The Whisperer

Six arms are found but police know of only five five missing girls, which is why they call in a missing child expert to help. To try and discover who the sixth girl is..and determine if they might be able to rescue her while she is still alive. Good start.

I must say reading the description I thought this was right up my alley, even though comparisons to Stieg Larsson made me a little concerned.

And there are some positive things about the book. The idea that the killer is using the murder of each girl to lead the police to uncover another hidden crime is rather clever. And I must say that the ending was quite a surprise, always a great thing in my book...quite a surprise.

But, from there on I have quite a few problems with this book.

First, is the basic premise that there are such thing as "whisperers", evil people who can somehow influence others to do bad things, people who otherwise may not have been bad people. Interesting, but the case is never really made by the author, and at least one of the examples just seems totally unbelievable.

Then there is the writing. This is a translation, so I am not sure if the issue is with the original or the translation, but either way it comes across as very awkward. I have read a couple of reviews that thought that gave it a "European charm". I just though it kept me from getting totally involved in the book, always jolting me out of the story to reread yet another awkward phrase that just felt wrong.

And a final issue..I could list a few more...is that the book has no setting. I am not sure that I have ever read a book before that was set in no specific place.

You know it is not the US because there are too many metric references for us metric challenged Americans. The character's names are of a variety of ethic sources, so that is no help and no specific reference is ever made to a real place. So is it Europe? Germany..Italy...England...who knows? And I wanted to! I must say I do not understand that decision of the author at all and found it annoying. The setting can be a huge plus to a story and the lack here was just another thing to grate on me as I read this book.

There are a lot of great mysteries and thrillers out there, including the above mentioned Stieg Larsson, but too little time to waste on a just fair book like this one.

There are few things in life my mother loves more than a good psycho-killer novel. And because I grew up reading what she did, I was raised on the things. It took me well into adulthood before I realized that I really don't like reading about nightmare killers. It's depressing and unpleasant. To each his own, right?

I'm not sure what it was about this novel's description that inspired me to want to pick it up. It must have been the typical publisher hyperbole. I fell for it again. Except, this time the hype was right. It's not my usual cup of tea, but The Whisperer was a fantastic crime novel.

The novel opens with a prologue made up of the first of several redacted pieces of correspondence from a prison director about an inmate who was arrested for not sharing his identity, and who appears to be obsessively collecting all trace DNA he may be leaving around the prison. They suspect he may be guilty of far more serious crimes.

The first chapter drops us in the middle of an English crime scene. There's been a rash of abductions of young girls. The entire country is in a panic. Parents are pulling children out of school. As the novel opens, there has been a grisly find. A collection of arms, surely belonging to the missing girls. Only one problem, five children have been snatched, and there are six arms. Who is the sixth victim, and is she still alive?

Enter the novel's protagonist in chapter two. Mila Vasquez is not a member of the elite serial killer-hunting team that's been working this case. She's on loan from another part of the country. She specializes in finding missing children, and she never stops looking. It becomes apparent almost immediate that Mila isn't your average woman:

"She couldn't even bear to see her image reflected in a mirror. Not because she wasn't beautiful, quite the contrary. But at the age of thirty-two, hours and hours of training had stripped her of every trace of femininity. Every curve, every hint of softness. As if being a woman were an evil to be eradicated. Even though she often wore male clothes, she wasn't masculine. There was simply nothing about her that suggested a sexual identity. And that was how she wanted to appear... Invisible among the invisible."

So, yes, it's clear she's not your average woman, but it takes the reader a while to realize just how different she is. Let the comparisons to Lisbeth Salandar begin!

In any case, Mila is an intriguing, if not always a relatable, central character. Additionally, the other members of her new team keep things lively. Aside from the rich ensemble cast, the novel is intricately and very smartly plotted. Author Carrisi does an admirable job of avoiding genre clichés. Hats off to him for flat-out flummoxing me more than once. Great plot twists! And on a creepiness scale of 1-10, this book rates an 11. If this is your cup of tea, don't hesitate to pick The Whisperer up. I can't wait to recommend it to Mom!

