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The Whisperer (Mila Vasquez #1)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 1,640 ratings · 341 reviews

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...more

Hardcover, 432 pages

Published January 5th 2012 by Mulholland Books (first published 2009)

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Jan 19, 2012 Lou rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: january-2012-reading-list, arc, serial-killers

"Stations .
It's strange, thought Mila. While for the rest of the world they're only a place you pass through, for some they're a terminus. They stop there and they don't leave again. Stations are a kind of ante-hell, where lost souls congregate in the hope that someone will come and collect them.
An average of twenty to twenty-five individuals disappear every day. Mila knew the statistic very well. All of a sudden these people vanish without warning, without a suitcase. As if they had dissolved

...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Marco Marino rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

… Quest’atomo opaco del male.

Riflettendo sulla recensione che volevo scrivere mi son venute in mente queste semplici, dure e dolci parole che Pascoli usa per descrivere la Terra, piccolissima parte dell’universo (atomo) priva di luce propria (opaco), in cui dominano l’ingiustizia e la malvagità, e il mio primo pensiero è stato: e se Pascoli avesse anche voluto parlare dell’Uomo? Una piccola parte di una grande comunità, che nella sua ombra alimenta il male nel mondo che lo circonda. L’uomo, v...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Giorgia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

quante stelle mettere..mmmmm non lo so. All'inizio non è una lettura travolgente,il caso sembra banale e i protagonisti stereotipati e con un che di già visto, questo li fa perdere inevitabilmente due stelline. A metà libro il racconto finalmente prende una piega inaspettata,le vicende si susseguono a ritmo incalzante e il lettore non può fare altro che rimanere con il fiato sospeso fino alla risoluzione del caso.Riaggiungo una stella. Però rimane sempre un che di incompiuto e il presentimento c...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Iguanapaws Emerson rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yay - it's another thriller where the author thinks that the more gruesome it is, the more deserving of our attention! Another thriller where the characters are supposedly interesting, but instead have all the depth of a pancake! This book is absolute tripe: the story is nonsensical, highly reliant on coincidence, full of holes - and that's even before the psychic nun (I wish I was joking) gets involved. We keep getting told that the characters are flawed and interesting, but without constantly...more

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Nov 14, 2010 Alice rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Preso sull'onda delle presentazioni entusiastiche, con grandi aspettative.

Sempre diffidare dei clamori mediatici!

La pubblicità fa molto leva sul fatto che tutte le vicende narrate siano basate su fatti reali. Grande scalpore i sequestri di bambini e la crudeltà dei predofili violenti ed assassini.

Poi però si scopre che ci sono delle falle nella narrazione che un buon editor avrebbe dovuto scoprire e tamponare

- La famiglia Rockford, di ereditieri e milionari, perchè mai avrebbe dovuto pagare la t...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Carlotta68 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Un thriller italiano che ti tiene inchiodato sin dalle prime pagine. La Squadra Speciale del criminologo Goran Gavila ha a che fare con un nemico che sa assumere molte sembianze, che il mette costantemente alla prova in un’indagine in cui ogni male svelato porta con sé un messaggio. Ma soprattutto, costringe ogni membro della squadra ad affacciarsi nel buio che si porta dentro.

L’arrivo di Mila Vasquez, specializzata nel ritrovamento di persone scomparse, consentirà di svelare gli inganni uno do...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Paola rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gialli

Al signor Carrisi vorrei dire che é dai tempi di IT di King che non ero "presa" così da un giallo. E mi ha fatto pensare a IT anche il concetto di male, di male assoluto, di essenza del male che si muove e fa muovere altri uomini come burattini.
La protagonista, Mila, invece mi ha fatto pensare alla Lisbeth Salander del Larsson, entrambe estremamente intelligenti ma con problemi nella sfera delle emozioni e socialmente disadattate.
Proprio bravo Carrisi, specializzato in criminologia e scienza del...more

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Jun 18, 2013 Alessandro Balestra rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Un nuovo mostro si aggira per la città, un serial killer tanto spietato quanto astuto che rapisce e uccide delle ragazzine e mozza loro un braccio per lasciare così un macabro trofeo alla polizia. Ma una di loro è ancora viva anche se gravemente ferita. Per la squadra speciale del criminologo Goran Gavila e di Mila Vasquez, esperta nel ritrovamento di persone scomparse, comincia una corsa contro il tempo per salvare la piccola dalle mani del rapitore.
Come i vampiri anche i serial killer apparten...more

