The Whisperer by Donato Carrisi

Author : Donato Carrisi
Title : The Whisperer
Published : 2009
Publisher : Abacus
Pages : 480
Genre : Mystery / Thriller

     Six severed arms are discovered buried in a forest clearing. They are arranged in a mysterious circle and appear to belong to missing girls between the ages of eight and thirteen. But the rest of the bodies are nowhere to be found. Criminologist Goran Gavila is given the case. A disheveled, instinctively rebellious man, he is forced to work with young female police officer Mila Vasquez. Lithe, boyish, answering to no one, Mila has a reputation as a specialist in missing children. She also has a tragic history of her own that has left her damaged, unable to feel or to relate to others. Theirs is a fiery but strangely affecting working relationship - and as they uncover more secrets about the dark secrets in the forest, their lives are increasingly in each other's hands...

     It would seem that inadvertently that Donato Carrisi has become one of my go-to crime authors. It wasn't until I picked up The Whisperer that I sidereal I have now read most of his books that have been published in English.  It is for me at least not too often when talking about crime authors of Europe that Italy gets much of a look in. I think this is quite a shame as Carrisi should be up there within any of the greats from further up the continent. For me, he not only captures the essence of great crime writing but also delivers a healthy dose of what it means to have a story set in Italy. Too often than not I find that crime books in translation feel like they could be set anywhere. They just add a few local landmarks just to make you aware of the fact that they are set somewhere anywhere other than America. For me, with Carrisi it feels more like an essence that runs parallel with the story in the background. It is a feeling that comes from its characters that could not be from anywhere else in the world. 

     I must admit this is not my first time with the series of books. It is however as any of you who have followed my reviews for a while the first in the series. I'm getting far too good at starting series partway through and only later coming back to the first. I would point out at least this time I have only read the one book that comes directly after this. So not too much spoiled for me. I like the dynamic between our two main leads. In giving us two people at either end of their careers it gives a nice insight into there way of solving crimes. Whilst our rookie might just be a little on the naive side, it does mean that she might just see some things that a more seasoned pro would overlook. The way these two play of each other gives a very dark story a good solid heart. It allows us to see a more human response to the horrific things that dance across our eyes. Which is not to say that there is no clashing of thought processes. But it's nice to read people arguing there points with a great conviction. They where well rounded out characters and despite having to juggle two main heroes, nether one of the was left lacking.  

     This time Carrisi bomb bard me with more darkness and twisted people than I think he has done before. At times I was left wondering what more he could throw at me. I would point out that I never put the book down due to this. Every time I came close to that point he backed of just enough to give me some rest bite and ease my mind. In a book of this size, you would imagine it to be a very complexly plotted book, with a great many twists and turns. And on this point, you will not be disappointed. Once again he showed me just what a skilled author he is. This author even from the start seems to me has been at the top of his game. A point I find myself being a little jealous of, although if not for that I would not have the pleasure of picking up his books. He is one of those crime authors that not only sets up a wonderfully macabre killer. But also goes out of his way to give us some reason behind why they do what they do. There is defiantly a twisted logic running in this killers mind.  Some times it's nice to have a few hawsers that might not exist in real life. What he also gave me is a more ground story, something that skirts the edges of a story that might just take place in the real world. 

     Once again I have enjoyed my time with this author. If you are a lover of crime fiction and have yet to peek into the world of Carrisi, you are surely missing out an amazing ride. This book not only worked for me as a kind of stand-alone gave me those points and characters you would wish to know more about. I realize I have kind of jumped the gun on reading the book that comes after. But I would point out, in my experience a lot of times you can tell the author was already think about the next book before finishing the first. Here it feels more like hints and the occasional nudge as to what is to come. This is a great start to peak your mind and for me was another amazing entry into this author cannon of work.