The Sound of a Scream

by John Manning

No Turning Back

Point Woebegone. From the moment Daphne May steps off the train, it's clear that this small Maine town is aptly named. Even before she reaches Swallowtail, the windswept house where she'll be working as a governess, Daphne's sense of foreboding is justified.

Nowhere To Hide

A waitress's gruesome death sets the whole town on edge--especially the wealthy, eccentric Witherspoon family. There are rumors, hostile whispers. Daphne tries to adjust to her strange surroundings and difficult pupil, finding a friend in local property developer Gregory Winston. Then a killer strikes again--and again. . .

No Accidents

A psychopath is culling his victims with brutal precision, and Daphne's arrival is far from random. But knowledge may come too late to save her from the secrets in her past, with a killer hiding in plain sight. . .

"Brilliantly executed. . .this one is not to be missed!" --Kevin O'Brien, New York Times bestselling author on All the Pretty Dead Girls

"If you like Dean Koontz, you'll love John Manning!" --Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling author

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Suspense, Fiction

380 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

John Manning lives in Boston and Los Angeles and several points in between. A connoisseur of horror films, he especially loves the great made-for-television movies of the 1970s, where the devil always seemed to be lurking around the corner of a college dormitory or a suburban mansion.

Reviews

[Regina]

Very much enjoyed this book. At times it was even hard to put down. Very similar read to his other books, but my fear of clowns had me way more spooked. One night I kept reading until morning because I was afraid to go back to sleep while it was dark! If you know how to enjoy a good storyline and can look past any spelling, writing, or grammatical errors (there aren't many, but I have seen people focus on them in other reviews) it's a good read. I recommend this book to anyone that lives to get a little creeped out with a scary book.

[Allen]

Such a great book! It keeps you on the edge of your seat for sure. Like others have said in their reviews, there are a good many typos in this book. The way I look at that though is like a good friend, someone that may not be perfect, but deep inside is still a great friend! So you should look past the typos and read this great book that is by far very much worth your time!

[Clay]

I read this in 2019 and I have yet to read a book that I like more than this one. I found it thrilling and sometimes I wouldn't go to sleep until early in the morning because I just could not put it down. It is so spooky and interesting and I highly recommend it.

[Jeff]

There was a lot of good and a lot of not so good in this book:
Good- the overall story is well set up. The past history of murders/ revenge/ multiple potential suspects are all done well
- good setting. The isolated locale with a winter storm is good.
- Obvious nods to Stephen King with a Maine setting with clowns.

Not so good- The main characters continual internal reflections- Should I stay here? Where can I go? What is destiny? Is ___ the murderer or is it ____? It gets old/whiny very quickly to the point entire pages can be skipped.
- The fact no one simply left! As another reviewer mentioned, it veers too close to bad 1980's horror movies.
- The ending! While Manning does a good job walking the difficult line between supernatural and human-induced horror, the way it is resolved is simply awful.

Still a decent book and satisfied my horror desires for now.

[S. Policar]

I found this book at my local Dollar General for $3 and figured why not, I like a good murder mystery. I wasn't expecting a murder mystery with such strong horror elements; it was a pleasant surprise!
This book mixes your typical murder mystery with the gore of horror and hints of the paranormal that make it really hard to put down.
There are some small issues with the editing, but nothing drastic enough to impede reading speed, or that distract more than just minimally.
I think I'll definitely look for more from this author, if his other works are filled with as many twists and turns as this one was.
I give this book 4 of 5 Paws.

[Marianne Stehr]

This review needs to start with I do not read ghost stories. This is the number one reason I did not like this book. The second reason is everyone has lost common sense in this book. It is as if I am watching a bad 1980’s horror flick oh there is a killer let’s lock ourselves in the basement and wait for him. I read it all but I have no idea why. Not. For. Me.

[Anna Frey]

Great book would def read more of his books great twist and turns

[Sheila]

Really more a romance novel than a true thriller. A young woman raised in a convent decides to take a job as a governess in a small town. When she disenbarks from the train, noone is there to meet her and a storm is looming. She accepts a ride to a local pub where she makes a phone call to a taxi. Before the taxi arrives, she discovers a waitress dead in the bathroom stall. She is traumatized. She sees someone dressed as a clown sitting in a booth at the back of the restaurant but noone else sees him. The house where she is employed is huge and she discovers the owner's grandfather was a serial killer years before. He dressed as a clown persuading young children to follow him before he murdered them. It seems a copycat killer has returned. It was fairly easy to figure out who the murderer was before the end of the book. The main character was portrayed as very unworldly and too shallow for my liking.

