by Donato Carrisi
- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Mulholland Books; 1 edition (January 5, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0316194727
- ISBN-13: 978-0316194723
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0
Book Description
Publication Date: January 5, 2012
A gripping literary thriller and smash bestseller that has taken Italy, France, Germany and the UK by storm.
Six
severed arms are discovered, arranged in a mysterious circle and buried
in a clearing in the woods. Five of them appear to belong to missing
girls between the ages of eight and eighteen. The sixth is yet to be
identified. Worse still, the girls' bodies, alive or dead, are nowhere
to be found.
Lead
investigators Mila Vasquez, a celebrated profiler, and Goran Gavila, an
eerily prescient criminologist, dive into the case. They're confident
they've got the right suspect in their sights until they discover no
link between him and any of the kidnappings except the first. The
evidence in the case of the second missing child points in a vastly
different direction, creating more questions than it answers.
Vasquez
and Gavila begin to wonder if they've been brought in to take the fall
in a near-hopeless case. Is it all coincidence? Or is a copycat criminal
at work? Obsessed with a case that becomes more tangled and intense as
they unravel the layers of evil, Gavila and Vasquez find that their
lives are increasingly in each other's hands.
THE
WHISPERER, as sensational a bestseller in Europe as the Stieg Larsson
novels, is that rare creation: a thought-provoking, intelligent thriller
that is also utterly unputdownable.
Review: This is a very engaging thriller!
Mila is a lone outsider who profiles criminals, particularly child abductors and murderers. She has been bought in to join a local team investigating the disappearance of five girls whose arms - one per child - have been located, with nothing else. Adding to the puzzle is a sixth arm of an unidentified child. Mila has been called in because she is known for successfully finding children. That is her focus while the other members of the team search out the clues to find the killer.
Each of the team members has unique skills but they also have flaws. Goran Gavila, a loner and civilian is a renowned criminologist. He is the fierce and determined leader of the team but sometimes he doesn’t see beyond his own suppositions and perhaps he has some distractions resulting from being the single parent after his wife left him and their son. The eldest agent is Stern, the information officer. He can piece together histories and similarities even if he is coming near to retiring. The 40ish, stocky Sarah is the logistic officer and computer expert. She is brusque, angry and resentful of Mila’s presence. The final team member is agent Klaus Boris, the interrogator who gets answers using many techniques as necessary. He seems affable enough until rebuffed by Mila.
The kidnapper lays out a trail of the bodies with clues. If the team can decipher the clues they might be in time to find a girl still alive. The pressure is high and the tension thick as the team tries to work together despite chaffing each other. Things become even more intense as it appears the killer knows every step the team makes and is always one step ahead.
The team dubs the killer by the name of “Albert” but as they reveal one suspect they begin to question if they have found the wrong man. They dig deeper and are led to another villain; then another. The author adds a few views of the perpetrator but this becomes a path of misdirection too. Are they tied together? What is the connection?
The author reveals faces of evil while the team begins to crumble as their past and secrets are exposed. There are twists thrown in that are unexpected and wickedly macabre. This is a wonderful puzzle that kept me guessing and questioning to the end. The story presents a criminal mind that is new to me; it is scary and engrossing. If you like your mystery on the dark, psychological side, this is one not to miss!
A Quote: "Evil generates only more evil. That has always been its chief characteristic."
Thank you to Little Brown & Co. for providing this book for review.
I have TWO ARC copies for giveaway. :-)
I will add this to my ARC, New Authors and Mystery and Suspense challenges.1. I can't really have you comment on the author's website unless you can read Italian! So instead, tell me why you would like to read this book OR tell me if you have a psychological thriller to recommend.
This is required for entry.
2. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.
3. For two more entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.
It isn't necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.
(Four total entries possible.)
THERE WILL BE TWO WINNERS!
* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.
* Limit one win per household.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on February 24, 2012.
The winners will be randomly selected from all entries and announced on February 25 with 72 hours to complete the winners form.
The winners will be randomly selected from all entries and announced on February 25 with 72 hours to complete the winners form.
I think Still Missing is a thriller you will not forget. It is written by Chevy Stevens.
ReplyDeleteScary!!
I follow by google reader as Marjorie/cenya2
I follow on facebook as Marjorie Roy.
cenya2 at hotmail dot com
I think Silence of the Lambs is my favorite of all.
ReplyDeleteI am a GFC follower
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
I ama huge Dean Koontz and Jonathan Kellerman fan. It would be so awesome if I had another Psych killer writer to follow!
ReplyDeletedeanna_boocock (at) hotmail.com
I loved Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter) and the Chelsea Cain novels. Red Dragon was very creepy!
ReplyDeleteccfioriole at gmail dot com
I follow on GFC Christina Kit.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm an email subscriber ccfioriole at gmail dot com
I tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/christinafiorio/status/170102933323644929
ReplyDeleteI posted on facebook https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=365381860146413&id=1824430649
ReplyDeleteI want to read and see how and if the team figures out who the killer is. I think my favorite phychological thriller is Kiss The Girls.
ReplyDeletelag110 at mchsi dot com
I follow via GFC and email.
ReplyDeleteTweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/lag32583/status/170105060045492224
lag110 at mchsi dot com
I love Silence of the Lambs. That was a really good movie. I would love to read this book. It sounds like a really good thriller. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com
ReplyDeleteGFC: herp
ReplyDeleteEmail: puieread at yahoo dot com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/HerpPerp/status/170267639816527872
I would love to win it since I recently read "Of Clay We are Created" and it talked about the healing of the main character's inner wounds like this book :D
Silence of the Lambs whahahaha! edysicecreamlover18@gmailDOTcom GFC Krystal Larson
ReplyDeleteI would like to read this book because it sounds very intriguing and suspenseful.
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog.
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
I love to read mysteries and thrillers. I like being scared and I like to try to see if I can solve the crime before they reveal. I follow by email and GFC.
ReplyDeletepefrw at yahoo dot com
I want to read this book because it's a bit outside my comfort zone. I know how doing so can pay off :) It's sounds scary but I want to know how the characters live through it and overcome it as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm a GFC follower.
Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com
1. psychological thrillers intrigue me. yikes!
ReplyDelete2. I follow via gfc - mamabunny13
3. tweet https://twitter.com/#!/mamabunny13/status/170867233231351808
mamabunny13 at gmail dot com
1: I love thrillers so how could I pass this up? I can't!
ReplyDelete2: GFC follower Tiffany Drew
3: Tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/enterthedrew/status/171593366927192064
jaidahsmommy(at)comcast(dot)net
I love psychological thrillers. Two that I have enjoyed recently are Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin and Death on a High Floor by Charles Rosenberg.
ReplyDeleteI follow by GFC.
ReplyDeleteTweet
https://twitter.com/#!/CarolAnnM/status/171675785189531648
mittens0831 at aol dot com
1. I loved Christoher Pike's Falling, even though it's a YA (I am saying this since it was in the YA section of the library) the suspense had be tingling.
ReplyDelete2. I follow by GFC (Lilian Cheng)
3. shared on fb: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=301149946614907&id=100002752747884
lilianxcheng AT gmail.com
I would love to read this because I love thrillers.I would have to know what happens and how it ends. I could stay up forever just to get to the end of the book to find out.
ReplyDeletefollow on gfc as helen
tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/helldog3/status/172108319861903361
helldog3 at aol.com