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May 16, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An interesting book--the cover jacket is misleading, but I still enjoyed the book. The main criminologist welcomed the new investigator, and contrary to the book cover, there was no antagonism between the two. It is also billed as an 'Italian Literary Thriller'. This may be written by an Italian, but there is little in the book to say it is based in Italy as there are no references to Italy-no additions of Italian words, locations or mannerisms. I don't think these were things lost in the transl...more An interesting book--the cover jacket is misleading, but I still enjoyed the book. The main criminologist welcomed the new investigator, and contrary to the book cover, there was no antagonism between the two. It is also billed as an 'Italian Literary Thriller'. This may be written by an Italian, but there is little in the book to say it is based in Italy as there are no references to Italy-no additions of Italian words, locations or mannerisms. I don't think these were things lost in the translation, I just think the author omitted them altogether. The use of the many different ethnic last names helped create the confusion as to where the book was placed. Thoughts such as: 'Was it Europe?'; 'Was it the States?' and 'Could it possibly really be Italy?' kept creeping into my thought process. I did spend some of the time trying to figure out the 'setting', but when I wasn't doing that I was intrigued by the newness of the ambiguity of the location.

I think placing the story in a fictional location works in one way and detracts in another. The themes are not ones that most people are comfortable with, but they are not confined to one location, they are universal. This makes the reader more aware that this story could be happening in their own town at any time.

The worst thing about the ambiguity of the location, for me, is that we non-Italians lose out on reading how an Italian would handle these situations. It also robs us of the opportunity to have an insight on the Italian people, their country and their legal system. The world is becoming smaller every day, but it the lose of the diversity is not something I'm looking forward to.

The dust jacket compares this novel to the Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series, implying that the books are on level footing. They are not. While reading the Millennium Series, I learnt Swedish names, locations and some of the Swedish mannerisms, "The Whisperer" did not impart any of that information about Italy to me. But--an interesting story.(less)

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Feb 23, 2013 Katia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ce roman a été une découverte. Tout d'abord l'intrigue est bien menée, le suspens est présent et les indices sont révélés au compte gouttes, laissant ainsi le lecteur élaborer sa propre théorie. L'auteur nous fait pénétrer dans un univers effrayant et angoissant. On part à la poursuite d'un tueur en série troublant, par son manque d'humanité, et par son vice. L'écriture est plaisante et légère, je reprocherais juste quelques répétitions un peu lourdes, bien qu'elles soient peu nombreuses et néce...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Whisperer is a terrific, cleverly crafted crime, thriller fiction. The pace was fast and the author was excellent at layering the story with nasty, skin crawling secrets and twists that kept me turning the pages. The characters were fascinating and extraordinarily well developed. The only challenge of this book was that I had to continuously get into the author's rhythm. Perhaps it was not his writing style but rather the translation, which made the book a bit awkward at times. I noticed I h...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Loretta rated it 1 of 5 stars

With the exception of maybe 2 characters, everyone in this book is damaged. The group of detectives, led by a civilian psychologist are joined by a young woman who searches for lost children. When she first meets with the group, she is not welcomed and she plays the meek female. But then she and the psychologist have a meeting of the minds and they begin making these HUGE intuitive leaps, solving the murders and weeding out the suspects with slick and unlikely coincidental events to help them ou...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Jessie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

weird
I have to say: weird, but quite intersting.

Though the psychological theory that the story bases on doesn't seem anyway realistic, but I think this is what differentiate this book from other mystery/crime fictions. The focus of the story isn't on how accurate or how implausible the technique the killing is but on the immoral tragedy that buried under. Although those litter tragedies aren't that "tragic" or surprising but things you might see someday on the news titled as "tragic/horrifying"....more weird
I have to say: weird, but quite intersting.

