Books On Tour (Review): Little Whispers by K. L. Slater

In my opinion, good psychological thrillers lay a groundwork of “normality,” drop a few hints here and there to let the reader know that all is not as it seems, and then start unraveling everything building to what I call “the big reveal.” I’m happy to say that this book mostly succeeds in the formula.

Right from the start, we know that there is some dark secret that Janey’s mom confesses to her from her death bed. It takes a long time to find out what that actual secret is, but there are clues dropped in the form of a few flashback chapters, as well as in Janey’s own memories. As the past takes shape, the question becomes how it fits into the main plot. And that’s where it gets a tad foggy.

I enjoyed the main thrust of the story. I could relate to Janey and how she felt moving to a new area where she didn’t fit in. With her mom’s recent death still fresh, her young son having to adjust, and a husband who had pushed it all to happen quickly, Janey had a lot going on. Safe to say that nothing is as it seems throughout it all.

Which of the Buckingham Crescent mummies is lying? Which is hiding something? Can any of them be trusted? And why is Janey’s husband Isaac being so cagey about everything? And really, what DOES the deathbed secret have to do with it all?

There are quite a few twists and turns along the way. The author does a good job of tying everything up by the end, and I was satisfied with the resolution. I did think that the first half was a tad drawn out; I kept waiting for something “bigger” to happen. But once the flashback chapters entered into the narrative, things took off at a rapid pace, and it was a page-turner for the rest of the book.

There were still a few stumbles. Janey’s behavior at school towards a student was shocking. Even in the face of what she was dealing with, it seemed very out of character (not to mention that she would have been out on her butt in a heartbeat regardless of the reason in most schools).

That, and I thought Rowan got a little left behind in the whole story as one of his actions was out of character, but then sort of glossed over. They didn’t distract me from the story (well, Janey’s kind of did), because the rest of the action was still swirling.

I also thought that the “big reveal” was good, but because of how it functioned within the main plot, I wish that there had been a bit more revelation earlier. As it stood, it seemed a little manipulative. Which now that I think about it, is precisely how it was used: to manipulate a situation.  So maybe that’s all okay then.

On a side note, I thought that the commentary on social standing and the importance of money was interesting and accurate. The author excelled at truly illustrating how money is at the root of all evil. I’ll leave it at that. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for summer reading.

Author Bio:
For many years, Kim sent her work out to literary agents but never made it off the slush pile. At the age of 40 she went back to Nottingham Trent University and now has an MA in Creative Writing.

Before graduating, she received five offers of representation from London literary agents which was, as Kim says, ‘a fairytale … at the end of a very long road!’

Kim is a full-time writer and lives in Nottingham with her husband, Mac.