Craving Silence
Silence Series, #5
by Freya Barker
Release Date: October 16th 2026
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Nurse practitioner, Dana Kerrigan, finds her steady and comfortably predictable life suddenly turned upside down as the result of a family emergency. With no choice but to take a leave from work, she has to hustle to keep Silence’s favorite pub running and her parents looked after.
When heartbreak brings with it an unexpected opportunity to realize a long-held dream, it presents a new set of problems.
One that involves murder, and the man sent to investigate.
As a recent transplant to Silence, sheriff’s detective, Rick Althof, was aiming for less stress and more solitude. Instead, he finds himself frequently drawn to The Kerrigan, a popular pub in town, to enjoy a meal, a beer, and—if lucky—a friendly chat with the owner’s pretty daughter.
Still bearing the invisible scars of past mistakes, he’s determined to keep things friendly, despite a growing attraction.
However, his resolve is put to the test when she lands in the middle of an elaborate development scheme involving bribery, blackmail, and even murder.
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“What’s the deep sigh for?” he asks from his perch on the ladder, as I fold the last of the towels.
“It’s a satisfied sigh,” I explain, picking up the stack of laundry to carry upstairs. “The kind that comes with being able to check a box off my list.”
A faint smile appears on his lips.
“You’ll have another to check off soon,” he offers. “I’m almost done here.”
I’ve been so busy studying the man, I failed to notice how quickly he’s made his way around to the last remaining wall in the kitchen.
“I see that. It looks amazing.”
I glance around the space, mentally noting some patchwork that will need to be done, but at least the horrific wallpaper is gone and the walls will be ready for some paint soon. Maybe I can do some of that after work this week.
“Let me run these upstairs real quick, and I’ll help with the clean up.”
My linen closet sports organized stacks of linens and towels, everything sorted by type and size. I guess I’m a little anal, but I love when everything has a place. It makes life so much easier.
Maybe that need for predictability is why my life had become such a rut before Mom’s health took a nosedive and forced me to pivot and adapt. But that process also showed me there is so much more to life if you can be open to change. That kind of flexibility takes time though, and like a muscle that has been dormant for a long time, it needs to be used and exercised.
I’m working on it.
Half an hour later I haul the last garbage bag stuffed with discarded wallpaper to the back porch. Leaning over the railing, I twist my head to look up at the sky which is studded with stars. I missed the sun going down, and the temperature must’ve dropped about fifteen degrees. It’s cold out, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we drop below freezing tonight.
Inside, I find Rick in the kitchen with a serious expression on his face. He may have been watching me.
“You have to go…” I guess.
He shakes his head in response and slowly approaches. His hands slide around the sides of my neck as he tilts my chin up with his thumbs. His eyes are deep blue pools I find myself drowning in. His voice is low and his words send a delicious shiver down my spine.
“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere.”
Closing my hands around his wrists, I lift up on my toes until my lips almost touch his.
“Yippie,” I whisper, before taking the initiative.
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
With forty-plus books already published, she continues to create characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We've Read All Year Award for "Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
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