Though the psychological theory that the story bases on doesn't seem anyway realistic, but I think this is what differentiate this book from other mystery/crime fictions. The focus of the story isn't on how accurate or how implausible the technique the killing is but on the immoral tragedy that buried under. Although those litter tragedies aren't that "tragic" or surprising but things you might see someday on the news titled as "tragic/horrifying". I guess the author just wants to point out how the world is, how unconcern people are with other people. I do agree that sometimes it is the indifference people interact with other that is horrifying. I think it really is this immoral sadness that kept me going on with this book, aside from the fact that I have an obsession in finishing books that I've already read 100 pages with.
Furthermore, the way that the dectective solve the mystery is just disjointed and I have to keep fliping back to find out excatly how Mila (the main character) figured that out. A book with this page number should have been long finished in 2 days but this took me a good 4 days to finish it cause of all distraction and jumping in story telling. The clues seem more like inserted-afterwards than flowing naturally with the storyline.
The characters aren't that relatable and needs a lot more development on them. ULIMATELY, not all story needs to have a romance line associate with it. I can see from miles away that Mila and Goran would get together with the obvious descriptions but there seems to have no reason for it but to follow the pattern of thrillers having a female and a male detective. The characters are just not develop well enough for me to find a characteristic that Mila/Goran has fallen for each other.

Still I enjoys the book because it's a different type of story (fantastic psychology that I really like with the brain) and very unpreditable, if you put it this way - the perpetrator isn't the actual murderer, the crime isn't just a series crime but a elaborate game that had been going on for years.

Sorry for my bad grammar. This is my first review. I have always wanted to write one but never because of my poor writing skill. I finally understood that reading English and writing with it are just two totally different levels, like heaven and hell. I'm glad that I actually accomplish this.(less)

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Jul 17, 2012 Lydia Laceby rated it 2 of 5 stars

Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes

Thrillers were all I used to read when I was younger, before my obsession with Chick Lit began. I devoured the likes of Stephen King, Patricia Cornwall, James Patterson and Jeffrey Deaver and when the television shows like Criminal Minds and Dexter began I was in heaven. So I thought I would branch out and try another thriller after so long and had hoped The Whisperer would live up to the hype, but sadly it took me forever to get into this novel and in the end...more Originally reviewed at Novel Escapes

Thrillers were all I used to read when I was younger, before my obsession with Chick Lit began. I devoured the likes of Stephen King, Patricia Cornwall, James Patterson and Jeffrey Deaver and when the television shows like Criminal Minds and Dexter began I was in heaven. So I thought I would branch out and try another thriller after so long and had hoped The Whisperer would live up to the hype, but sadly it took me forever to get into this novel and in the end it fell completely flat for me.

This novel was quite disjointed. The first half had barely any action and I struggled to keep reading. There was no flow and I kept getting distracted and would find myself staring off into space on the subway instead of reading - a rare occurrence for me, even with the abundant people watching. The narration kept flipping around and at times I had difficulty determining who was speaking and had to go back to figure it out.

Even in the second half when things got a little more active, I still couldn't find myself drawn into the characters or even much of the story. I didn't find it that gruesome. I've read much worse. I kind of wish the story was told from Mila's perspective throughout. I think it would have dawn me into the story more, made me more sympathetic to her character and drawn me into the book further.

One final complaint - especially with this being a thriller - was that as I kept reading and had 12 pages left (I kept looking down to see how far I had left to go - never a good sign) the book suddenly wrapped up and left me hanging, with what I thought was twelve pages remaining. This left me completely unprepared for the ending to come so swiftly with the author's notes comments and thank you's taking up the final pages.

There were a few things that surprised me, but not enough to blow me over and convert this into an incredible read. There are rave reviews out there though, so let me know if you are a thriller fan and enjoyed this one. I'm curious to know!(less)

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Mar 23, 2012 Titia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

L'équipe de Goran Gavila enquête sur une série d'enlèvements d'enfants. Cette terrible affaire ne touche que des fillettes ayant plus ou moins le même âge. Le ravisseur semble choisir les familles plutôt que les victimes. IL prend un malin plaisir à manipuler les enquêteurs et chaque indice fait partie d'une mise en scène, à chaque fois plus terrible l'une que l'autre. Toutes les pistes mènent la police aux trousses d'un criminel différent à chaque fois. Ne sachant plus où donner de la tête, l'i...more L'équipe de Goran Gavila enquête sur une série d'enlèvements d'enfants. Cette terrible affaire ne touche que des fillettes ayant plus ou moins le même âge. Le ravisseur semble choisir les familles plutôt que les victimes. IL prend un malin plaisir à manipuler les enquêteurs et chaque indice fait partie d'une mise en scène, à chaque fois plus terrible l'une que l'autre. Toutes les pistes mènent la police aux trousses d'un criminel différent à chaque fois. Ne sachant plus où donner de la tête, l'inspecteur Roche, à la tête du département des sciences comportementales, décide de faire appel à Mila Vasquez, une inspectrice experte dans les affaires d'enlèvement. C'est aux côtés de Goran, Boris, Stern et Rosa que Mila va tenter de résoudre cette affaire. Ils sont tous persuadés qu'un seul et unique coupable est derrière tout ça.

