001
ISBN: 0970662254 - eBook
Private Investigator
Some Violence

Reviewed by Elaine Broome, MyShelf.com
Buy a Copy

How do you go on when everyone you love is gone? Can you ever avenge your mother's murder? Who can you trust? In Betty Sullivan LaPierre's THE SILENT SCREAM, seventeen year old Richard Clifford must find answers to these and other questions before he can be at peace.

After the violent murder of his mother, Francine, Richard knows that his farming world has changed forever and that he must suddenly become a man. Deaf since birth, Richard is now more isolated than ever. He is stunned to learn that the Sheriff's Department considers him a suspect in the murder, and terrified when one of the deputies seems determined to arrest him. Neighbor Tom "Hawkman" Casey firmly believes that Richard is innocent and knows that the boy's freedom may depend on him. He fears that Richard is set on finding his mother's killer and hopes that he can protect him.

Of all of the books in the wonderful "Hawkman" series, this is definitely the best. Hawkman is his usual steadfast self, full of kindness and decency, but the character of Richard is what really makes THE SILENT SCREAM shine. He is a young man struggling to cope with great tragedy and loss, all the while trying to figure out how to be a man. His courage and character are both poignant and inspiring. I loved the way the author wove Richard's deafness into the story: it influenced his life in many ways, but it was not the only thing that defined him. As with all of Betty Sullivan LaPierre's books, the story carries you along through many twists and turns: there's lots of action, great mystery and precisely drawn characters. But most of all there's Richard . . . and he's the most unforgettable thing about this lovely book.