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The Whisper and The Runaway
Some cities eat their witnesses. Detroit just makes them disappear.
When fifteen-year-old foster kid Marley Stevenson overhears the wrong conversation in a Detroit public library, she doesn't know the name of the man who saw her hear it. She learns it fast. Mark Freeling is a fixer, the kind who moves through a city like water, patient and inevitable, and he has just handed a city official authorization to silence a journalist named Vivienne Marsh.
Now Marsh is being hunted. And so is Marley.
With the police chasing a false robbery report filed by the Deputy Mayor and Freeling's men working the grid between them, Marley has two a sketchbook full of evidence and a cryptic message on a phone app that shouldn't exist.
You are not the only one watching him.
In Detroit's shadow economy, where information moves through Night Market stalls and dead drops in library books, two people are already in motion. Jackie Rage, who built her reputation on knowing everything and selling only what won't get anyone killed. And an old man in a forgotten basement who has been watching this city's corruption for fifty years, since before the internet, since before anyone thought to call it a network.
He calls himself the Whisper.
He doesn't call himself a hero.
A modern noir mystery set in the bones of a city that never stopped fighting, THE WHISPER AND THE RUNAWAY is for readers who like their justice quiet, their tradecraft real, and their moral lines drawn in pencil.
When fifteen-year-old foster kid Marley Stevenson overhears the wrong conversation in a Detroit public library, she doesn't know the name of the man who saw her hear it. She learns it fast. Mark Freeling is a fixer, the kind who moves through a city like water, patient and inevitable, and he has just handed a city official authorization to silence a journalist named Vivienne Marsh.
Now Marsh is being hunted. And so is Marley.
With the police chasing a false robbery report filed by the Deputy Mayor and Freeling's men working the grid between them, Marley has two a sketchbook full of evidence and a cryptic message on a phone app that shouldn't exist.
You are not the only one watching him.
In Detroit's shadow economy, where information moves through Night Market stalls and dead drops in library books, two people are already in motion. Jackie Rage, who built her reputation on knowing everything and selling only what won't get anyone killed. And an old man in a forgotten basement who has been watching this city's corruption for fifty years, since before the internet, since before anyone thought to call it a network.
He calls himself the Whisper.
He doesn't call himself a hero.
A modern noir mystery set in the bones of a city that never stopped fighting, THE WHISPER AND THE RUNAWAY is for readers who like their justice quiet, their tradecraft real, and their moral lines drawn in pencil.
108 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 20, 2026
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 22, 2026
This was a cleverly written and engaging modern noir that held my interest throughout. Marley is a strong and believable young protagonist, and her growth feels natural as she navigates danger and uncertainty.
The layered mystery, gritty Detroit setting, and underground information network create a compelling atmosphere. I especially appreciated the subtle nostalgic connection to classic storytelling traditions, which added depth without distracting from the modern tone.
A strong start to what looks like an engaging series.
The layered mystery, gritty Detroit setting, and underground information network create a compelling atmosphere. I especially appreciated the subtle nostalgic connection to classic storytelling traditions, which added depth without distracting from the modern tone.
A strong start to what looks like an engaging series.
Displaying 1 of 1 review