L'enquête ne nous permet pas de faire une pause. Nous rencontrons l'horreur et chaque criminel impliqué donne froid dans le dos. J'ai suivi Mila et Goran dans les confins de ces atrocités. Les crimes qui touchent les enfants, c'est toujours plus sensible. Mais là, j'étais loin de m'imaginer la triste et effroyable vérité. Pour celui qui est à la tête de toute cette machination, car c'en est une, c'est une sorte de jeu qui lui permet de faire justice et de punir les coupables de ces crimes. Mais qui est-il et comment procède-t-il ? Nous ne découvrirons la vérité que bien plus tard dans le roman, même si le doute est là depuis le début.

J'ai particulièrement apprécié le personnage de Mila Vasquez. C'est une jeune femme qui a vécu un terrible traumatisme durant son enfance. Cette épreuve lui a pourtant permis d'être ce qu'elle est aujourd'hui : malgré la souffrance enfouie en elle, elle se montre forte et exerce son métier avec brio.

Quant à Goran Gavila, j'avoue que ce personnage m'a surprise. Je l'ai trouvé attachant malgré ce qu'on apprend de lui dans la dernière partie du livre. Lui aussi porte un lourd fardeau, mais j'étais loin de me douter que ça pouvait être aussi horrible.

Nul besoin pour moi de plus d'action, comme l'aurait souhaité ma mère. Ce roman est une vraie réussite à mes yeux. On pénètre dans le monde d'un psychopathe, l'auteur nous projette en plein dans la façon de penser de ce criminel en puissance et c'est ça que j'ai le plus apprécié. Donato Carrisi a su me surprendre à chaque rebondissement. Je voulais toujours en savoir plus pour comprendre où il voulait en venir.(less)

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Mar 03, 2012 Kelli Bragg rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book was incredible frustrating to read. I'm not sure if there as something lost in the translation for crucial descriptions, but as I stated in my comment to a review on Amazon.com:

"...I'll forgive the awkward dialogue, given that it's a translation. But, I'm at chapter 15, and -- possible spoiler warning? -- they're talking about how Mila is incapable of empathy and can't understand other people. Yet, in the previous chapters:

* she's outraged for one of the victims, whose schoolmates (tho...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Linda Branham Greenwell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-crime, psychological-thriller

Loved this book - read it in one day. I'm home with a cold - so spent the day reading :)
It is a mystery thriller translated from Italian
Officer Mila Vasquez specializes in finding missing children. Having a sixth sense about the men and women who abduct children, 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 a case of a missing girl.
The case in this novel begins with a...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Luanne Ollivier rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5/5

The Whisperer is Donato Carrisi's first novel. It has been translated from the original Italian to English by Shaun Whiteside.

The Whisperer grabs you by the throat from the opening chapters. Six severed left arms are found buried in a circle in a forest glen. Those left arms belong to children. Girls, in fact - five of them reported missing. But no sixth child has been reported missing. No bodies have been found at all.

Criminologist Goran Gavila brings in Officer Mila Vasquez to work with h...more 3.5/5

The Whisperer is Donato Carrisi's first novel. It has been translated from the original Italian to English by Shaun Whiteside.

The Whisperer grabs you by the throat from the opening chapters. Six severed left arms are found buried in a circle in a forest glen. Those left arms belong to children. Girls, in fact - five of them reported missing. But no sixth child has been reported missing. No bodies have been found at all.

Criminologist Goran Gavila brings in Officer Mila Vasquez to work with his team. Mila's specialty is finding missing children.She is battling her own demons as the team struggles to follow the clues left by a deranged and devious serial killer. But he seems to be one step ahead of them at all times, playing cat and mouse with the sixth girl as the prize.

It took me about 50 - 75 pages to get a good firm grasp on the characters and plot in The Whisperer. Carrisi has crafted a complex labyrinth of a tale - you'll want to read carefully as the plot twists and turns rapidly (and the ending is a real twister). Indeed, I sometimes felt slightly off balance as I read - bodies and characters are added to the tale in quick succession. This is a minor complaint - but clues are referred to by the characters with no sense of how they were obtained - such as school pictures and homework from the past of one suspect. Some procedural details that don't quit ring true were bothersome. A police officer on a major crime scene reviewing tapes that asks for help because "I don't know a thing about electronics". Why in the world would he be allowed to touch evidence then?

