Book Review: Dead Silence

DEAD SILENCE | S.A. Barnes
02.08.2022 | Tor Nightfire
Rating: 4/5 stars

Claire Kovalik is days away from being unemployed – made obsolete – when her beacon repair crew picks up a strange distress signal. With nothing to lose and no desire to return to Earth, Claire convinces her team to investigate. What they find at the other end of the signal is a shock: the Aurora, a famous luxury space-liner that vanished on its maiden tour of the solar system more than twenty years ago. A salvage claim like this could set Claire and her crew up for life, but a quick trip through the Aurora reveals something isn’t right. Whispers in the dark. Flickers of movement. Words scrawled in blood. 

I knew I wanted to pick up DEAD SILENCE the minute I saw it compared to Titanic meets The Shining. There is something so intriguing to me about books set in space with a horror basis. I mean what could be more claustrophobic than setting off to investigate a wreckage where you find all manner of strange things, potential ghost sightings, and voices in your head? Don’t forget about the creepy messages written in blood! Yeah, I don’t want to experience it, but I do want to read about it! 

Barnes created a fantastic, atmospheric, and haunting story with DEAD SILENCE. The plot has a great mystery surrounding not only the lost ship, the Aurora, and what happened to the passengers, but also the details of what happened to Claire and her crew. The first half of the story contains flashbacks until we merge with the present situation and each flashback serves to create more intrigue for the reader. While I thought the pacing could have been a bit faster, I did ultimately enjoy the way in which Barnes revealed twists and the truth to the reader. One thing that threw me was the inclusion of a small romantic plot thread. At first I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this aspect, but I found myself drawn to it by the end and felt it served as a solid addition to the story’s progress. This book had just the right mix of science fiction and horror to keep me wanting more and searching for the truth!

This book is available to buy from: Amazon | Book Depository

A huge thank you to Tor Nightfire for my gifted copy!

Disclosure: What Jess Reads is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way influences my opinion of the above book.