- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Sphere (6 May 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1847443494
- ISBN-13: 978-1847443496
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,708,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Whisperer
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Product Description
Review
Gruesome and gripping...a taut psychological thriller (The Times )
More than delivers on its ghoulish promise...you might not want to read this alone in the house (Time Out )
Gripping, multi-layered and difficult to put down, this is a top class literary thriller (Choice )
A gripping read...I defy anyone to guess the denouement (Guardian ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
More than delivers on its ghoulish promise...you might not want to read this alone in the house (Time Out )
Gripping, multi-layered and difficult to put down, this is a top class literary thriller (Choice )
A gripping read...I defy anyone to guess the denouement (Guardian ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Book Description
A record-breaking bestseller and multiple literary prize-winner, The Whisperer came from nowhere to become an astonishing Italian publishing phenomenon
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm a bit ambivalent about this book. It started off so well, gripping me from the first page but about halfway through it started to pall. One of the problems for me is that I got no sense of place from the book. Presumably it's set in Italy but throughout there was nothing to suggest this. If you think about many crime writers they produce novels which are firmly set in their culture. Edinburgh looms large in the works of Rankin, Rome in the Zen series but this seems to be set in a bland no man's land. But what of the plot? Again, it started off well. Six severed left arms being found and linked to the disappearance of five little girls and then the realisation that the sixth child was still alive and the feverish hunt to find her. An expert in finding missing children is brought in to help the police team and there are the usual stand offs between the newcomer and the established team. As I said earlier it was page turning for about 200 pages but unfortunately it's over 400 pages long so that leaves quite a lot of space for disillusion to set in. The plot rambles off on diversions which go nowhere, there are too many characters and it becomes very complicated. The denouement produces a gruesome twist which I didn't see coming (which is quite unusual these days) and I think that if you like crime fiction to be a bit over the top then you will enjoy it. If you prefer more understated writing though with plausible plots then this probably isn't for you. On the whole I quite liked it.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It's not uncommon when reading a thriller to get a feeling that it's been written to be filmed - clues are a big car chase leading up to the climax, and the hero(ine) wandering round a dark, empty building at night with no idea what else is hiding in the darkness.
This, though is the first book I've read which felt more like a literary version of a computer game, and I've been trying to work out why.
One reason I think is the non-specific locale. It's definitely not the author's Italy, but not quite America either, so the impression is of a world not quite as we know it. (That might be a useful device for an author come to think of it - at least you don't need to worry about the anoraks writing to you to point out that a deputy in West Virginia isn't entitled to enter a deserted property without previously doing A, B or C).
Add to that the jump to different gothic locations, among them the huge, deserted orphanage and the vast mansion with a dying owner kept secluded from the world. Each of these seems to exist in isolation, as if we're moving from one stage to another, almost entirely separate, one.
Similarly with the villains - without giving too much away, various murders are solved along the way, done and dusted and put behind the team, but none of them is the big one, which remains unresolved up to (and possibly beyond) the big Game Over.
That all said and analysed, it must be admitted that on its own terms this is a terrific book. It's as if the author worked out what readers of this sort of book want, and resolved to give it them in spades. You want a serial killer? How about a series of serial killers? A mole in the investigating team? Yep, let's have two or three of those. A twist in the tail? No problem; plus a couple before that as well. Oh, and I know you didn't ask, but let's have a medium as well; in this case a medium communing with someone who isn't actually dead yet.
The only thing is, I can't really see where the author can go from here - he seems to have poured into this one as much as you'd expect to find in an entire series.
All in all, if you like restraint and realism in your crime fiction, this probably isn't your cup of tea; if on the other hand you enjoy an over-the-top romp with no holds barred and a creepy atmosphere sustained through the entire book, with the likelihood that the ground is going to be cut away from under your feet at any time, then give it a go.
(By the way, to those who say that the central conceit was borrowed from Agatha Christie - maybe it was, but she borrowed it from Shakespeare's Othello anyway. A good idea is always worth rehashing).
This, though is the first book I've read which felt more like a literary version of a computer game, and I've been trying to work out why.
One reason I think is the non-specific locale. It's definitely not the author's Italy, but not quite America either, so the impression is of a world not quite as we know it. (That might be a useful device for an author come to think of it - at least you don't need to worry about the anoraks writing to you to point out that a deputy in West Virginia isn't entitled to enter a deserted property without previously doing A, B or C).