Carrisi has taken the crime novel a step further with the care he has take to explore the main character's psyches. I would like to see Carrisi continues with Mila as a protagonist in future books.

I did find the translation to be a bit choppy in places. The setting of the book in terms of country is never really defined - niggly I know, but I would like to have known where the book was taking place. Did I enjoy The Whisperer? Yes I did. But, it's probably not for the faint at heart.(less)

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Jan 05, 2013 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction, murder-investigations

Yikes. What an ending! I had to reread a good portion of the last chapters to get a complete understanding of what exactly had happened...

I have never read a murder mystery like this before--The Whisperer is the first, hopefully, of many. Sure, I've read books such as Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, but never a genuine, hardcore investigation. The whole thing felt incredibly real, as if it could have been the tragic biography of a horror that took place a few towns over. Somehow the content is no...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-would-recommend, mystery

It is incredibly rare for me to find a book of this size and read it in one day. But I felt as though I was coming so close to the heart of the mystery that I couldn't put it down. Turns out, I was wrong all along.
I am very rarely, and I mean RARELY, surprised by an ending, but I didn't see it coming. I have a difficult time disseminating whether it's due to superior writing or naivety on my part.
I did have a few issues with this book, but for the most part they resolved themselves at the end....more

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Aug 11, 2010 Laurie Riley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bought this in Tralee, Ireland, where the reviews equated it with the Scandanavian mystery series about the tattooed, troubled girl who solves mysteries. (I forget the names of the books.) Although I haven't read those books, I do imagine this book is reminiscent of that series. The protagonist in this book is a troubled police officer who looks for missing kids. She has the abilit to find them and empathize with them. And that's all I'm going to say, since I'd hate to spoil the story for anyone...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars

When a burial site containing six arms is discovered, Goran Gavila's team is called in to investigate. Gavila is a highly trained criminologist and his team of investigators is no doubt the best for the job. They know that the arms belong to a string of missing girls that's been reported in the region. The catch? There are six left arms. They only know of five missing girls. Enter Mila Vasquez, an officer whose specialty is tracking down missing people. Together, they will have to unravel the mo...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Kelly Hager rated it 4 of 5 stars

Over the course of a week, five young girls have been kidnapped. They range in age from eight to 13. And then a pit containing six left arms is found. Five of them belong to the missing girls. But...who's the sixth girl? And why hasn't she been reported missing?

It took me a long time to get into this book, but once it happened, I couldn't put it down. The concept is fantastic and I liked Mila and the other investigators. I think the problem for me was with the translation. (It was originally pub...more

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May 04, 2013 André Nuno rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Os braços esquerdos de seis crianças que haviam sido raptadas aparecem enterrados num bosque. O membro da sexta "revela" um dado importante: de todas elas é a única que ainda está viva, encontrando-se à mercê de um serial killer.

A equipa do criminalista Goran Gavila irá contar com a ajuda preciosa de Mila Vasquez, cuja especialidade é encontrar crianças desaparecidas.
Os corpos das meninas assassinadas vão aparecendo, um por um, nos locais mais inusitados e sempre em locais que denunciam outros d...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Ubik 2.0 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gialli-e-thriller-italiani

Il mio giudizio su questo romanzo è fortemente condizionato dal fatto che mi sono reso conto di non sopportare più i libri centrati sui Serial Killer e tutti i rituali connessi che ben conoscete e che non sto a ripetere.

Non vedo ragioni per interessarmi di una storia in cui il nucleo narrativo è una specie di caccia al tesoro le cui tappe (con relative indicazioni per proseguire l'itinerario) consistono in cadaveri di bambine mutilate! Non che "Il Silenzio degli innocenti" o "Il collezionista d...more Il mio giudizio su questo romanzo è fortemente condizionato dal fatto che mi sono reso conto di non sopportare più i libri centrati sui Serial Killer e tutti i rituali connessi che ben conoscete e che non sto a ripetere.

