The Silent Appeal : the instant Sunday Times bestseller

A New Play. Another Murder. Who Will Speak the Truth?

It's a new theatrical season in Lower Lockwood, and the amateur thespians of the Fairway Players are starting rehearsals for their production of Agatha Christie's The Hollow. Despite divisive new arrivals, countless petty jealousies and a near-fatal accident with the lighting rig, surely this will be their greatest show to date?

But someone isn't going to make it to opening night. Could it be producer Sarah-Jane's mysterious sister, lately arrived home after twenty years abroad? New member Lucas, whose shady business dealings may be his downfall? Or perhaps once-convicted murderer Issy Beck, recently acquitted but still up to her old tricks?

Lawyers Charlotte and Femi must sift through the emails, texts and police reports to identify the victim and find out why the person convicted of the murder refuses to speak out in their own defence... Will they uncover the truth in time? Will you?

Author: Janice Hallett

Crime & mystery, Fiction: special features, Rural communities

Published on 3 Sep 2026 by Profile Books Ltd.