Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Callum reminded me to Chris Hammer’s Martin Scarsden, whether that’s the journalism link I’m not sure. I did initially assume we’d meet Callum again and this would be the first in a series, however (for reasons I can’t divulge), in many ways his story is ‘done’ in The Whispering, so I think I’d prefer to leave him here. I’d definitely like to hear more from Lando though and like the FNQ setting, so perhaps something featuring First Nations’ cop (and Callum’s childhood bestie) Eddy would be an option. In his search for answers, Callum fights to keep his feet firmly on the trail as he battles the deafening call of the rainforest burrowing into his ears. After all, everyone knows that the worst things in the rainforest are those unseen. I did not really warm to the characters - some of them are supposed to be vile - but even Jenny the protagonist felt a little one-dimensional and I couldn't really get on board with how she was used as a pawn throughout the novel.
Suspicious of Lilith, the theatre owners wife enlists the help of Jenny to spy on her, to truly get to the route of the evil that has started to emerge from the very heart of darkness within the theatre walls.It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage. Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees. Zoe's stupid ridiculous reasoning for Keira to watch out for Mason is hilarious. She tells her that he went through years of schooling to become a doctor and dropped out his last year. That's it! Ohhhhh scandalous!! Zoe made a noise that was somewhere between derision and annoyance. “Look, I’m not telling you to shun him or anything, but…just be cautious. He’s hiding something. And in my calculated opinion, there’s an extremely high chance that he’s a serial killer who had to flee the campus in fear of being caught.” Why does that mean he's hiding something?? Maybe he couldn't afford school anymore. Maybe someone was going through an illness.
Isn't she supposed to be keeping a low profile? Why does she just go to town to get cat food for a cat that isn't hers? When a man goes missing in the rainforest, the past begins to resurface, breathing new life into memories of previous tragedies - two girls lost, seventeen years apart. In a town where it's easiest to turn a blind eye, the guilt runs deep and everyone in Granite Creek has something to hide. Laura Purcell, a skilful purveyor of gothic tales, has created another darkly twisting narrative in The Whispering Muse' Sunday Times With a vividly portrayed atmosphere, that pervades every moment of the book, The Whispering is a deeply situational text. I’m not very familiar with the tropical rainforest area depicted in this book, but thanks to the author’s descriptive prose, I could imagine this setting incredibly well. As my mind and imagination went into overdrive, so did my sense of unease. The location base of The Whispering is steeped in suspicion, tension, fretfulness, turmoil and anxiety. The setting seems to go hand in hand with the narrative, making The Whispering a top notch read. I certainly enjoyed the stirring tension that pervades this novel. Set at the Mercury Theatre in Victorian London, Miss Jennifer Wilcox accepts a job offer from Mrs Dyer, the wife of the Mercury's owner. Fallen on hard times - the cause of which is revealed later - Jennifer must provide for her family and despite being brought low by her circumstances, eagerly accepts the position of dresser. Jennifer will need to make and mend all of the costumes, style hair and organise the accessories for the leading actress at the Mercury.
BookBliss
To me personally, this was exactly how I liked my small town crime thriller written. I couldn’t fault anything in it. I will definitely read more books from Veronica Lando. The novel opens with our protagonist, Callum Haffenden, returning (somewhat reluctantly) to Granite Creek. Despite his hesitation, he is implacably drawn to the latest missing person case in Granite Creek. Despite his dread of his past, of the whispering, he must, once and for all, discover the truth. And I *almost* gave it four stars for sheer entertainment value and the fact that I do want to read the next book. I love that the story is so immersive, which is down to a clever plot but more importantly believable characters that evolve over the course of the novel. None of the characters are sugary sweet, they all have an agenda which is tested in different ways as the cost of loyalty is tested.
Great Deal 
New Comment