This subtle and intensely atmospheric novel begins on the anniversary of the enigmatic disappearance of successful architect Alex Stern. His love Lol has spent a deeply distracted year looking for him -- at the cost of both his job and of the comfortable home they shared. After much frustration and an inability to restart his life, Lol discovers that a large sum of money is missing and that a locked computer file may contain the vital clue to what really happened to Alex. Set in Edinburgh, Spain, Paris and Amsterdam, The Cruelty of Silence is a taut and compelling contemporary mystery.