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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Propelling the reader back and forth between the 1940s, 1960s and 1980s, The Silent Listener is an unforgettable literary suspense novel set in the dark, gothic heart of rural Australia.
'In the cold, wet summer of 1960, 11-year-old Joy Henderson lives in constant fear of her father. She tries to make him happy but, as he keeps reminding her, she is nothing but a filthy sinner destined for Hell . . .
'Yet, decades later, she returns to the family’s farm to nurse him on his death bed. To her surprise, her ‘perfect’ sister Ruth is also there, whispering dark words, urging revenge.
'Then the day after their father finally confesses to a despicable crime, Joy finds him dead - with a belt pulled tight around his neck ...
'For Senior Constable Alex Shepherd, investigating George’s murder revives memories of an unsolved case still haunting him since that strange summer of 1960: the disappearance of nine-year-old Wendy Boscombe.
'As seemingly impossible facts surface about the Hendersons – from the past and the present – Shepherd suspects that Joy is pulling him into an intricate web of lies and that Wendy’s disappearance is the key to the bizarre truth.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
When Kids Want Revenge
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 10 July 2021; (p. 17)
— Review of Beware of Dogs 2021 single work novel ; The Silent Listener 2021 single work novel ; The Serpent's Skin 2021 single work novel
-
When Kids Want Revenge
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 10 July 2021; (p. 17)
— Review of Beware of Dogs 2021 single work novel ; The Silent Listener 2021 single work novel ; The Serpent's Skin 2021 single work novel
Awards
- 2022 longlisted Indie Awards — Debut Fiction
- 2021 longlisted HNSA Historical Novel Prize — Adult
- 1940s
- 1960s
- 1980s