Silence for the Dead

By: Simone St. James

Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown

“Portis House emerged from the fog as we approached, showing itself slowly as a long, low shadow....”

In 1919, Kitty Weekes, pretty, resourceful, and on the run, falsifies her background to obtain a nursing position at Portis House, a remote hospital for soldiers left shell-shocked by the horrors of the Great War. Hiding the shame of their mental instability in what was once a magnificent private estate, the patients suffer from nervous attacks and tormenting dreams. But something more is going on at Portis House—its plaster is crumbling, its plumbing makes eerie noises, and strange breaths of cold waft through the empty rooms. It’s known that the former occupants left abruptly, but where did they go? And why do the patients all seem to share the same nightmare, one so horrific that they dare not speak of it?

Kitty finds a dangerous ally in Jack Yates, an inmate who may be a war hero, a madman… or maybe both. But even as Kitty and Jack create a secret, intimate alliance to uncover the truth, disturbing revelations suggest the presence of powerful spectral forces. And when a medical catastrophe leaves them even more isolated, they must battle the menace on their own, caught in the heart of a mystery that could destroy them both.

Critic reviews

Praise for Silence for the Dead

“Vivid, eerie and atmospheric. St James’ latest will simultaneously tug at your heart strings and send chills down your spine. Absolutely riveting.”—Anna Lee Huber, award-winning author of the Lady Darby Historical Mystery series

“Kudos for Simone St. James. I was swept away by this atmospheric and truly spine-chilling page turner, a riveting tale of dark suspense set in 1919 within a crumbling mansion turned mental hospital. If you love a good ghost story, you will be entranced.”—Mary Sharratt, author of Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen and Daughters of the Witching Hill

Praise for the novels of Simone St. James

“Downright scary and atmospheric. I flew through the pages of this romantic and suspenseful period piece…”—New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner

“Anyone who loves Daphne du Maurier and Victoria Holt will enjoy this book… highly recommended.”—Historical Novels Society

“The perfect book to curl up with by the fire on a stormy night...although perhaps not by yourself in an empty house!”—Katherine Webb, author of The Unseen

“Another chilling story.…St. James delivers a quickly paced read that will satisfy both new and old fans.”—Publishers Weekly

“A perfectly balanced combination of mystery, romance, ghost story and history.”—Romantic Booklovers, Top Pick

“An inventively dark gothic ghost story. Read it with the lights on. Simply spellbinding.”—Susanna Kearsley, New York Times bestselling author of The Winter Sea

Best Modern Day Gothic

SSJ writes the best Gothic style novels for today's readers. I devour her books one after another. Each character feels authentic. This story is told without gore or too much steam.. yet I find myself creeped out feeling like something may nab me up at any time.

A Haunting Gothic Tale

Portis House has quite the history. A remote manor once occupied by a prestigious family until they mysteriously disappeared, now it's a hospital for soldiers left damaged by the war.
When Kitty enters Portis House as a nurse under false pretense, she soon realizes something isn't right there. There are noises in the night, and the patients are plagued by violent nightmares and mysterious voices. Are these the hallucinations of mad men, or is there something darker hidden within the walls of Portis House?

This is a wonderful story that has something for everyone, no matter what genre you prefer: historical fiction, gothic ghost stories, and romance. It's all there.
But, more importantly, this is a story about perseverance, lonely, and the aftereffects of severe trauma. I loved Kitty's tenacity and capacity for care regarding the patients. I loved the backstories of each of the patients. Their stories are heartbreaking and, even more heartbreaking, is their treatment due to their perceived mental weakness and trauma. It's an unfortunate true that many soldiers were, in fact, treated this way, and, unfortunately, some people still perceived mental illness in this way.
The underlying mystery was also intriguing. I couldn't put this book down until I found out exactly what was happening at Portis House. It was a nice spooky tale full of gothic atmosphere, but also one full of compassion.

Stuck with it because I bought it

I was out of credits and this was on sale so I purchased it. I wouldn’t have stuck with it otherwise. The narrator’s voice is quite whiny. I had to remind myself of the timeframe this story was taking place in order to not get annoyed at how lacking in insight the main character was in terms of understanding trauma. I liked the story for the first half , then it went off the rails toward the end.

Supernatural fun

Ghosts trouble men already troubled by the e war. It takes a con woman to set everyone free. Pretty good.

Good Adventure

This was not my favorite book by the author but it was entertaining for sure. Good character development of the main character to a point. Fun read to pass the time. Bit slow and cheesy at points but that's okay.