An elderly Native American Woman finds an abandoned boy on the Barona Ranch Indian Reservation; he is tied up and unconscious. In the first mystery written and published by author Abigail Padgett, Bo Bradley, Juvenile Court Investigator working for Child Protective Services in San Diego, is assigned the case. What is supposed to be a slam-dunk case turns into a race for the little boy’s life as well as her own as Bo tries to unravel the mystery of who the boy is and where he came from with two hit man hot on her heels and the mania that is beginning to set in. As it happens, Bo also suffers from Bipolar Disorder, and in her mind, her medication cannot kick in fast enough.Although I cannot remember how I first learned about Abigail Padgett’s social worker series, I made it my mission to track down all of the books in the series. Of the five books, four are out of print. Thanks to E-Bay and Half.com, I was able to get my hands on copies of all the books. Unfortunately, I was not able to read them in order, and I was reminded as I read Child of Silence why I like to start from the beginning of a series, if only to get to know a character from the very beginning. This is the fourth of this series I have read. I also have read two books from her other series about a social psychologist. It has been a while since I have read the other books in the series, but I have to say that I enjoyed Child of Silence the most. The book is short enough to read in one sitting, and I had trouble putting it down when it came time to deal with the laundry. From the first page, the race against time was on and I wanted to know what would happen next. Ms. Padgett was able to weave Bo’s mental disorder in with the story in a very real way—I felt I was right there, experiencing exactly what Bo was going through. Ms. Padgett’s own experiences as a court investigator were very evident throughout the book. Having been a court investigator myself in a very similar capacity as Bo Bradley, I felt a kinship to the character. I could easily relate to her frustrations, feelings and thoughts in regards to her chosen profession. I found myself nodding and agreeing at times—she painted a realistic picture of what many of us in the profession face day in and day out.
This book is an intelligent page-turner. The protagonistis a child protection worker named Bo who has manic depres-sive illness. The mystery deals with an abandoned deafchild and Bo's attempts to rescue him and find some murder-ers while in a manic phase and waiting for her lithium tokick in. For thosee of you not familiar with manic depres-sion, the manic phase is when you are all over the place -needing no sleep, spending money you don't have, buyingthings that you don't need, having grandiose ideas, etc.Lithium is the medication that is used to stabilize the ill-ness.)This book provides a realistic and resectful portrayal ofsomeone with Manic Depressive Illness. On top of that, itis a very good mystery. I also recommend The Caveman's Valentine.It has a private eye who suffers from mental illness and isa very well-written book.
What do You think about Child Of Silence (1994)?
I really loved this book. I love that the protagonist is successfully battling BiPolar Disorder, and how her intellegence shines over her chaotic thoughts, and how it portrays her innermost thoughts so well. Because she is able to think outside the box, she finds answers in a mystery like no other person could. I also loved the subject matter, a deaf boy, whom everyone assumes is mentally handicapped has been found tied to a mattress in an abandoned building by an old Native Anerican woman. And last, but not least, I love that she added a bit of Native American Lore and magic to the mix. I can't wait to read more in this series.
—Florida Daydreaming
In a complex world of the juvenile court system in San Diego County, bureaucrats and individual social workers struggle daily to save the children in danger. For one social worker, Bo Bradley, the daily battle is enhanced because of her own condition of manic-depression (bipolar disorder). Only one person with whom she works knows of this condition—her friend and colleague, Estella Benedict. But whenever the symptoms begin to reappear, a difficult job becomes almost impossible.When one day a four-year-old boy, tied to a mattress in an old shack on an Indian reservation, is rescued by an old Indian woman, life just got a whole lot harder. Saving the boy, who turns out to be deaf, from whoever hurt him and is still trying to kill him, becomes a full-time obsession for Bo Bradley. Like a one-woman army on a hunt-and-capture mission, she digs into the clues at hand, flies to a neighborhood in Houston, Texas, and begins to realize that the only way to save the boy is to hide him.Intermingled with the tale of rescuing the boy called "Weppo," the author weaves a bit of Bo's history, including the loss of her own sister—also deaf and plagued with manic-depression—many years ago. A Native American theme casts "Child of Silence" and its characters into a tapestry of mysticism and spiritualism that lends beauty and hope to the story of one child and one woman on a collision course with danger.Five stars!
—Laurel-Rain
Chill of Silence dealt with a very interesting topic, deafness, especially in children. I enjoyed what I learned about this subject through the interesting characters that the author created. The vocabulary in this novel was of high caliber, so I feel like I benefitted from that aspect of the book. The story line moved along at a fast pace with enough twists and turns to make it a page turner. The ending was very satisfying as well. The one drawback to reading this author again was the sprinkling of bad language, particularly the "F" word about a dozen times. I find this word too offensive to ignore and read over so I try to avoid books with those included.
—Verona