Add to that the jump to different gothic locations, among them the huge, deserted orphanage and the vast mansion with a dying owner kept secluded from the world. Each of these seems to exist in isolation, as if we're moving from one stage to another, almost entirely separate, one.
Similarly with the villains - without giving too much away, various murders are solved along the way, done and dusted and put behind the team, but none of them is the big one, which remains unresolved up to (and possibly beyond) the big Game Over.
That all said and analysed, it must be admitted that on its own terms this is a terrific book. It's as if the author worked out what readers of this sort of book want, and resolved to give it them in spades. You want a serial killer? How about a series of serial killers? A mole in the investigating team? Yep, let's have two or three of those. A twist in the tail? No problem; plus a couple before that as well. Oh, and I know you didn't ask, but let's have a medium as well; in this case a medium communing with someone who isn't actually dead yet.
The only thing is, I can't really see where the author can go from here - he seems to have poured into this one as much as you'd expect to find in an entire series.
All in all, if you like restraint and realism in your crime fiction, this probably isn't your cup of tea; if on the other hand you enjoy an over-the-top romp with no holds barred and a creepy atmosphere sustained through the entire book, with the likelihood that the ground is going to be cut away from under your feet at any time, then give it a go.
(By the way, to those who say that the central conceit was borrowed from Agatha Christie - maybe it was, but she borrowed it from Shakespeare's Othello anyway. A good idea is always worth rehashing).
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this as part of a 3 for 2 offer. What a mistake! It went into the trash bin last night, after I forced myself to get to the end simply to find out how much more unmitigated nastiness could be imposed on the unfortunate reader. The basic premise of serial child abduction and an evil, manipulative genius pulling everybody's strings is, in this instance, tired and frankly banal. The plotlines are confused and at times the narrative is contradictory. The editing is criminally sloppy. The translation from the original Italian has meant a great deal of the sense of place and time has been lost - or perhaps I'm being generous to the author as it was probably never there in the first place. There is absolutely no sense of character, just a series of grotesques, most of whom should be in secure psychiatric units, and that's just the investigators. No sense whatsoever of any understanding of balanced storytelling on the part of the author - just a piling on of misery after misery for no good reason other than he can! The world will be a better place if this author stops now and keeps his sickening imaginings to himself. I was revolted by the book. This kind of stuff, if you like it, is better done by Stieg Larsson and this is an imitation to beware of. Trust me, give it the widest of berths. A publishing sensation? Really? On whose planet!?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
awesome
I have to say that I really loved this one. This was one of those books that keeps you glued to the pages; staying up reading into the early morning. Read more
Published 22 days ago by ovarovar
Don't waste your time
This is a terrible book. I like crime thrillers and read the hype on the cover. It started off like an episode of Silent witness, poorly plotted. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Woolf
Great read
The Whisperer was one of the best books I have read in a very long time. Twists and turns I never saw coming. The ending will blow your mind. I truly look forward to Mr. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lu
to counterbalance all the negative reviews
I just finished the book, and I came here to check what others thought of it, and frankly cannot believe all the negative comments. It is true, that the topic is very gory. Read more
Published 1 month ago by avidreader
Strangely locationless
A series of young girls have gone missing; then bones are uncovered in the area - six left arms, strategically placed in a circle. A team is put together to investigate. Read more
Published 2 months ago by ReadThis,LikedThis
tense, terrifying and a great page turner
After finishing The Whisperer, the first thing I did was go straight back to the beginning and look for the clues dotted throughout this twisting and turning crime thriller. Read more
Published 4 months ago by bennyben80
Terrific Start - Weak Ending...
Regardless of the sloppy translation,(only evident on a few occasions), this book is a terrific example of crime fiction UNTIL THE PREPOSTEROUS CONCLUSION. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Book Scout
Life's too short
If only books lived up to th ehype on the back cover we'd all be happy. This one just doesn't deliver. Read more
Published 5 months ago by VivienO
the whisperer
I loved this book, yes more sense of location would have been good; many great places in italy would have given more of the author's natural world to this book. Read more
Published 5 months ago by lolabell
Misleading mess
The award for the most misleading claims made on a book cover must go to this novel. Not Italian, it's style and language is anchored firmly in the US without admitting to being... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Nick
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