Very frustrating experience: characters that don't act in character, utterly ridiculous plot, undefined setting, and... oh, the medium nun coming out of nowhere. Embarrassing.

On the Thursday of last week, I was going through a portion of Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore that made me want to commit suicide. I knew I needed something good to read next, something that would grab hold of me and wouldn't let me go. The kind of story which sucks you in and makes you forget about everything else.

I was having lunch with a coworker that day and was telling her how uneven a read the Murakami book turned out to be. And avid reader herself, she has mostly been reading thrillers for the last couple of months. When asked about any good thrillers she could recommend, the lovely Joanie instantly replied Donato Carrisi's The Whisperer. No hesitation, straight up, this one was at the top of her list. The second one was Lars Kepler's The Hypnotist, which I have on the way.

That night, a quick Google search about Donato Carrisi's novel immediately piqued my curiosity. Dubbed the italian literary thriller phenomenon, The Whisperer appeared to be exactly what I needed. Problem is, as is often the case, English language publishers are often behind the rest of the world when it comes to international bestsellers. One only has to look at Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, which became a worldwide phenomenon before it was even translated into English. I was disappointed to learn that the US edition of The Whisperer wouldn't be released until February. It is already out in the UK, however, which is a good thing. Hence, I had no choice but to read it in French. I could have gotten my hands on the British edition, but it would have taken too long. I was already hooked on the premise, and as the winner of the best European thriller last year I knew I couldn't wait to read this book.

God is silent, but the Devil whispers.

Here's the blurb:

Six buried arms. Six missing girls. A team led by Captain Roche and internationally renowned criminologist Goran Gavila are on the trail of a serial killer whose ferocity seems to have no limits. And he seems to be taunting them, leading them to discover each small corpse in turn; but the clues on the bodies point to several different killers. Roche and Gavila bring in Mila Vasquez, a specialist in cases involving children, and Mila discovers that the real killer is one who has never lifted a finger against the girls - but merely psychologically instructs others to do his work: a `subliminal killer' - the hardest to catch.

I bought this book the following evening after my shift. Returned home, showered, prepared myself a snack, and then watched the sports news. I never read late at night, for my concentration is not what it should be. Yet my curiosity was piqued in such a way that I couldn't resist, and I decided to sit down to read "a chapter or two," just to get a feel for the novel. Before I knew it, it was past 1:00am and I had to force myself to stop reading. Yes, it's that kind of book. In the end, I went through it in only four sittings. I would have finished even sooner, if only I hadn't worked on Sunday. On Monday, I was texting Joanie, telling her just how crazy The Whisperer turned out to be!

The action supposedly occurs somewhere in Italy, but you never truly get the feeling that that the setting is indeed Italian. The Whisperer really has an international feel to it. A variety of sources were used by Donato Carrisi for this literary work, chief among them criminology and forensic psychiatry manuals, as well as several FBI papers regarding serial killers and violent crimes. Many true cases, finalized or ongoing, inspired a number of those found within the pages of the novel. With his homework done properly, Carrisi's debut has an unmistakable genuine feel to it.

The characterization is top notch. Professor Goran Gavila is the criminologist in charge of the investigation and a well-drawn character. The second character at the heart of the story is Mila Vasquez, who specializes in child kidnapping. Although the supporting cast also get POV sections, the narrative is driven by both Gavila and Mila's points of views. As disparate as it gets, seeing the tale unfold through both of their perspective makes for a great reading experience.

As engrossing as it is disturbing, Donato Carrisi's The Whisperer is a complex, multilayered thriller that stays with you long after you've reached the last page. The young age of the victims increases the emotional impact of certain sequences, which may not sit well with all readers. It's a clever work with plots and subplots forming a chilling tapestry, all of which culminating toward an ending that will knock you out cold. There is also a thought-provoking theme underlying the entire book: The true essence of evil. Does it exist within all of us, latent and just waiting to be released?

