As this story begins, Marti is investigating a series of fires believed to be intentionally set. The situation escalates with the discovery of a body in an abandoned home that had been torched. The body is that of Virginia McCroft, a self-styled rabble-rouser, apparently shot before the fire had been set.

Marti and her partner, Vic Jessenovik, a Lincoln Prairie native, have just started to investigate the arson/homicide when they become aware that a series of bombs have been detonated in the same general location. They seem to have their work cut out for them. Are the arsons and bombs the handiwork of the same person? Was arson used to try and conceal the homicide?

Scream in Silence is the eighth entry in the series featuring Marti MacAlister, a smart, streetwise, African-American detective paired with white, Polish Vic Jessenovik, a small town, extremely meticulous man. The differences in their backgrounds and personalities allows the author ample space for social commentary. Despite their differences, the pair seems to complement each other and has little trouble working well together.

Vic is a great detail man, which stands him in good stead in this investigation. Marti relies more on instinct and her perception of what the perpetrator is likely to have thought. Marti’s method gives her some difficulty when it becomes apparent that their quarry is most likely mentally disturbed and therefore not capable of what most people consider rational thought.

The plot of Scream in Silence is somewhat disjointed. Along with the main theme -- that of apprehending the person responsible for the homicide and the arson/ bombings, there is another subplot involving a scam of elderly or gullible people. It is obvious to the reader that this subplot is connected to the main theme but its significance is unclear.

The author switches from a discussion of the main theme to the minor one as events unfold in more or less chronological order, sometimes naming the characters, but often referring to someone as “he.” While the author may be doing this to create uncertainty in the reader’s mind as to the identity of “he,” since she is not consistent and at times refers to the characters by name, there is no real mystery.

I tend to be a bit skeptical about protagonists who have the ability to foresee actions of others by their facial expressions. In Scream in Silence, a character is described as having eyes like a polar bear. Never having seen a polar bear except in a zoo, but realizing that they are very dangerous wild animals, I’m not sure getting close enough to see the expression in their eyes is altogether a good idea -- but I’m curious what that expression actually looks like.

Scream in Silence is probably best appreciated by fans of Marti MacAlister series. There is some progress or change in the relationships of the major characters that may be of interest to fans, but as a mystery the solution is obvious. And readers new to the series will not have the background necessary to identify closely with Marti and her friends and family.

--Andy Plonka