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Command of Silence
A spellbinding mystery unlike any you have ever read.
Two children have been stolen at different times out of the same household, one an infant from a bedroom, the other from a playground.
Into this baffling case enters Shiloh & Company. Well known for investigative effectiveness to a cooperative if uneasy police department, unique among detective agencies, Shiloh & Company is composed of disparate personalities–Sugartime, Hester, Isadora, Lance, Olive, Hawk–who reside in the single person of Shiloh. Shiloh’s assorted identities, born out of extreme childhood trauma, have acquired a collective instinct, a priceless gift in detective an unerring tuning fork for the truth.
Shiloh has been nursed back to functioning health and sanity by lesbian therapist Ray Martinez, still intent on integrating all the self-protective personalities. But this case is lethal to Shiloh’s very a crime involving children cuts to the heart of what first brought Shiloh to Ray’s attention. In pursuing this mystery, the fragile mental health and fragmented existence of Shiloh will be tested to its limit.
Allow yourself time for Command of Silence . Once you pick it up you will be reluctant to leave the compelling world of Shiloh and Company.
Two children have been stolen at different times out of the same household, one an infant from a bedroom, the other from a playground.
Into this baffling case enters Shiloh & Company. Well known for investigative effectiveness to a cooperative if uneasy police department, unique among detective agencies, Shiloh & Company is composed of disparate personalities–Sugartime, Hester, Isadora, Lance, Olive, Hawk–who reside in the single person of Shiloh. Shiloh’s assorted identities, born out of extreme childhood trauma, have acquired a collective instinct, a priceless gift in detective an unerring tuning fork for the truth.
Shiloh has been nursed back to functioning health and sanity by lesbian therapist Ray Martinez, still intent on integrating all the self-protective personalities. But this case is lethal to Shiloh’s very a crime involving children cuts to the heart of what first brought Shiloh to Ray’s attention. In pursuing this mystery, the fragile mental health and fragmented existence of Shiloh will be tested to its limit.
Allow yourself time for Command of Silence . Once you pick it up you will be reluctant to leave the compelling world of Shiloh and Company.
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
4 people are currently reading
213 people want to read
About the author
Paulette Callen
10 books21 followersPaulette Callen grew up on the South Dakota prairie. In the early 70's she moved to New York City and decided to stay because she liked the coffee. After years as a resident of the Upper West Side she has returned to her hometown, living comfortably with her ghosts and her new companion Bodhi, a poodle/Shih Tzu mix.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 19, 2015
I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this book and had it for a long time before I sat down to read it. I have to say that it's a very well done, very intense book. Once I hit 75%, I couldn't stop reading.
There are a lot of triggers for child abuse and my stomach clenched and I teared up many times. I'm a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and there were some parts that were very difficult but I think that's a testament to the writing.
The case was interesting but, for me, it was The Company that kept me enthralled.
I highly recommend this book.
There are a lot of triggers for child abuse and my stomach clenched and I teared up many times. I'm a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and there were some parts that were very difficult but I think that's a testament to the writing.
The case was interesting but, for me, it was The Company that kept me enthralled.
I highly recommend this book.
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June 18, 2020After reading only a few chapters of this book, I wondered why it was not a best seller. It has all the trappings of one. Think of the play Elephant Man: it is a less-than-wonderfully-written play, but the subject matter guarantees it a wide audience just as a train wreck guarantees a gaggle of rubberneckers. Command of Silence has that unique subject matter without being poorly executed. What a concept—a detective with multiple personalities. And it would have been so easy for the author to completely screw it up. She didn't; instead, we see a wide range of emotions flitting through at least 10 completely different identities: a wisecracker, a caretaker, a monster, an artist, a child, an evil twin; hey are all part of Shiloh, and she needs all of them in order to succeed in her investigations. Or even just to get through a normal day.
I mean, when have you ever looked forward to the sleuth interrogating the suspects one by boring one? Well, I certainly did in Command of Silence. Shiloh is just so freaky that you look forward to seeing how the interviewees react to her.
And Shiloh is incredibly clever. The way she works out the solution to the mystery (which involves two abducted children) is superb, creative, and very exciting. All of the characters are well drawn and believable.
But toward the end of the book I found out the answer to the question I posed in the first paragraph. To be a best seller, or even to interest a major publisher, the final interrogations of the suspects would have to be more believable. As it is, the criminals simply break down in the face of Shiloh’s questioning, which to tell the truth, is less special than her earlier interviews. Nor is it in any way legal. In life, neither of the guilty parties would have been convicted. I feel that this is another example of an author getting a fine idea, then wondering how to work herself out of the corner she finds herself in at closing time.
So far, this book is not part of a series, and I hope this remains true. I feel that Callen has created something special that would tend to get old with more than one novel; that the personalities would just do the same type of bickering we were treated to in this one. I would far rather the author spend some time working on the dénouements to this one. To make it the terrific book that it could, with only a little rethinking, be.
Note: I read the e-book edition of this novel that was available in January, 2014.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
I mean, when have you ever looked forward to the sleuth interrogating the suspects one by boring one? Well, I certainly did in Command of Silence. Shiloh is just so freaky that you look forward to seeing how the interviewees react to her.
And Shiloh is incredibly clever. The way she works out the solution to the mystery (which involves two abducted children) is superb, creative, and very exciting. All of the characters are well drawn and believable.
But toward the end of the book I found out the answer to the question I posed in the first paragraph. To be a best seller, or even to interest a major publisher, the final interrogations of the suspects would have to be more believable. As it is, the criminals simply break down in the face of Shiloh’s questioning, which to tell the truth, is less special than her earlier interviews. Nor is it in any way legal. In life, neither of the guilty parties would have been convicted. I feel that this is another example of an author getting a fine idea, then wondering how to work herself out of the corner she finds herself in at closing time.