Though the novel is based on true law enforcement investigation techniques, and though psychics are occasionally used to work on special cases, I did feel it cheapened this troubling ensemble of macabre plotlines somewhat. But it doesn't take anything away from the overall reading experience, especially since the psychic's involvement is linked to one of the protagonists. The French translation was clunky at times, so hopefully the English version will be better.

All in all, this perturbing work is everything a thriller is supposed to be. The Whisperer is a veritable page-turner that begs to be read. Looking for something different? Something that might shock you, knowing that many of the storylines are based on true events? Then Donato Carrisi's The Whisperer is definitely for you.

Impossible to put down.

And to darkness that I must, from time to time, return.
If you can stand that type of drivel for dialogue you may love this book. It was doing alright until the writer jumped the shark with a kinda psychic sister Teresa . Loses it from there. Complicated just for the sake of it. Ultimately does not hold together. Streeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetched.

Getting pleasure from reading about (or watching) gory, abominable crimes is corrupting to the human spirit and brings us all down, even those of us who wouldn't touch a book like this with a ten foot pole. I always thought that "The Silence of the Lambs" was a completely over-rated piece of garbage, and it set a very low standard for what people are willing to tolerate as entertainment. Now a book like this comes out, which one reviewer has described as scarier than Hannibal Lechter. What is it in the psyche of certain folks that would make them stay up all hours devouring this kind of gore?

Just a warning, I tend to ramble, so this might be a bit discombobulated.

Alright? Alright. Leggo.

First things first. Is it terrifying? Chilling? Will it make you afraid of the dark? Should it be read only in the company of others, that you might have someone to cling to when fear overtakes you?

No. It's kinda creepy at some points. Kinda gory at some points. If you can watch any basic crime drama on TV (NCIS, Bones, CSI, etc) you can handle this book. The only thing giving this book an edge is that the victims are young girls. Children. Since it's a work of fiction, that didn't bother me. But just fyi in case that stuff freezes the blood in your veins.

As I said, I have some mixed feelings. On the one hand, I did enjoy this book. I finished it. I read at least a chapter a night - often two - almost religiously. In a few parts, I was like, "Sweet strawberry shortcake what happens next???" and I would read three or four. For the most part though, I wasn't totally on the edge of my seat, just comfortably interested. On the other hand, there were some things that bothered me, things that should have kept this book from being so successful.

First, the GOOD!

None of the characters drove me crazy, which is unusual. *party poppers* It's odd; I get along with virtually everyone in real life, but there is hardly a work of fiction that doesn't contain at least one character I want to strangle with my bare hands, feeling the life fade from their body. But I digress. More on his characters later.

His descriptive imagery was mostly on point. I like people who describe the scenes they're setting. More on his writing style later.

Story-wise, he's definitely good at keeping the pace going. There wasn't really a dull moment in the whole book. No slogging through slow-plot bogs. There were also some darn slick twists thrown in. One or two of them nearly gave me whiplash. More on his plot later.

Author also had a solid grasp of police procedure, at least to me, your average civilian who has had only the barest of contacts with the law.

Now let us move along to the BAD, which, since I am a negative and curmudgeonly person, I tend to elaborate on more.

I said you'd be seeing more about the characters. Another reviewer on here posted that the characters have the dimension of a pancake (Hahahha get it? Flat. Hehehe.) I would perhaps be a bit more generous. Maybe a very thick pancake, or a waffle, even. But yes, the characters are rather flat. Personality-wise, they aren't too impressive. Stern is religious and eats a lot of mints. Boris is the incredibly amazing super talented interrogator. Sarah Rosa is a catty little ankle-biter who hates Mila and has fat hips. Goran is your general brilliant awesome criminologist who can get into any villain's head and he also wears glasses and has piercing eyes. Mila is your most basic, vanilla main character in a book of this genre. I think she has freckles and red hair. That is pretty much all I can tell you about these characters.

