Book Review – Whisper In The Dark by Robert Gregory Browne

Author: Robert Gregory Browne
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: February 2009

How many of you have double-checked if you’ve left the stove on, or realized you didn’t pay a bill you could have sworn you sent a cheque in for?  In reality, the mind plays tricks on us.  In recent years we’ve seen the damage some “therapists” can do with highly suggestive techniques that create false memories of incidents that never happen.  A few years ago, when my neighbor was stabbed by her ex, I found myself struggling the next day to remember the sequence of events prior to my call to police somewhere around 3 am.  I can blame it on lack of sleep but it doesn’t change the reality – I was tired and subsequently, my memory was hazy.

 In the realm of fiction, it’s amazing that every witness questioned seems to have perfect memory recall, isn’t it?  On an average night, turn on Law & Order, CSI or any crime-based drama and it often seems like the only people who have a hard time remembering details are the ones who have something to hide.

 Whisper in the Dark is one of very few books I’ve read that deals with the manipulation of the mind in a highly effective way, which adds to the suspense.  On the surface, Whisper begins with a murder and offers us a suspect quickly, but the suspect quickly proves as mysterious as the murder itself.  New questions arise when the case connects to a series of murders committed by a serial killer who was never caught, but hasn’t operated in months.

 The serial killer task force is brought in, forcing two detectives who were once partners to work together, and some of the all-too-real tension between them contributes to mistakes that advance the story in unexpected ways.  All throughout, Browne uses the supernatural aspect of the story to raise questions with no easy answers.

 Readers who don’t like paranormal elements in their fiction will probably find Whisper in the Dark to be outside their area of interest, despite the fact that much of the resolution is grounded in real world realities, but those who like straightforward thrillers with supernatural twists will find Whisper in the Dark to be a solid read with some intriguing elements that will keep you guessing as you try to put the pieces together while racing toward the surprising conclusion.

About Sandra_Ruttan

Described as "one of crime fiction's hot new voices" by Rick Mofina, Sandra Ruttan is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Spinetingler Magazine and her short fiction has appeared in Out of the Gutter, Crimespree Magazine, Pulp Pusher, Demolition, The Cynic and Mouth Full of Bullets. She had her first newspaper column at the age of 13 and launched the Nolan, Hart and Tain series with her book, WHAT BURNS WITHIN, earlier this year. In November '08 the second book in the series, THE FRAILTY OF FLESH, will be released.