[Lori Schiele]

The Sound of a Scream was a fast-paced and enjoyable combination of horror, mystery and psychological thriller.
A young woman, born an orphan and raised by nuns, is hired to be the governess to the child of a reclusive rich family in Point Woebegone, Maine (a fitting name). But, the first day she arrives, she discovers the body of a murdered woman. It is the first dead body Daphne May has seen, but is most certainly not the last.
As she seeks the mystery of her childhood, Daphne must also help identify the killer before everyone living in the manor house is murdered.

I give the author kudos for attempting to offer clues so that the reader is constantly wondering who the murderer is; however, to me, the identity of the killer was quite obvious not even 1/3 of the way done! That was disappointing and rather than provide an "Ah ha!" moment, it caused an "I thought so" feeling.

[Katie C.]

This is overall an easy-to-read and fast-paced novel that will spook you at the end of just about every chapter. It was hard for me to put it down, especially every time I get to the end of a chapter! I guessed who the killer was when I was about a third of the way into the book, but that didn't stop me from finishing it. I wanted to make sure I was right (hahaha). I was still surprised in the end. The twist in the ending was unexpected for me.


Two cons:
1. There were quite some grammatical errors, but they didn't bother me enough to make me want to stop reading.
2. The main character's thoughts became a little too repetitive for me. But these events were to happen in real life, one would have the same thoughts over and over as well.

Recommended!

[Melanie Chabrol-]

Can we say FANTASTIC! Point Woebegone in Maine is a little small town, and a job brought Daphne May to the town. IMMEDIATELY she is warned to not to to Witherspoon residence, from a complete stranger and a cab driver.
Although she is going to be treaching the troublemaker Christopher the prankster. On her first day there she goes to a bar to have a coffee and goes to the ladies room and bam, sees a dead body in the ladies room. What else is Daphne's fate? She lived in a church and was brought up with nuns, will she ever learn to live the other life and is there really fate at the residence find out in THE SOUND OF A SCREAM. This is also the first book i have read of John Manning

[Brandon]

Thrilling book. Kept me on edge the whole entire time I was reading it. I must admit the twist of finding out who the copycat killer and the accomplice were was extremely unnerving and unexpected to this reader. I was guessing about everybody in the book could be the copycat killer as the author never gave any details until near the twist as to who the copycat killer was. The accomplice was never given away until late in the book by a simple slip of the tongue. Just a masterful piece of writing. I recommend it for everyone as it will keep you on the edge of your seats and you won't want to put it down.

[Marnie]

Okay, so this book is about a coopycat serial killer, that seeks revenge on the family of the original murder. This book was highly predictable, and because of this, I was a bit disappointed. The thing that kept me going was my fear of clowns after reading "It". Which the killer has to dress up like. So of course, this is the whole part that spooked me. Overall, ok read.

[Jolene]

OH MY GOSH!!!! SUCH A GOOD BOOK!!! HAD ME ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT WONDERING IF MR PETER WITHERSPOON, SR's GHOST HAD COME BACK FROM THE GRAVE 20+ YEARS LATER TO FINISH HIS MURDEROUS RAMPAGE OR IF THERE WAS A COPY CAT KILLER AROUND!!!!

A MUST READ BOOK!!!

[John D Ottini]

Wonderful mystery, with all of the charm, atmosphere (and of course, murder) of a Poe novel. Lots of twists and turns. false flags and interesting eccentric characters will keep you turning the pages trying to figure out who done it.

[Elizabeth]

This was a good book. Loved the story line. Kept me in suspence.

[Jess]

Some critics put his writing on a level with Dean Koontz. Not even close. Ok, but writing style is rather immature.

[Gevera Piedmont]

Very modern gothic. Governess, history of murders, isolated house on a cliff full of rich eccentrics and a psycho child. Add in a crazy clown and "pop goes the weasel."

[Aubrianna Heaps]

This is fantastic book love it!!!!

[Jenn]

It was ok, I picked out the killer mid book. Was a dry run first few chapters but was able to quickly read the rest with ease. Would I recommend it.. sure, its got thriller, love, and family drama.

[Daniel Stapleton]

This was a gift from my daughter. I liked it, especially condsiderimg it came from her :) I think it's a decent read.