The author makes an effort to blow some life into these flaccid balloons, to make them seem full and interesting, but for whatever reason, he is not up to the task. Let me elaborate.

Our main character, Mila, is not like other girls. She feels no empathy for others. It's a problem that she acknowledges and is upset about. The issue here is that this is never really explored or explained. I mean, it's root is explained, but how this lack of empathy affects her life isn't. Why would someone who lacks empathy care that they lack empathy? A lot of criminals lack empathy and they don't care. Why does Mila? Don't look at me, I sure don't know. If you went through the book and took out the occasional reminders that Mila feels no empathy (stuff like, "I looked at her tears and felt nothing."), then you would have no idea there was anything off about her. She thinks, acts, and talks like any reasonably normal person would. Why would you give your character an attribute like this, then have it be so fricking useless? I don't understand.

As far as the writing style goes, there are a few times when it ventures into the purple zone and becomes a bit too flowery and clunky. Maybe this is a result of translation. Also not a huge fan of the way important sentences were italicized, like I was too stupid to pick up on it unless it was pointed out for me.

Now the plooooooot. There are two times in the book when it is revealed that a character did something unexpected and crazy and everyone else is like, "Whaaat? Why? Why did you do the thing?" Both times the reason behind the thing is... basically nonexistant. "I had not choice." and "I loved them." It really is not explained beyond that. No. Not acceptable. Tell me why they did the thing. I'll go on about this more at the very end of my review, in spoilery detail for those of you freaks who are into that sort of thing.

There's a part where a psychic nun is brought in to help them bump the case out of its rut, and at that point I lost a lot of respect for the book. I literally can't think of the words 'psychic nun' without cracking a smile. It was some cheap way to get the characters out of a corner and gunning after the bad guy again. Introducing the nun was a bit of a surprise, and not a pleasant one.

Also, can I just say that the hook-up in the hotel room came out of left field and felt pretty inappropriate and unnecessary. I mean, it wasn't ENTIRELY out of left field... I did have the feeling that the author was going to forcefully mash these two characters together whether it worked or not, but there truly was no reason for this.

The ending wraps things up nicely, a bit too nicely perhaps, but it would have been a solid ending. Except for the last page of the book. There's a final revelation, a final twist, that is just too far-fetched and too unbelievable to swallow. At all. By no stretch of the imagination is this possible. Should have been entirely left out.

Overall, not a bad book by any means, but the amount of success it has met with stuns me. It's definitely not a fantastic book, and I don't think it's really a great book. It's just okay. Has some really good aspects and some pretty bad ones.

That is my final verdict.

Just okay.

ALRIGHT TIME FOR THE SPOILERY STUFF

It is revealed that Sarah Rosa's daughter has been missing and that the daughter is in fact a captive of the killer. She's being blackmailed into helping him. She'd been awful to Mila to keep Mila from making the connecting. You'd think that someone who works in law enforcement would have a little more grit, perhaps try to wiggle around and turn the tables on the bad guy instead of just going along with it. You'd think she's WANT Mila to find out, so her daughter has a better chance of being saved. Nope. Sarah wails, "I had no choice!" and is whisked out of the picture. For goodness' sake, SHE'D BEEN HELPING HIM ABDUCT SMALL CHILDREN. Like, woman. Woman I don't understand.

It is revealed that Goran murdered his wife and child when his wife left him and then returned to take his son, and his son wanted to go. The whole book, he has been merely imagining his son was alive and present. So what prompts a sane man to murder his wife and child over a sad but honestly rather commonplace occurrence? Well you see, he had been listening to these recordings of a prisoner's mad ramblings to himself. Don't remember why exactly, for some case. The prisoner had muttered about making "them" pay, repeating the word 'kill,' etc. The prisoner is in fact our killer, our Whisperer, and he had 1) known his cell would be bugged 2) known Goran would be assigned to listen to it

Um, okay.

