Book: Silent Weapon (S, R)

Debra Webb's Silent Weapon focuses on Merri Walters, a woman trying to get back on her feet after a sudden illness left her completely deaf. A former teacher, Merri wants to regain a sense of purpose, of making a difference, and also wants to prove to her overprotective family that a safe life is no life at all.

Merri finds herself working undercover in the mob, trying to uncover secrets by reading lips. Her handler is a cop who believes she is untrained and incapable of taking care of herself, but Merri is confident in her own abilities and determined to prove herself or die trying.

These characters are honest and emotionally believable. Merri is acutely aware of others' (mis)perceptions of her disability, but rarely descends to self-pity. The cop in question wants what's best for her and struggles to let her define "what's best" for herself. I also like that the villains are normal people who do bad things for their own reasons, not simply because they are sadistic or insane. Merri really struggles with the idea that these mobsters are capable of heartfelt human interaction AND are seriously dangerous, and this dichotomy is used effectively in Merri's relationships with one of the bad guys.

I was exhausted when I picked up this book, and told my husband I was going to read the first chapter and go to bed. Instead, I stayed up for three more hours because I wanted to find out what happened next and couldn't put it down. Grade: A