A Record of Silence

Mara Ellison Case Files, Book 1

By: Harper Cole

Narrated by: Jaclyn McMahon

Harold Whitman was a quiet man.

He kept his lawn trimmed, his routines precise, and his life invisible enough that no one noticed when something went wrong—until he was found dead in his garage with no obvious cause.

Detective Mara Ellison arrives to a neighborhood that insists nothing happened. No arguments. No enemies. No secrets.

But silence leaves patterns.

As Mara interviews neighbors who all say the same thing—and mean different things—she begins to see the danger of a life observed but never understood. What looks like calm can be control. What looks like politeness can be surveillance. And what looks like an accident may be something carefully arranged.

In a community where everyone was watching, no one is telling the whole truth.

A slow-burn, psychologically grounded crime novel about quiet harm, overlooked warning signs, and the cost of assuming that nothing happening means everything is fine.

©2025 Harper Cole (P)2026 Harper Cole