This somehow stuck in Goran's subconscious and he killed his family, in his own words, "Because I loved them."

Um, okay.

Then he blocked out the trauma and imagined his son still lived. He jumps from a window and lands in a coma so we don't get any further answers.

How did he kill his family? Well they are described to be "blackened skeletons" that are "melted into an embrace." Sounds like they were lit on fire, but wouldn't somebody have noticed? Wouldn't it have burned the rest of the house?

And also the killer was the one who influenced Mila's kidnapper when she was a child, and this WHOLE shebang has been a way of reaching out to her. Riiiiight.

I've had this on my review pile for a long time but for some reason never got a round to reading it. It's a book that would have fallen into the category of the books I always read before I started blogging. I haven't found as much enjoyment with this type as of late.

What first caught my attention was the pure genius/insanity of our killer in this story. The details are so intricately woven together that I often wondered if we would every truly piece it all together. We get each part of the story a little bit at a time. It was interesting to see how our killer interacted with each of these people he brings to the investigators attention. I loved how he pointed out the there so many individuals who are leading normal lives hiding dark and terrible secrets.

I think part of the problem is that its entirely too long. I think parts of the story could have been edited and it wouldn't have lost any of its shock value. It also spends far to much time telling you things. I've read my fair share of thrillers, and most of the things this book repeatedly tells you are things one is already familiar with. I get that the author is trying to help us understand the mind of the killer, but I just found it annoying.

I think die hard fans of thrillers will really like this one. I think it just goes to prove that I'm on the outs with this genre.

The opening chapter of Donato Carrisi's novel "The Whisperer" describes a hideous scene where the severed arms of young girls are found in a clearing. Enter Dr. Goran Gavila and his team of special agents: Klaus Boris, Sarah Rosa, and Stern. As they attempt to find five missing girls, the discovery of their arms does not leave the agents with much hope. Plus, the fact that they found the arm of a sixth unidentified girl sends this team into a whirlwind, as they attempt to predict what this monster will reveal next.

Officer Mila Vasquez specializes in finding missing children. Having a sixth sense about the men and women who abduct the young individuals, she successfully rescues hundreds of children, yet shies away from the limelight. While harboring a secret of her own, she is called in to help Dr. Gavila and his team solve the missing girl case. Named Albert by the team, the abductor begins to leave the little girls' bodies in places that reveal a previous horrendous crime not discovered by officials. Battling time, Mila rushes to discover the identity of the sixth girl while uncovering horrible secrets including murder and rape.

Donato Carrisi studied law and criminology and it certainly shows when reading this gripping novel. The beginning is a bit disjointed since I didn't realize how he was going to connect the two storylines, but once the connection was made, the novel took unexpected turns.

I felt as if the novel was detailing a real police case and enjoyed the scientific and logical explanations given by Gavila, which never seemed farfetched. He carefully explained the thought process of Albert, the serial killer, and motives behind his actions. I also instantly bonded with Mila who through her personal pain and insecurities put the case in the foreground. While the rest of the team caught my attention, she seemed to view the case in a different light, allowing the reader to compare her viewpoint to the rest of the team. Also, when I thought I had everything figured out, Carrisi throws another curveball, disrupting my sense of calm and accomplishment at outsmarting the perpetrator. You feel as if you are alongside Mila and Gavila, attempting to solve this mystery before the sixth girl is killed.

Carrisi also infused the novel with grotesque horror scenes, leaving the reader wondering if such crimes were even possible for a human being to commit. Combining mystery, intrigue, horror, and hope, "The Whisperer" is certainly one of best novels that I have read this year. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves a thrilling story and wants to get lost in a disturbingly realistic plot.

Not too bad a story but a bit too long. He could have trimmed about 20% out of this tale but otherwise, very good characters.