So far, this book is not part of a series, and I hope this remains true. I feel that Callen has created something special that would tend to get old with more than one novel; that the personalities would just do the same type of bickering we were treated to in this one. I would far rather the author spend some time working on the dénouements to this one. To make it the terrific book that it could, with only a little rethinking, be.
Note: I read the e-book edition of this novel that was available in January, 2014.
Another Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 930 other lesbian mysteries by over 310 authors.
October 12, 2010
Plot-wise, this is about a PI supporting the police to solve the kidnapping of two children.
Twist: the PI has multiple personality disorder and that's very much part of the story.
I have, of course, no idea what it's like to have/be multiple personalities, but this felt like a 'true' representation. There were no instances of mocking the disease or playing it up for sensationalistic purposes.
This leads two to strands: The solving of the crime, and the interactions of the different personalities, sometimes with their long-time psychologist, and interactions of the different personalities with the outside world. These two strands intersect and overlap and come together beautifully. The fact that the Shiloh's personalities are so different is a great way to write about gender and how people are perceived by others. I have no idea if that was intended.
This book is such a little gem. It's well written and engaging and challenges assumptions on so many levels. There was one thing plot-wise that I saw coming, but otherwise it really kept me on my toes. I enjoy that when reading a mystery.
Twist: the PI has multiple personality disorder and that's very much part of the story.
I have, of course, no idea what it's like to have/be multiple personalities, but this felt like a 'true' representation. There were no instances of mocking the disease or playing it up for sensationalistic purposes.
This leads two to strands: The solving of the crime, and the interactions of the different personalities, sometimes with their long-time psychologist, and interactions of the different personalities with the outside world. These two strands intersect and overlap and come together beautifully. The fact that the Shiloh's personalities are so different is a great way to write about gender and how people are perceived by others. I have no idea if that was intended.
This book is such a little gem. It's well written and engaging and challenges assumptions on so many levels. There was one thing plot-wise that I saw coming, but otherwise it really kept me on my toes. I enjoy that when reading a mystery.
August 5, 2022
One of the most complex and interesting protagonists I think I've ever read and a great cast of fully fleshed out secondaries, too. I love how Callen never "dumbed down" for the reader; we were thrown in the midst of Shiloh's world with no giant information dump that is usually so difficult to disguise in a plot device.
The case itself was clever and interesting. I enjoyed that Callen didn't resort to pitfalls of sensationalist drama when writing about a character with multiple personalities.
I'd love to read another book with Shiloh and Company.
The case itself was clever and interesting. I enjoyed that Callen didn't resort to pitfalls of sensationalist drama when writing about a character with multiple personalities.
I'd love to read another book with Shiloh and Company.
October 13, 2013
Quite a page turner. Very original premise and great execution. Hope there is a sequel.
May 5, 2018
Enjoyed this novel, the creation of the multiple personality Private eye "Shiloh" was written very plausibly as a character. It was also refreshing given the subject matter of child abuse, that there were no detailed scenes of violent horror. Not one. The plot also went along fairly seamlessly at an enjoyable pace, despite the occasional and sudden psychotic-break episodes of the main character. The crime story around the missing children is not so plausible, and even predictable, in some places - but this doesnt detract from the overall enjoyment of the novel.
December 3, 2017
What a fantastic ride Command of Silence was.
Isadora and The Company are definitely gonna be one of those characters that from time to time you can't help but wonder what they're up to. As unlikely as it may seem, I hope we can get a sequel one day. Who knows, right? Stranger things have happened.
I highly recommend it!
Isadora and The Company are definitely gonna be one of those characters that from time to time you can't help but wonder what they're up to. As unlikely as it may seem, I hope we can get a sequel one day. Who knows, right? Stranger things have happened.
I highly recommend it!
October 14, 2013
While the plot may be familiar, the characters make this book a fabulous read! Isadora is the main character who leads "The Company", i.e. the collection of personalities that reside within, and together they assist police in solving crimes. After an initial adjustment to the switching of perspectives, the reader quickly understands the various functions the inner characters fulfill. Childhood sexual abuse, abduction and death may be triggers for some readers, but for those who can prevail, this is an enormously entertaining story.
My only complaint: To few Paulette Callen books!
My only complaint: To few Paulette Callen books!
October 15, 2013
A great mystery.... haven't read a mystery that is compelling and intriguing for a while. Shiloh & Company or Isadora is an investigator who has been to find two girls, an infant and a three year old, after they have been abducted. Shiloh has multiple personalities disorder; I thought with having different personalities would be difficult or confusing to follow but I was able to follow the different voices easily.
October 4, 2014
I won this book from a giveaway from good reads. This is an excellent book. In the beginning i was very confused with the lead character. I wasnt sure if it was a man or a woman and even what their name was. After reading a few chapters you realize the confusion makes the story interesting. I dont know if this author has written any other books but i am definatly going to find out. Great writer! Read this book!
August 25, 2016
I really liked this story. Took me a little to get a grasp on the characters of Shilo, but once I had that, I was good. I must say that the Shilo character and story was totally mesmerizing to me. I will have to read this again, just to get the pictures of each identity in my head.
March 17, 2018
Cool premise. All the character can be a bit hard to sort of early on but mostly went away after a while.
Doesn't go super in-depth about the character, however, that's almost a plus, keep some mystery and not feel like you have to set up every aspect before the story gets on the road.
Doesn't go super in-depth about the character, however, that's almost a plus, keep some mystery and not feel like you have to set up every aspect before the story gets on the road.
December 16, 2014
A beautiful book.
October 13, 2014
I won a free copy from the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program and think that it interesting. I would recommend it to everyone.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews