REVIEW: Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James

If you love gothic love stories, then anything by author Simone St. James promises spooky fun in a historically evocative setting. SILENCE FOR THE DEAD takes place at a remote insane asylum right after the Great War, when the bravery of young men and women wasn’t without consequences. Ghosts, evil and some subtle comedic moments mixed in with a really good mystery that slowly unravels rounds out St. James’ latest endeavor.

Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James
Category: Historical/Paranormal/Gothic
Publisher: NAL trade (April 1, 2014)
ISBN: 9780451419484
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Format: PRINT format purchased, pulled from my TBR.

I have always loved gothic romance and author Simone St. James is one of the best at combining a wraithlike ambiance and great characters with unusual circumstances, layered with romance in a mystery that slowly builds into a crescendo of chaos at the end, leaving the characters successful, if not a bit shaken from their experience.

I’ve become such a fan of Simone St. James’ talent that I bought this book in trade paperback when it didn’t come from the publisher for review. I’m reviewing it for Romance Junkies because I know there are a large group of us gothic fans at that site who crave these types of stories.

In the beginning, we meet Katherine “Kitty” Weekes while she’s approaching Portis House by motorcar in England along the coast in 1919. It’s naturally foggy, creating a sense of foreboding from the very first page. The mansion was once owned by a wealthy family who mysteriously disappeared during the war and were thought to have moved away, leaving their enormous home to eventually be adapted as a mental hospital for men. Remote as it is, escape isn’t likely. But Kitty has no desire to escape, she plans to be their nurse and never leave.

It doesn’t take long for the matron-in-charge to reveal to Kitty that she knows she lied about her references and that she also knows that Kitty is no nurse. But the matron’s superior is the one who hired Kitty so there’s only one thing to do, let her stay and wait for her to mess up enough to let her go. But Kitty has nowhere else to go and this remote hospital is a perfect place to hide, if she can work hard enough and curb her insolent attitude. Matron may try to curb that attitude but Kitty isn’t going anywhere without a fight.

Kitty Weekes is a really fun character. We’re not sure what or who she’s hiding from, at first, and we don’t actually know her entire story until closer to the end of the book. She’s sassy and has a smart-alecky, mouthy way about her that makes you cheer for whatever nonsense she’s getting into now. Of course, you know she’ll meet the man she falls for but their journey is unusual, keeping Kitty unsettled about one more thing in her life. Kitty doesn’t seem compassionate enough to be a nurse, but she makes up in stamina, courage and spunk for what she lacks in empathy. Will she learn to love her life and others, once she finds her purpose?

One of the best parts of this book is getting to know the large cast of characters from the nurses to the orderlies, to the doctors who bring out the best and the worst in the patients and staff, including the mysterious “patient sixteen,” while all are tormented by the evil within the house. A good gothic story isn’t complete without the personality of the house, living and breathing more life into the story. This one is a doozy so I’m sure gothic fans will enjoy the creepy parts as much as I did.

I love the way St. James layers a story. She builds ever so slowly, adding bits and pieces little by little, sort of lulling you into a relaxed pace, and if you’ve read her books, you know that something is coming, expect it with anticipation and can’t wait to jump. I love that moment when the evil reveals itself as a character worth fearing and those dangling chapter ends that make you jump to the next chapter with expectation. It’s like a nail down the chalkboard moment, sending chills down your spine and forcing you to madly read faster to the end, even though you’re not sure if you want to know.

I also love the wry humor in the most unlikely places. They zing their way into the story and give some comedic relief to the ominous tension. Kitty Weekes had some great lines but I also loved Nina and Mabry — they both provided me with a laugh-out-loud surprise.

THE HAUNTING OF MADDY CLARE is still my favorite Simone St. James novel, but SILENCE FOR THE DEAD has a similar atmosphere and is well worth experiencing, offering us a glimpse at another time and place. It’s less explicit, so those who prefer a less sensual romance will appreciate the subtlety in SILENCE FOR THE DEAD. If you love a great fictional tale that focuses on a wide variety of characters, adds mystery and a bit of the supernatural, then rounds out with a happy-for-now ending in a romance that complements the suspense but doesn’t take it over, then I recommend you grab SILENCE FOR THE DEAD. It has that pre-1920s after-the-war vibe that will engage this era’s fans. Simone St. James embodies gothic romance with a style all her own, evolving with each tale she spins.

Reviewed by Dorine, courtesy of Romance Junkies.

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