The Dead Whisper On

by T.L. Hines

Would You Run Into a Burning Building? Candace "Canada Mac" MacHugh lives a ghost of her former life. Once a proud Butte, Montana, miner who daily risked her life setting explosives, she's now a garbage collector in her dying hometown. Her beloved father is dead and she doesn't speak with her mom. Canada Mac is alone. Longing for the past. Dreaming of making a difference. Until one night when her father's voice speaks to her from the shadows. The dead, it seems, have messages they hunger to share with the world--warnings of impending disasters and grave danger. Of cities doomed to burn. But they need Canada's help.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Christian

320 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007

About the author

TL Hines writes "Noir Bizarre" stories, mixing mysteries with oddities in books such as Waking Lazarus, The Dead Whisper On, and The Unseen, Faces in the Fire, and The Falling Away.

Currently, he’s writing and directing a feature film adaptation of his first novel, Waking Lazarus, with a Kickstarter campaign currently active at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...

Reviews

[RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN · Rating 3 out of 5]

RICK ““SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “WE MAY HAVE A STEPHEN KING JR. WAITING IN THE SHADOWS!”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a science fiction thriller, that revolves around “Canada” MacHugh, a former demolition mine specialist, turned garbage collector, in Butte, Montana. Her father, also a miner, died eleven years earlier, with his last words to his daughter being a promise, that if there was any way possible, to communicate with her from “the other side”, he would do it. One night, while on a trash run, she thinks she hears her father’s voice from the shadows. That one, eery moment, leads to the unraveling of a sinister plot, that could not only destroy the entire city of Butte, but could eventually, lead to the end of life as the world knows it.

The reader is then bombarded, with an onslaught of shadow characters, that cannot really be seen, but are more like “undulating waves.” In Canada’s trailer, her father’s, “shadow character”, undulates, on her couch, “like a wave, moving back and forth, like surf on a beach.” Without giving away too much of the story; the horror grows, as billions of shadowy spiders, are added to the mix, and then people start turning gray, and body parts, turn to ash, and they disintegrate, leaving behind, what could easily be confused, with the remnants from an urn, or a spilled ash tray.

There is a time or two, where the reader can be confused, as to, who is who, and what is good, and what is bad; and not, as a part of the writer’s plot. In the midst of shadowy characters and spiders, throw in a few supposed government agents, and Canada has her hands full.

Oh yea! For good measure, let’s throw in “THE GOLEM, FROM JEWISH MYSTICISM!” With a little polish, on future plots, this young author, has the potential to knock on the door of Stephen King’s neighborhood.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its...fine. The story is relatively unique and has some interesting twists. The characters themselves, however, are flat in my reading. I wouldn't say it was hard to get to, but I also didn't find myself rushing to pick up the book again after setting it down. I'm also not entirely sure what the message is intended to be, as the book is marketed as a Christian book but doesn't seem to really have a Christian message. Hope...I guess?? But the hope offered is in works, ie doing things for others. This is not the believer 's hope, as we cannot earn our way through our own strength. For that matter, if the book has a message it seems to be relying on your own strength...not exactly a great one.

[Jen Tyes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not impressed with this story. I was still left with so many questions. There was so much potential in the story but I guess I just don’t enjoy this author’s writing style. I finished so that says something.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure I'll ever look at Butte quite the same again....

[Oppossum24 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. great plot twist at the end

[Tyora Moody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Canada MacHugh’s life is interrupted on a garbage collection day. Moving along her route, minding her own business, Canada hears her father’s voice out of the shadows . The only problem. Her dad has been dead for eleven years. Not sure whether she’s losing her mind or really hearing her father’s voice, Canada reflects on her life after her father’s death. Is she really where she wants to be? What if the voice is her father? When she starts believing the voice really is her father, Canada trades her dull life for new adventures.

Canada soon finds herself on new missions that often lead her down scary and confusing paths. The people she encounter are intense and a little on the loony side as well. After one mission in particular, Canada starts to question her sanity. Is the voice really her father? If not, who’s guiding Canada. Soon Canada will find herself enlisting others to fight an evil force that has invaded life and her Montana home.

T.L .Hines debut novel, Waking Lazarus, was one of my favorite books from 2006. Both of his novels center around death, but Hines approached each plot with a totally different angle. I really liked the heroine Canada MacHugh. You don’t find many protagonist like her in Christian fiction. It was refreshing to see a woman in a leadership role. Canada could be vulnerable, longing to hear her father’s voice and on the other hand she was willing to fight in a "man’s world" to save others.

