Work is a welcome refuge for New Orleans homicide detective Evangeline Theroux. Feeling suffocated by her new baby, in whose eyes she sees only her dead husband, she throws herself into a high-profile murder case.Reclusive writer Lena Saunders offers Evangeline a provocative theory about the it is the work of a lunatic vigilante. Lena spins the sordid story of Ruth and Rebecca Lemay, whose mother brutally murdered her male children in an insane effort to root out an “evil” gene. The girls survived and grew to adulthood-but one is carrying on her mother’s grisly work.When the case takes a terrifyingly personal turn, Evangeline’s whole life will depend on a crucial, impossible the lesser of two evils.
Amanda Stevens is the award-winning author of over fifty novels, including the modern gothic series, The Graveyard Queen. Her books have been described as eerie and atmospheric, “a new take on the classic ghost story.” Born and raised in the rural south, she now resides in Houston, Texas, where she enjoys binge-watching, bike riding and the occasional Horror Night with friends.
I dislike psychological thrillers but Amanda’s individual mysteries are exceptions. I opened “The Whispering Room”, 2009, to get it over with. I liked it better than expected and raced through it. Vile crimes of this fictional story were not going to garner five stars but I considered it four star reading, until after I assessed some clichés and excesses. This is quite a good mystery. I enjoyed visiting New Orleans and Amanda plants us vividly in that place. She excels at peopling books with well-rounded personalities and histories; including extended family members.
Evangeline is a policewoman with a caring senior partner. Her police husband died before J.D. was born but she has parents, a brother, and a babysitter nearby. I do not relate to feeling neutral about a newborn but a threat to baby J.D. removed the grief of his resemblance to his Dad. Evangeline’s partner’s speech was fraught with grating, erroneous “have got” contractions. Redundancy was also committed by the narration. New Orleans must indeed be hot or rainy. Say so and please avoid referring to the weather every time a scene changes.
The plot is a thirty year-old bayou crime in which a woman killed sons, to eliminate the evil gene of her abusive, molesting husband. He followed a religion that set snakes after people. In present day, Evangeline’s team investigates a connection between people killed by snakes. The web of origins was impressive.
Readers know the protagonist will deal with a snake but a creepy guy tossed them at people so often, the gimmick lost its horror. It was an outright cliché that Evangeline’s showdown was at the murder house in the bayou. The addled identity was well-concealed. A gross misstep is that a policewoman bent on safety would not put a key outside for a babysitter!
New Orleans homicide detective Evangeline Theroux has hit a rough spot in her life. She is a widow after her husband Johnny Theroux, who was also a New Orleans police officer, was shot three times and killed in what appeared to be a drug hit.
She has a 5 month old baby who she feels disconnected from. Not that she’s a bad mother. She’s definitely not. She just feels that she hasn’t done enough to earn the love of the precocious little boy and he looks too much like Johnny to get past the resemblance.
Evangeline is something of an outcast among her fellow officers. They find her to be a cold fish, cynical, tough, confident, and tenacious enough to earn the nickname Ghoul girl. What they don’t understand, since they are mostly men, is that women have to work 100 percent harder than men on the job in order to earn any semblance of respect from their counterparts. She also has the highest clearance rate of any murder cop in the city.
Evie and her partner Mitchell Hebert end up with a bizarre case of a man who was killed by snake bites. Not just one or two, but numerous. The man was a high profile lawyer to a scum bag drug runner who we learn, has his hands in everything including corrupt Police Officers. If that wasn’t enough to pique the interests of many people, Evie and Mitchell find out that the dead mans own brother was killed in a similar way; bitten by snakes.
Evie soon finds that her own life and as well that of her 5 year old son JD, has turned into a puzzle of its own. The FBI under Special Agent Declan Nash has been keeping an eye on Evie and tried to keep her away from the nefarious drug dealer to save her from the same fate that killed her husband. Soon thereafter, a strange man and blond woman are seen not only at her house, but at her mother’s as well and someone continues to leave origami birds lying around for Evie to find.
After pulling Evie from the case, her captain Angelette Lapierre advises Evie that she needs to find time to speak to a true crime writer named Lena Saunders. Saunders claims that she may have the answers to who the real killer of Paul Courtland is, as well as answers to her husband’s death but will only speak to Evie.
Lena spins a story about the Lemay family who 30 years ago, was left devastated after the mother, Mary Alice Lemay, killed her two young sons. Lena tells Evie about the two surviving sisters Rebecca and Ruth, who may have helped their mother kill their brothers because they contained the evil gene. There was another survivor to the nightmare; a little baby girl that was born at the same time Mary Alice was killing her two boys. If you connect the dots, you will find out almost immediately who the baby is, and why her own son has been targeted to be killed off.
