The Whispering Gallery

Snow Hill #2

by Mark Sanderson

A gripping and evocative mystery set in 30s London, in which a young journalist goes on the trail of a serial killer On a sweltering day in July 1937, reporter John Steadman is in London's St Paul's Cathedral waiting for his girlfriend ! But romance is pushed aside when he witnesses a man falling to his death from the Whispering Gallery, killing a priest in the process. Did he jump or was he pushed? Two days later Johnny receives the first of a series of grim packages at the offices of his newspaper, the Daily News. Each contains the body part of a woman and an enigmatic note, one of which says that he will be the murderer's final victim. To catch a killer, Johnny must set himself up as bait -- with police and a fascinated public looking on. But he still has to uncover the tragic truth behind the double-death in the cathedral!

Genres: Crime, Fiction, London

400 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2011

Reviews

[Cerisaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are aspects of this series I like, such as the period atmosphere of pre-war London, and the complicated relationship between lead characters, maverick newspaper reporter Johnny Steadman and his best friend since schooldays, PC Matt Turner. On the other hand the novels rely on sensationalist plot lines and revel in gruesome sexual violence that is depicted with a salaciousness I find disturbing, verging on torture porn. The writing can be a bit clumsy, with a tendency to tell rather than show and over-inclusion of detail gleaned from research that slows down the narrative. Yet I read on, mostly I admit, in the hope Johnny and Matt will finally admit (to themselves and each other) their true feelings for each other. Matt's wife Lizzie is portrayed sympathetically, which I appreciate since too often female characters coming between two men are given very short shift by writers keen to explore m/m relationships, though there just isn't the same emotion in my response to Matt and Stella (or Stella and Johnny) that I feel with Matt and Johnny. Johnny isn't always easy to like or admire, especially impulses such as him wanting to push girlfriend Stella downstairs when she doesn't do what he wants. There is a whiff, too, of the "all gays are paedophiles" trope, though Sanderson does convincingly depict the risks and consequences facing LGBT people in the time period, forced underground by law and public attitudes, living double lives based on deception, open to blackmail and exploitation.

[El · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an odd book. The storyline is interesting enough but it seems to lose pace and interest in itself at times. Some of the details are horrific (I can’t go into detail without spoilers) but people’s responses to them are banal. There are also anachronisms which jar and the ending was contrived and unbelievable. Also, people in this period appear to believe strongly in other characters “giving their word” that they won’t go to the police, break a confidence, etc with alarming gullibility. I felt that the editor failed in not tightening up the plot or removing some of the more unbelievable parts. For example, the fate of Simpson was mentioned as if it was perfectly acceptable. Seriously? Finally, the author needs to write more female characters into his book which is heavily male-dominated. Despite this, I was quite interested in seeing what happened, it was easy enough to read and I liked the main character. I think there is one more book in this series so I will read that and see how book 3 has evolved.

[Alan Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book, fast paced and builds upon the first in the series. The characters develop as we move along, with the growth of a number of new individuals.

Parts of the plot felt a little disconnected and clunky, and I'd say this is more of an Agatha Raisin than an Agatha Christie in that it's less cerebral and more just sit back and enjoy the ride. Try not to overthink it.

There are a lot of gory, gruesome aspects to this book, perhaps it could have been dialled down a touch.

An improvement on Snow Hill, so let's see what the next book has in store.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good page-turner. The story telling was a bit clunky in places but I really liked the 1937 setting in London. A good three stars.

[Kevin Grinham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started well but seemed to get a bit lost in it's self

[Helen W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Lots of twists turns.

[Nicole Manuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Quick read!

[Jeremy Jl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast read but just to get through it.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

A satisfactory period thriller primarily concerned with weaving a grisly plot to keep the reader turning the pages. If you like to think that you know your way around London you may enjoy following the routes that main character Johnny Sanderson describes in detail as he makes his way around London on the trail of a crazed criminal - but if not I suspect you won't find his itineraries quite so interesting. The plot is very sensationalist - much like the stories Johnny's bosses at the tabloid he works for are always trying to squeeze out of him. Probably one for fans of the genre.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I read this too quickly but the pace seemed off and the structure of the Kindle edition threw me more than once with paras bumping into each other when they were really separate sections. Added to that, the lists of street names sometimes seemed like the point of the book.
There's a good story in here struggling to get out and the more I think about the book the more I realise I might be being unfair to it.

[Princesscj1989 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to the cover, but as they say never judge a book by it's cover :-). Anyway it's a good book but just not my style.

John is a journalist who is waiting for his girlfriend when a man falls from a gallery and on top of a priest killing them both. A few days later he starts to receive grim packages. What really happened in the gallery that day? And why are these packages coming to him?

[Nipun Jain]

Great story line.. ending was quite lame. a must read for London city lovers..!!

[David Stimpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

yes ..the more i read the more i liked it

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Passable got good in the last 2 chapters but on the whole i have better things to read.