A review by thereadingraccoon
Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Dead Silence is an adult science fiction novel set in space in the year 2149. It leans heavily into horror and the thriller genres as well. 
Claire Kovalik is a team leader of five working on communication systems in the far reaches of the universe. This will be their last job before the crew is permanently replaced with machines and they are sent back to the Verux corporate headquarters. But before they can head back they hear a ship’s distress signal and feel obligated to come to aid. To Claire’s shock the source is the Aurora, a luxury passenger ship (modeled after a current day ocean cruise liner) gone missing for twenty years and considered lost forever. But as Claire and her crew board the Aurora to further investigate they encounter a ship of horrors filled with dead passengers and unexplainable signs of violence. With only bits of video footage and messages left behind the crew will try to piece together what happened while they steer the ship home to collect the reward. But what killed the passengers isn’t finished yet and Claire’s crew also begin to succumb to the same symptoms. 
I really enjoyed this novel and thought it was well written and engaging. There was just enough action and suspense to keep my interest but it still had plenty of room for character and world building. Although Claire is smart and resourceful she isn’t this amazing “Mary Sue” character but instead a fully developed but flawed human being. As the only survivor of an outbreak at an outpost when she was a child the guilt and PTSD are still with her every day. She struggles with moving forward in her life but is also dreading a future at a desk. Intimacy and having people love her doesn’t come easily which is why it’s so heartbreaking to watch her try to deal with the memories of losing everyone as a child and then decades later facing another tragedy on board the Aurora. 
I highly recommend this one to horror and science fiction fans and I look forward to more books from S.A. Barnes. 
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