Non vedo ragioni per interessarmi di una storia in cui il nucleo narrativo è una specie di caccia al tesoro le cui tappe (con relative indicazioni per proseguire l'itinerario) consistono in cadaveri di bambine mutilate! Non che "Il Silenzio degli innocenti" o "Il collezionista di ossa" fossero racconti per educande, però, 15-20 anni dopo, all'ennesima riproposizione del tema alzo bandiera bianca e per un po' mi terrò lontano da questo genere inflazionato e ipersfruttato.

Ciò premesso, devo riconoscere che Carrisi dimostra una certa abilità nella costruzione di trame, sottotrame e personaggi, fatta eccezione per quell'altro difetto (che mi capita di riscontrare sempre più spesso e non solo in questo genere di romanzi) che definirei "overdose di finali".

Partendo dal presupposto che il colpo di scena finale crei valore aggiunto alla storia, e il doppio colpo di scena ancora più, vi è l'errata convinzione che aumentando a piacere i finali (e di conseguenza l'individuazione del possibile colpevole che coinvolge praticamente tutti i personaggi principali) si ottenga l'effetto massimo. [Per inciso questo effetto in gergo calcistico si definisce "telefonato" perchè quando a 100 pagine dalla fine già si proclama la cattura del colpevole anche il più stupido dei lettori sente puzza di bruciato...]

Tale caratteristica sembra affascinare soprattutto gli autori esordienti, come Carrisi e anche Costantini che nel suo "Tu sei il male" (se Dio vuole un giallo e non un serial-killer book) si produce nella medesima raffica conclusiva di colpi di scena che alla fine producono confusione e diluiscono la suspense anzichè potenziarla.

In conclusione, non sono in grado di distinguere quanto della difficoltà a concludere questo romanzo che pure tanti dichiarano di avere "divorato" sia dovuta a difetti del medesimo e quanto a una mia crescente idiosincrasia per il genere, ma il risultato per quanto mi riguarda è insoddisfacente.(less)

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Dec 29, 2011 BookScout rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, crime-and-thrillers

Regardless of the sloppy translation,(only evident on a few occasions), this book is a terrific example of crime fiction UNTIL THE PREPOSTEROUS CONCLUSION.
I love a novel that teaches me something new and The Whisperer certainly does that. I read it in 2 and a half days as the plot is constructed to offer unstoppable pace and tension. However, the ending is ruined by a reliance upon coincidences and events which are simply too incredible.
The book falls down on a couple of occasions where the inv...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Rikke Andrup Jensen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: krimi

Denne bog hører til i verdens klasse. Fra allerførste side, var jeg grebet af fortællingen og det varede ved lige til allersidste linie på allersidste side. Et sandt mesterværk. Sammenligningen med den makabre Seven eller den udspekulerede Hannibal i Ondskabens øjne er berettiget. Gang på gang bliver læseren draget mod et højdepunkt, for blot endnu en gang at konstatere, at der gemmer sig et nyt bjerg på den anden side. Læseren bliver konstant holdt til ilden med oplysninger, ledetråde og makabr...more Denne bog hører til i verdens klasse. Fra allerførste side, var jeg grebet af fortællingen og det varede ved lige til allersidste linie på allersidste side. Et sandt mesterværk. Sammenligningen med den makabre Seven eller den udspekulerede Hannibal i Ondskabens øjne er berettiget. Gang på gang bliver læseren draget mod et højdepunkt, for blot endnu en gang at konstatere, at der gemmer sig et nyt bjerg på den anden side. Læseren bliver konstant holdt til ilden med oplysninger, ledetråde og makabre fund. Beskrivelserne af mordfundene er fortalt med lige dele fakta og billedelige detaljer, som skræmmer læseren og giver rigelig med stof til fantasien, men alligevel afholder sig fra at blive overdreven og kliche. Historien er hele tiden krydret med detaljeret og brugbar fakta, men uden at gøre fortællingen kedelig eller irriterende belærende.

Specialagent Mila Vasquez, som er ekspert i at finde forsvundne børn, bliver hidkaldt til en sag om fem forsvundne piger. I forvejen arbejder der en dygtig og harmonisk gruppe med opklaringsarbejdet. Den består af fem forskellige agenter med forskellig ekspertområder, som således supplere hinanden og afdækker et hvert behov, men Mila's kompetencer er unikke og nødvendige for, at gruppen har en chance for at komme foran en seriemorder, som tilsyneladende trækker gruppen rundt i manegen.

