The Price of Silence

 The Price of Silence (2005) by Kate Wilhelm

Synopsis (from the book flap): Brindle is a dying town, each generation smaller than the last. But Ruth Ann Colonna, who has run the local paper for almost sixty years, is determined to keep the past alive with a special edition of The Brindle Times to celebrate the town's centennial. Photos, letters, and newspaper articles trace the town's inhabitants back to its founding members. But the relics of the past hold more than a record of marriages and deaths; they also hide a secret too dark to acknowledge.

Todd Fielding needs a job, and the offer to prived her computer expertise to The Brindle Times seems like the perfect opportunity. The only downside to small-town life is the potential for boredom, she suspects. But soon after her arrival in Brindle, Todd realizes she was very wrong. A young girl disappears...and no one in the town appears particularly concerned.

Looking deeper into the story, Todd uncovers a shocking fact: five other girls have "run away" from Brindle under strange circumstances over the past twenty years--and no [has ever seemed] interested in finding them. With Ruth Ann's help, she begins to understand the history of a town steeped in evil, manipulation, and cold-blooded murder. This town has cloaked itself in secrecy far too long. And innocents are paying the deadly price of silence.

It's been long enough since I picked this up at a library book sale that I'm not entirely sure what hooked me enough to make me bring it home. I'm willing to bet that the fact that Todd is married to a grad student and so there is a very loose academic connection was part of it. I'm surprised that the missing girls wasn't a turn-off. It really should have been--even though most of the violence takes place off-stage. And the academic connection wasn't enough to call this an academic mystery--even if we stretch that connection paper-thin.Todd's husband Barney just isn't involved in the mystery enough to count it.

I also found it difficult to believe that the state police who wind up involved would have been that disbelieving of the mother's concern about her daughter. Sure, the town has been busy covering things up all these years, so the local police's response is reasonable. But I would expect the state to have put in a bit more effort.

That's the bad...the good is that the characters of Todd and Ruth Ann really come alive. Their interest in both the past history of Brindle and the more recent disappearances is fascinating and infectious. I wanted to know what they would find out. And both are strong female characters in a town that could use a lot more backbone. I'm giving all of the star rating to these women and they way they handle their investigations. ★★★

First line: The Bend News, July 1888 Four people perished in a fire that destroyed the Warden House last week in the town of Brindle.

Last line: In an even lower voice she added, "Rest in peace, Janey."

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Deaths = 9 (four in fire; revealing how for the other five would be too spoilerish)