Whispers in the Dark by Laurel Hightower

Journalstone/Trepidatio Publishing, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-947654-61-7

Available: paperback, Kindle edition

Rose McFarland has had a convoluted life.   Growing up, she was often tormented by the Whispers, voices that only she could hear, and sometimes see.   Her parents felt she was a child of the Devil, and made her childhood a living hell, often locking her in the basement for days at a time.  When their house burns down, with only Rose and her mother surviving, her mother dumps her in a psychiatric hospital and forgets about her.  The Whispers eventually stop, and Rose is released, determined to avoid her mother forever, and make her own way in the world.

Fast forward roughly 15 years: Rose is a sniper for a S.W.A.T. team, and divorced with two kids, although she maintains an excellent relationship with her ex-husband for the sake of the kids.   Suddenly, she’s confronted with two problems: the Whispers return, this time to torment her 4 year old son Tommy; and her latest sniper victim turns out to be a half-brother she never knew about, who also doesn’t want to stay dead.  The two unrelated problems later tie into a larger plot concerning the fate of humanity, and whether Rose and the few people she trusts can help her son and save humankind.  Giving away any more of the plot would spoil the book: this is one where you don’t want to know about it until you read it.

Whispers in the Dark is a classic mystery/thriller, where every element of the plot and character development is done to just the right level.  The plot itself is done perfectly: it’s a relatively complex set of ideas, but the author never gives away more than is needed, giving you just enough hints and clues to keep you reading into the next chapter…and the next…and the next… until you find yourself at the end, asking where those 300 pages went.  It’s a testament to Hightower’s skill that the plot doesn’t scream at you to keep going, it…whispers, pulling you gradually from chapter to chapter to find out what’s going to happen.  The mystery isn’t an easy one to figure out, either: most readers will probably not guess the totality of the plot until the end.  Thankfully, Hightower avoids the cliché of throwing in a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter, and then switching character perspectives, as some authors are prone to do.   There are some good chills in the book also: all the parts involving people going into basements are genuinely eerie.  It’s enough to make going to bed at night with the lights off just a little bit more difficult.

The strength of the characters is worth noting also.  None of them are one-dimensional: they are all cut from shades of gray and seem completely realistic.  Rose herself is a great example. She shoots people for a living, swigs beer with the guys, indulges in occasional flings, and has a foul mouth.  But she also sings her kids to sleep, and loves to cook breakfast for them whenever she can.  The secondary characters (especially her ex, Sam) are done just as well: they all seem like actual people, not caricatures.  You’ll find yourself caring for all the protagonists in the book and rooting for them.

Overall, Whispers in the Dark is a perfectly done mystery/ghost story, and one you won’t want to miss.  Keep an eye on this author; she’s one to watch in the future. Highly recommended.

Contains: violence, profanity.

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson