Silent Witness

She witnessed a crime that stole her voice. Now, she must speak without words-or watch more girls vanish into silence.

In 1770s Bridport, Bess Cleave hasn't spoken since she was fourteen-the night she watched men beat her father for protecting a smuggler's secret. Now twenty-two, she communicates through the only language left to her: intricate signal knots woven into the hemp ropes Bridport sells to the Royal Navy. Each strand carries warnings, pleas, and the names of girls stolen by a powe...