Whispering Room transverses 30 years from the start of the book, to the final conclusion. It is the story of a mother’s fight to save the life of her little boy from being just another victim of those who truly are sick and disturbed into believing there is a so called Evil Gene within their family. It is also the awakening of Evie to the discovery that her husband wasn’t who she thought he was, and finding the means to move on with someone else to care about and love instead of reveling in self-pity.
I’ve always liked the setting of New Orleans for the background for any story. The city itself has a steep history that truly hasn’t been fully explored enough in my opinion. The story takes place after Katrina came through New Orleans and forever changed the landscape and the people who lived there. It does take a shot at police corruption in New Orleans, but that is fact, not fiction as anyone who has read the news or has lived in Louisiana for any period of time is well aware of. It's the nature of the beast called Louisiana politics.
One thing, if you don’t like snakes, and I don’t mean just one, or two, but a whole shit load of snakes--you might want to keep the light on when you read this book otherwise you will find yourself looking under your couch, and bed, and everywhere else you might think to find a snake.
I've become a fan of Stevens writing after reading her solo works The Dollmaker, and The Devil's Footprints, as well as the Restorer an Urban fantasy novel which is the first book in the Graveyard Queen series. I look forward to reading the second book in the series called The Kingdom when it releases April 1, 2012.
The Whispering Room is a story of pure evil. Evil that is lurking around every corner which has now landed on the doorstep of Detective Evangeline Theroux’s (“Evie”) home.
Evie’s a highly decorated detective with the New Orleans Police Department (“NOPD”). She’s tough and smart and once she gets her hooks into something, she won’t let go. As tough as she is, she’s having difficulty dealing with the death of her husband, Johnny, a year ago. Johnny was also a detective with the NOPD and his murder was never solved. Evie has a lot on her plate. While trying to get the respect of her fellow officers and deal with her emotions about Johnny, she’s trying, without success, to bond with her 5-month old son, J.D. On top of all this, she’s just found out her parents are separating; she and her partner are in the midst of trying to solve a recent murder; and everywhere she turns the FBI just happens to be there. With all of this, Evie is waiting for the other shoe to drop which it does with a big thud. Strange things are occurring. Evie knows and feels something is not right and that it has entered her and her son’s lives.
I have to say that with the bizarre murder case, the death of her husband and strange happenings, I really didn’t think the story would end well. I was mistaken. Stevens wraps up the intertwining stories really well. The ending itself was one I didn’t foresee.
Without being overly-descriptive, the author gives the readers a clear picture of the lush surroundings of New Orleans, making you feel like you’re in the midst of what’s going on. This is probably why I found it to be a bit creepy every so often while reading the book. Just thinking about it now makes me shudder.
This book is full of twists and turns. It’s an easy read with a story that is fast-paced and relayed well. I highly recommend reading this book especially if you like mysteries and thrillers.
I can't get over how fast I read this book! When I hear the term 'page-turner' I tend to scoff for the most part. Not many books do that for me, but this one fits the term to a honkin' big T! If I could have just stayed in one place and only read, I'd have finished it in a few hours. It was my bedside book, so I had to sleep or get up and function for the day and had to set it aside for the three nights/mornings it took. I almost didn't let it stay my bedside book as the beginning is hyper-spooky, but I put on my brave big girl panties and stuck with it and glad I did since I get more reading time in my bedside books. Evangeline Theroux is a detective with New Orleans Police Department. She is a widow after the death of her husband in the line of duty, a single mother to the baby who won't know his daddy. Evie is very good at her job and uses the high profile murder case she catches as a lifeline to haul herself out of the abyss. Just as she starts to get an angle on the case, she yanked from it by the FBI, told that the line she is following will lead to disaster if she continues. She gets assistance from a reclusive writer with her own take on the murders. She says it's the work of a lunatic with her own agenda and Evangeline finds herself drawn in even after being removed from the case. It's become personal. The characters are written so well that I could see them in my mind's eye and some of them scared the bejeezus out of me. This is Amanda Steven's best of the three books I've read by her and I really was superbly enthralled with THE DOLLMAKER and THE DEVIL'S FOOTSTEPS. Five spooky thriller New Orleans good beans.....
I can remember reading this author's debut novel, The Dollmaker when it first came out. I was hooked. I could not get my hands on the next book, The Devil's Footprints fast enough. Since then I have read a few other books by this author. When looking for a book to read recently I jumped at the chance to pick up this book that has been siting on my to be read shelf for quite some time.
The story started out find. It was building up to be a creepy thriller. I was ready to settle in and enjoy the ride. It became apparent pretty quickly that this was not going to be the case for me with this book. I hardly missed a beat when the bodies started piling up. Lena was good as she at least was able to put pieces together and connect the dots yet when the others did not I wanted to scream "How can you not SEE the connection". While this book was a downer for me, I will still check out more books by this author.
