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A review by literaryfeline
Child of Silence by Abigail Padgett
3.0
An elderly Native American Woman finds an abandoned boy on the Barona Ranch Indian Reservation; he is tied up and unconscious. In the first mystery written and published by author Abigail Padgett, Bo Bradley, Juvenile Court Investigator working for Child Protective Services in San Diego, is assigned the case. What is supposed to be a slam-dunk case turns into a race for the little boy’s life as well as her own as Bo tries to unravel the mystery of who the boy is and where he came from with two hit man hot on her heels and the mania that is beginning to set in. As it happens, Bo also suffers from Bipolar Disorder, and in her mind, her medication cannot kick in fast enough.
Although I cannot remember how I first learned about Abigail Padgett’s social worker series, I made it my mission to track down all of the books in the series. Of the five books, four are out of print. Thanks to E-Bay and Half.com, I was able to get my hands on copies of all the books. Unfortunately, I was not able to read them in order, and I was reminded as I read Child of Silence why I like to start from the beginning of a series, if only to get to know a character from the very beginning. This is the fourth of this series I have read. I also have read two books from her other series about a social psychologist.
It has been a while since I have read the other books in the series, but I have to say that I enjoyed Child of Silence the most. The book is short enough to read in one sitting, and I had trouble putting it down when it came time to deal with the laundry. From the first page, the race against time was on and I wanted to know what would happen next. Ms. Padgett was able to weave Bo’s mental disorder in with the story in a very real way—I felt I was right there, experiencing exactly what Bo was going through. Ms. Padgett’s own experiences as a court investigator were very evident throughout the book. Having been a court investigator myself in a very similar capacity as Bo Bradley, I felt a kinship to the character. I could easily relate to her frustrations, feelings and thoughts in regards to her chosen profession. I found myself nodding and agreeing at times—she painted a realistic picture of what many of us in the profession face day in and day out.
Although I cannot remember how I first learned about Abigail Padgett’s social worker series, I made it my mission to track down all of the books in the series. Of the five books, four are out of print. Thanks to E-Bay and Half.com, I was able to get my hands on copies of all the books. Unfortunately, I was not able to read them in order, and I was reminded as I read Child of Silence why I like to start from the beginning of a series, if only to get to know a character from the very beginning. This is the fourth of this series I have read. I also have read two books from her other series about a social psychologist.
It has been a while since I have read the other books in the series, but I have to say that I enjoyed Child of Silence the most. The book is short enough to read in one sitting, and I had trouble putting it down when it came time to deal with the laundry. From the first page, the race against time was on and I wanted to know what would happen next. Ms. Padgett was able to weave Bo’s mental disorder in with the story in a very real way—I felt I was right there, experiencing exactly what Bo was going through. Ms. Padgett’s own experiences as a court investigator were very evident throughout the book. Having been a court investigator myself in a very similar capacity as Bo Bradley, I felt a kinship to the character. I could easily relate to her frustrations, feelings and thoughts in regards to her chosen profession. I found myself nodding and agreeing at times—she painted a realistic picture of what many of us in the profession face day in and day out.