The spiritual elements of this novel centers on the presence of evil and how it invades our lives. The story is tight and fast paced. I am still not sure whether I like this book better than the first book. They both are really good reads. Hines is definitely an author to continue to watch for future thrillers that take Christian fiction to another level.

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm new to the genre of 'spiritual thrillers', and I'm still not entirely sure what to think about them, but this one was a far cry better than the last one I came across. The characters are believable and engaging, and the first half of the book especially is wonderfully creepy. Further into the book, things begin to get more predictable and didactic (which has, admittedly, been my problem with spiritual/christian fiction and thrillers in the past), so the book lost some of its momentum for me. As characters figure things out in this genre, the reader invariably figures out which characters are going to be fine, and the basics of what's going to happen, along with why...this might be unavoidable, but it does slow down the story and make it fairly predictable. If the characters had had more depth, they themselves might have compelled me more fully, but if there is one downfall to the book outside of predictability, it's that the characters could be far more interesting and complex than they are. Right now, all of their complexities are tied up in things which directly relate to the story, and with everything so perfectly neat and logical...well, it takes away what reality the story could otherwise hold.

On the whole, I loved the creepiness of the first half of the book, and even when I knew exactly what would happen (maybe 75 pages from the ending on page 314), I was still entertained enough to want to continue reading. And, really, it was well written--I just would have preferred a bit more depth to characters, and a bit less predictability. When you tie a supernatural thriller's plot to faith, however, my fear is that the end will always end up being rather predictable, along with climaxes and explanations. They may be surprises to the characters themselves, but no smart reader will be surprised by end results.

[Nike Chillemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sometimes flippant heroine of The Dead Whisper On is a copper miner's daughter who followed in her dad's footsteps into the mines and now that the mines are shut down has become a garbage collector. Candace "Canada Mac" MacHugh has a promise from her dad, who died eleven year ago, that he'll contact her again, so she's not surprised when she hears his disembodied voice whispering to her. He wants her to join him in a network of operatives who work with the shadow world in doing good and publicizing it to the media. However, I was surprised that she so easily left everything to follow her ghostly father. As she's being initiated as a "spook" in this network she finds it's hard to tell who's telling the truth. When she finally does figure out where the truth lies in all of this, she begins coming across horrifying shadow spiders and people who are spontaneously combusting. The book is not overtly Christian, but definitely deals in good vs. evil. There is an evil appearing golem who sometimes quotes the Bible, but that's about it. The book's biggest plus is its heroine. Canada Mac is a feisty gal who is very likeable and the reader will want her to succeed. However, I feel the author gets bogged down in the details of some of the plot twists and turns which took away from the book's mystery and suspense. Some of the explanations just didn't work. At one point I was wondering how this network run by ghosts was financed as its human operatives seemed to have the latest in spy technology at their finger tips.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is as close to horror as I'm likely to come to read. Candace misses her dead father terribly, so when his voice speaks to her from the shadows she is ready to do just about anything to still be able to communicate with him. But is the voice speaking to her really her father, and is this new secretive life she's leading really for the good? Candace has to find out the answers to these questions in a spiritual journey that takes her through the darkness and shows her how to find hope. But be forewarned--there is a lot of darkness for her to go through. This was an adventure with many elements of horror in it, I managed it OK but if you are easily creeped out it probably isn't for you. But if you like dark adventure/thriller stories than I would recommend this one for it's plot full of suspense, twist and turns, and nail-biting situations.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really liked this book!! I was expecting something totally different, I cant say why, but it doesn't matter, this book was exactly what I was looking for in spookiness, in thrill, in the fear factor, in ghosts ect..I had a very hard time putting the book down, also, I could see there being a sequel, though it is not meant to have one. 5 stars.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much easier to follow than his first book. Interesting take on what may happen after you die, but doesn't necessarily answer any of the important questions. Left me a little puzzled and wondering if I had skipped a few pages somewhere.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

T.L. Hines is a mediocre author. His books have great premises, but then it doesn't quite feel right at the end. Things just "work out at the end" and characters show up without any good reason except possible telekenisis (sarcasm).

[Todd Noorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read. Nothing mind-blowing or really deep, but fast-paced and interesting. My biggest peeve as a reader is with dialogue that isn't believable, and there were flashes of that here, but there have been worse. I gave it four stars because, as I said, it's a fun, fast read.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting kind of sci fi

[Cindy Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

ugh, never finished. started skimming and kept on skimming.

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. Just Ugh.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a decent read but not the type of book I typically read. Fans of Ted Dekker & Stephen King will love it.

[Jeanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Christian author. The story line is a little bleak in places, but it ends well. Hints at spiritual warfare.