The Whispering Room be Amanda Stevens was a surprise. I didn't think i would like it, but i enjoyed it emensely. It starts out as a slow horror story but it doesn't rely on horror alone. It brings in a crime element and phychotic people. Evangeline, a new mom to DJ, is a police detective in New Orleans, who is still grieving her murdered husband Johnny. She's still searching for his killer when she's called to the grisly scene of murdered attorney Paul Churchill. When she and her partner Mitchell interview the widow they discover his brother died the exactly same way- snake bites. Venemous snakes bites. The FBI wants Evangeline off the case fearing she will hinder their investigation into a crime lord, Sonny Betts. FBI Agent Nash reveals her husband was a dirty cop in cahoots with Betts. They show her irrefutable proof. Evangeline is devastated. When DJ is kidnapped from her mother, leaving Lynette for dead (of snake bites). Evangeline rushes off for a shoe down with evil.
If you hate snakes, this book is definitely a thriller. Evangeline Theroux is new mother, recently widowed, and a homicide detective with New Orleans P.D. She's thrown into a high profile case which she attempts to link with her husband's murder and ultimately winds up in the middle of a murder case some 30 years old. An absorbing page turner.
The prologue, a mere 9 pages, was the best part of The Whispering Room. The majority of the book was spent explaining how Det. Theroux was betrayed by her husband - at least it seemed to be the majority of the book because it was such an annoying diversion. The same goes for Sonny Bett's, the drug thug. Was he supposed to throw me off trail?
Beyond the first nine pages, I can't recommend this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I enjoyed the suspense, but the writing was definitely the most basic way to tell a story. At times, the clichés started bugging me. Like, trying to describe Evangeline's pain at losing her husband, or her love for her son. I wasn't convinced. Whatever - it was a fun read, a quick read, & I liked the twist.
New Orleans homicide detective Evangeline Theroux is a recent widow with a new baby. She throws herself into the crime of a mother who brutally murdered her male children in an insane effort to root out an "evil" gene. But the mother's daughters survived and grew to adulthood, but one is carrying on her mother's grisly work. Very good read. Absorbing, a page turner.
I am totally hooked on Amanda Stevens now. The Whispering Room was fantastic. Just when you think you have things figured out, you don't. I second guessed myself right to the very end.
First line: “ “The swamp bustled with the sounds of a summer morning.”
This particular book has been on my wish list/to be read shelf since 2009...so you can imagine how grateful I am to have finally gotten the chance to read it a whole 9 years later!
What an incredible novel! I had a lot of trouble putting it down so I would only begin to read when I got home from work in the evenings and would read until my eyes started closing!
I found New Orleans to be a very interesting setting for this novel...and I was especially terrified by all the talk of snakes (venomous or not)...but that wasn’t even the real scary part. The scary part was hidden and you would fall upon it without fully realizing what was about to happen. I absolutely love that in a novel.
All in all, an amazing read, despite the 9 years waiting to get around to it!
Evangeline is a new mother. Her husband was killed in an unsolved murder. But, Evangeline isn't trying to work that case out right now. Instead, she is a detective focused on a few murders by snakebite. The novel takes place in the atmospheric bayou of Louisiana. It sets the tone for strange happenings. Why does a couple seem to be so interested in her baby? And why is FBI agent Nash making sure she is dismissed from a case? The novel was good, but there were some loose ends that were minor, but enough to bother me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
After reading Outlander I wanted just an easy read so I chose this book. I wasn't too impressed when I first started but part way through I just couldn't wait to pick it up again. Read the whole thing in two days. Twist and turns that I never saw coming. I really enjoyed it and it was an easy and fast read.
It took me a little bit to get into it, but most books have these days for some reason. This one I could not put down. Finished it in just a few days along with a busy work schedule. I've always been infatuated with New Orleans, I've only been there once, in 1992. No spoilers here, I enjoyed this book, hope you do too! It definitely left me wanting to read more.... On to my next book.
Le meilleur des thrillers que j'ai jusqu'ici. Les thématiques (la mort, les enquêtes policière, les dificultés familiales, le deuil) sont toutes bien amenés et les intrigues sont toutes plus folles les unes des autres. Dommage que l'auteur s'attarde sur certain élément inutiles, mais la fin est divine. Je recommande à 100% %.
This was not at all what I expected iy to be. Man, I was seriously suckered punch not realizing the rug was goung to be snatched underneath me like this book. All for the sake of a strong belief of getting rid of the male population in this family dynamic.
Maybe 3.5 stars. Not as involving as the first of the trilogy. Felt like we were plodding along to get to the end of this one so the third book could wind things up. I like Jane Hawk, but some of her actions are quite beyond believable for me. Looking forward to the last book.