Mila gemmer på dystre hemmeligheder og bringer en vis mystik med sig. Hendes evne er også hendes forbandelse. Hvad gemmer der bag kvinden, som gør skade på sig selv eller som ikke tør lade andre røre ved sig? Kvinden, som aldrig fælder en tåre, på trods af, at hendes speciale er at finde forsvundne børn og at hun nogle gange kommer for sent?

Mila og kriminologen Goran's tankegang er imponerende uden at virke unaturlig eller overdreven. Måden, hvorpå Goran opsummerer begivenhedernes gang og hele tiden får kollegerne til at fundere over hvor, hvordan eller hvorfor - eller Mila, som bliver ved og ved, gransker i sit stille og dystre sind, betvivler alt og alle og intet undgår hendes opmærksomhed, selv om hun måske ikke lige fanger det ved først øjekast. samspillet mellem Goran og Mila, som gentagne gange bringer gruppen tilbage på sporet, er harmonisk og skaber ro i en ellers hæsblæsende jagt.

Gruppens samarbejde er beundringsværdig og fascinerende at følge. Hvert medlem af gruppen byder på helt unikke evner og gruppen lader alle træde til med deres kompetencer. De supplere hinanden og skaber en samhørighed. Det minder om en nøje korrigeret dans mellem meget umage partnere. Men der er også fejltrin ind imellem og hen ad vejen opstår tvivlen om, hvor godt gruppen egentligt kender hinanden og de hemmeligheder, som de hver især gemmer på. Sarah Rosa, IT-eksperten, er tydeligvis modstander af Mila's medvirken til opklaringen. Hun trodser Mila og hendes teorier ved en hver lejlighed. Mila ligger til gengæld på ingen måde skjul på, at hendes erfaringer indenfor seriemordere er minimale. Gruppen, måske med undtagelse af Sarah Rosa, accepterer dette og i stedet for at være nedladende, bliver Mila inddraget i fremgangsmåden, teorier og metoder. Måske skyldes det netop Mila's ligefremhed, at gruppen er så behjælpelige.

Bogens opbygning er perfekt. Læseren får hele tiden passende mængder oplysninger, som snart efter resulterer i en afsløring. Læseren skal ikke huske tilbage på begivenheder, som der tidligere er hentydet til, men fakta bliver hurtigt anvendt og det letter læsningen og gør det nemt at holde styr på forløb og de mange forskellige personer, som figurerer i bogen. Og så byder bogen på ufattelig mange overraskelsesmomenter. Igen og igen får læseren smidt faretruende og hæsblæsende action i ansigtet og det er med til at bogen er så fantastisk en page-turner. Den er simpelthen umulig at lægge fra sig og man skal hele tiden lige have et kapitel mere.

Jeg anbefaler bogen til en hver, som vil have en skræmmende krimi på højt plan med nervepirrende action.
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May 23, 2012 Marie Dicocco rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this over the course of just a few days and have to agree with other reviewers about several things. It did hold my interest once it got going (probably a good third into the book) and there were twists and turns and an ending that I didn't expect at all.

But the lack of a sense of place drove me crazy. I've lived in Italy and love reading mysteries that take place there because I can imagine the location and the behavior of the people. But this book gave me absolutely no sense of where th...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Nancy Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Initially I thought the novel would be too gruesome, given the jacket cover description. However, the main character, Mila, is intriguing & captures the reader's interest.

I dislike that the reader is unable to determine the setting. Perhaps the author uses this as a device to keep the reader disoriented, & it works in a strange way.

Throughout different points, I have thought it is Italy, Germany, Argintina..but I can not get a real feeling. Part of my enjoyment of mysteries is the settin...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Shireen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, mystery

Wow. I'm still reeling and trying to process what just happened at the end. This is a book that keeps on giving right until the last page, and it doesn't use any ridiculous tricks to deceive and artificially heighten the tension either.

The first unusual aspect of this book I noticed was the setting. As The Crime Vault told me on Twitter: it's tricky. It seems like it's set in Europe. But then there are a few Americanisms tossed in here and there, infrequently enough that they catch you by surpri...more

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Donato Carrisi was born in 1973 and studied law and criminology. Since 1999 he has been working as a TV screenwriter. The Whisperer, Carrisi’s first novel, won him five international literary prizes, has been sold in nearly twenty territories and has been translated into languages as varied as French, Danish, Hebrew and Vietnamese. Carrisi lives in Rome.

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