Kingdom of Silence

An Inspector Keen Dunliffe Mystery

By: Lee Wood

Narrated by: Ralph Cosham

A U.S. marshal and her prisoner are gunned down outside London's Heathrow Airport just as the prisoner is to testify against the head of a violent animal-rights group. Leeds Detective Sergeant Keen Dunliffe doesn't seem like the right man for the case, except that he has the undercover experience and knowledge of Yorkshire, the terrorists' backyard. He's ordered to head up a sting operation with Rachel Colver, an inexperienced police constable, who may have personal ties that will help her infiltrate the animal-rights group.

However, Keen is worried about a plan that puts Rachel in obvious peril. As the two hunker down to work the case from the inside, brutal extremists and police politics collide, involving murder, intimidation, smuggling, and blackmail with lethal consequences.

©2009 Lee Wood (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Wood's solid second mystery to feature Yorkshire Det. Sgt. Keen Dunliffe opens with a bang....A subplot centering on an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease raises the ante." (Publishers Weekly)
"Wood, who made her bones in science fiction, has now produced two exemplary police procedurals that are authentic and appealingly character-driven." (Kirkus Reviews)

Very good

I bought this audiobook because I enjoyed her first novel so much. This has many of the virtues of her first book, but is not quite as good. Still, the characters are once again well-drawn, the relationships are complex and interesting, and the mystery is intriguing. Loses a little at the end, but I still enjoyed it immensely. I look forward to her next book. I will say that I disagree with those who did not find some of the animal rights activists acting as thugs believable. I have seen it my own experience, though I agree with much of what they say.

Kingdom of Silence

I must admit I did not listen to this book all the way through, I couldn't. The first part was a difficult listen, too much animal and people suffering. But my real problem with this book was the premise about animal rights activists being murderous thugs. It just seemed so preposterous. If the basic story line doesn't ring true, no point in continuing.