SILVER SILENCE - Nalini Singh
A Psy-Changeling Trinity Novel , Book 1
Berkley
ISBN: 978-1-101-98779-7
June 2017
Paranormal Romance

Moscow, Russia - October 2082

While the Psy race is no longer ruled by Silence, for some, Silence is still necessary.  Silver Mercant, director of EmNet (the worldwide Emergency response network) is someone whose gifts are better controlled by the iron control that Silence offered, but she can feel the cracks forming.  Why else would she continue to entertain Valentin Nikolaev, Alpha of the StoneWater Bears, whenever he manages to evade security and show up at her apartment?  Their latest sparring session comes to an abrupt halt when Silver has a seizure.

Valentin has been captivated from the first time he met Silver Mercant, and watching her collapse and realizing she was poisoned, shows him that his feelings for her run a lot deeper than he'd thought.  On the advice of her grandmother, Valentin takes Silver to his den, with every intention of convincing her to let go of Silence.  What Valentin doesn't understand, though, is that while for some Psy, Silence keeps them sane, but for others, Silence is what keeps them alive.

SILVER SILENCE is the beginning of the next chapter of the Psy-Changeling series: the Psy-Changeling Trinity .  The Psy race lived with Silence for a century, but as it fractured, violence broke out around the world, inadvertently bringing the three races together.  They've taken that cooperation a step further with the Trinity Accord, led by representatives from the Psy, Changeling, and Human Races.  The hope is that this will eventually lead to a true worldwide triumvirate, but of course there are those who do not want to see Trinity succeed.  The Consortium's main goal is to bring down the Trinity Accord, and they've identified several key people who need to be eliminated in order to reach that goal.  Silver Mercant, scion of the powerful Mercant family, senior aide to Kaleb Krycheck, and Director of EmNet is one of those key people.

In a society where family had little meaning, the Mercant family has been unique.  They stay in the shadows for the most part, and deal in information, but no Psy would ever go against them.  Ena Mercant is the current leader of the family, but Silver has been groomed since childhood to one day step into her grandmother's shoes.  A pure telepath, Silence has kept her from being inundated with voices, but it has also helped her with the other, hidden, gift she has.  Recently she's had to deal quite a bit with Alpha Valentin, but it's not until her life is threatened and she agrees to hide out at his home that Silver realizes how much her Silence has already eroded.  Valentin has been Alpha for less than a year, and it hasn't been easy for him.  His interaction with Silver is often the bright spot in his day, and now that he has her in his home, Valentin will do whatever it takes to convince the woman he believes is his mate, to take a chance on him.

Ms. Singh has likened the Psy-Changeling Trinity series to the second season of a favorite TV series, so if you start with this book, you will have missed quite a lot of back story.  Personally, I started the original series in the middle, going back to read from the beginning after having read several of the later books.  While it isn't hard to keep up if you read them out of order, you'll have a better understanding of the Psy-Changeling world as it is now if you've watched it evolve.  Either way, SILVER SILENCE is a compelling story, with a great blend of favorite characters and new ones, and it opens up an exciting new chapter in the Psy-Changeling-Human world.

Jennifer Bishop