Silent Key by Laurel Hightower | Book Review

Silent Key by Laurel Hightower is a tale of grief, change, and ghosts, where running away isn’t an option.

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on Silent Key by Laurel Hightower –

Relocating to a small town after the death of her husband, former Detective Cam Ambrose feels like she is running from her husband’s ghosts when she finds that she has more questions than answers about his death. Little does she know, these ghosts are real and much more dangerous than she thinks.

With each step toward her healing process, more is thrown at Cam, threatening to break her at any moment. Luckily, she has two great supporters that she finds herself fully confiding in as she can’t tell the truth about what is going on to the cops; one is a man she calls her brother, Dimi, and another is her new neighbor, Eric Morgan.

But will these three be able to put the ghosts to rest before another life is claimed?

I absolutely loved this tale! Each of the characters were so wonderfully developed, I felt like I was sitting in the room with them, anticipating what was to come next and trying to solve the puzzle. I loved seeing how each of them interacted with one another and how their relationships were both tested and grew throughout the story.

The scene where Cam’s daughter, Sammy, sees Eric’s “library” was too cute! The quick bond between Cam and Eric added a really fun layer as well as some light in the darkness.

The mystery element of the tale was tense. I had so much fun with each twist and each new bit of information that was uncovered.

And of course, we had the horror. There was an overall level of dread that started growing from very early on, but there were also plenty of bursts of full-blown terror! There was one scene that occurred in a bedroom that gave me a wicked jump scare! I can’t wait for readers to experience that!

My Favorite Passages from Silent Key –

I spent the next twenty minutes forgetting every trouble I’d ever had, hugging dogs that stood on hind legs to lick me, rolling in the dirt with a boxer-pit mix, and loving on an enormous fella with soft gray fur, the kind they call blue.

“What I do know is, it ain’t a good idea for you to start by distrusting yourself. Whatever you end up doing, believe what you saw. Chances are it’s real as hell.”

You could buy anything online, and I’d have paid every cent of Tony’s life insurance to make us safe. But there was no equipment in the world that could have helped us that night.

“Yeah, well. I’m not the first, and I won’t be the last.”
He leaned in and took both my hands between his. “I reckon not, but this is your hurt. Other people hurtin’ don’t make it any less.”

When I’d said, as I had so many times throughout her life, that there was nothing I wouldn’t do for her, no battle I wouldn’t fight, I’d never imagined how often that fight would require emotional bravery instead of physical. But that was the nature of parenting – kids rarely need you to run into an actual burning building. Instead you have to be their advocate, and do the things that truly scare you.

Then I saw it. Fingertips, gray and mottled, clinging to the very edge of the outside sill. I stared at them while time spun out, my breath leaving my lungs and refusing to return to my brain tried to tell my eyes they were full of shit.

Funny how responding with your emotions never does any good.

My Final Thoughts on Silent Key –

Part police procedural, part mystery, and part paranormal horror, this book is sure to hook readers right from the start, pulling them deeper and deeper as things progress.

I had a blast reading this. I loved it so much it gave me quite the book hangover!

Readers that enjoy tales that slowly unravel while the action picks up are going to love this.

Silent Key releases on October 10th, 2023; preorder your copy today!

Purchase your copy of Silent Key