The whisperer: a novel

An unorthodox cop joins forces with an elite investigative team led by a brilliant profiler in Carrisi's intriguing if overly plotted debut. "Somewhere near W.," in "an absurd woodland cemetery," Italian police officers, including Mila Vasquez, who excels at finding missing children, examine a makeshift grave. Five missing girls, ages seven to 13, appear to have been murdered, though the six severed left arms in the grave leave one missing child unaccounted for. The close-knit team, headed by criminologist Dr. Goran Gavila, home in on a suspect, but it all seems too easy. While the man is clearly guilty of a crime, he may not be the serial killer they've christened "Albert," thus setting off an elaborate cat-and-mouse game between the real killer and his pursuers. Familiar crime thriller tropes include the damaged cop and the haunted profiler, but Carrisi spins an engagingly gruesome tale. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Who is playing with whom in this exquisitely gruesome thriller? Five young girls have gone missing. Six severed arms belonging to young girls are unearthed in a forest hideaway burial ground. Headed by criminologist Goran Gavila, the crime unit staff in this nameless, featureless, quasi-European country invite into their midst a stranger, missing-children expert Mila Vasquez, to help them solve the mystery. But someone is controlling their actions and playing with their minds-and with the plot of this gripping, disturbing novel (a European best seller), in which nothing is as it appears. Italian screenwriter and first-time novelist Carrisi obviously owes a debt to American crime-scene TV drama, but even more to Thomas Harris (The Silence of the Lambs), with homage from tone to gore to cover art. Verdict This is a novel about serial killers and as such is more about the manipulative process than the particulars; readers who appreciate manipulation, both of plots and themselves, by the author, and those who appreciate a shock of bloody horror will be absolutely enthralled by this offering. [See Prepub Alert, 7/10/11.]-David Clendinning, West Virginia State Univ. Lib., Institute (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Six severed arms. Six missing girls. When criminologist Goran Gavila is asked to find the girls, dead or alive, he's paired with Officer Mila Vasquez, a rule breaker with a talent for cases involving missing children. Rome-based first novelist Carrisi, who has studied law and criminology but now writes screenplays, has delivered an international best seller.

Who is playing with whom in this exquisitely gruesome thriller? Five young girls have gone missing. Six severed arms belonging to young girls are unearthed in a forest hideaway burial ground. Headed by criminologist Goran Gavila, the crime unit staff in this nameless, featureless, quasi-European country invite into their midst a stranger, missing-children expert Mila Vasquez, to help them solve the mystery. But someone is controlling their actions and playing with their minds-and with the plot of this gripping, disturbing novel (a European best seller), in which nothing is as it appears. Italian screenwriter and first-time novelist Carrisi obviously owes a debt to American crime-scene TV drama, but even more to Thomas Harris (The Silence of the Lambs), with homage from tone to gore to cover art. Verdict This is a novel about serial killers and as such is more about the manipulative process than the particulars; readers who appreciate manipulation, both of plots and themselves, by the author, and those who appreciate a shock of bloody horror will be absolutely enthralled by this offering. [See Prepub Alert, 7/10/11.]-David Clendinning, West Virginia State Univ. Lib., Institute (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

An unorthodox cop joins forces with an elite investigative team led by a brilliant profiler in Carrisi's intriguing if overly plotted debut. "Somewhere near W.," in "an absurd woodland cemetery," Italian police officers, including Mila Vasquez, who excels at finding missing children, examine a makeshift grave. Five missing girls, ages seven to 13, appear to have been murdered, though the six severed left arms in the grave leave one missing child unaccounted for. The close-knit team, headed by criminologist Dr. Goran Gavila, home in on a suspect, but it all seems too easy. While the man is clearly guilty of a crime, he may not be the serial killer they've christened "Albert," thus setting off an elaborate cat-and-mouse game between the real killer and his pursuers. Familiar crime thriller tropes include the damaged cop and the haunted profiler, but Carrisi spins an engagingly gruesome tale. (Jan.)