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Book Review By Sandra Calhoune
Whisper of Evil by Kay Hooper


When Nell Gallagher returns to her southern hometown of Silence in order to settle the estate of her deceased father, Adam Gallagher, she is plunged into a nightmare. Nell hasn't been back in Silence for over ten years, having left under mysterious circumstances. Now, the town of Silence is being plagued by the murders of some of its most illustrious male citizens. Nell comes face to face with her high school love, Max Tanner, who she stood up at the prom the night she fled Silence. Max has always resented Nell for leaving him without a word of explanation. Unbeknownst to Max, Nell left Silence after being plagued by gruesome images of death and destruction. Although Max was aware that Nell suffered from blackouts and had visions, he had no idea of the violence of her premonitions or that she was hearing voices. Once back in Silence, Nell's dark nightmare returns as she imagines horrible scenes of death that may relate to the present-day murders. As Max finds himself the number one suspect of town sheriff, Ethan Cole, Nell reveals to Max that she is now a member of an elite FBI team comprised of psychics. Nell, along with other members of her FBI team, are in Silence in order to catch the killer. However, Nell is unaware that the killer is watching her every move and invading her thoughts and nightmares. When Nell's estranged older sister Hailey returns to Silence, she brings with her long-kept family secrets and a motive for murder.


Plot & Themes
Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain? - Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70%
Special suspect? - lover
Misc. Murder Plotlets - character killed during/after sexing - Big focus on forensic evidence
Kind of investigator
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
descript. of violence and chases - 40 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 %
Crime Thriller Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes
Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story? Yes

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's
Has special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
Ethnicity/Race

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Has special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
Motive of antagonist - insanity
How sensitive is this character?
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Deep South

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - very gorey references to deaths/dead bodies and torture
Explicit sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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