04/16/2021
The Midwest Book Review is one of the most trusted book reviewers in the whole world, I am beyond humbled by their review of Whispers An American Legend
Whispers: An American Legend
Bonné Bartron
Independently Published
979-8693420434
$24.99 Hardcover; $12.99 Paper; $7.99 Kindle
Website: www.whispersbooks.com
Ordering: https://www.amazon.com/Whispers-American.../dp/B08KH2KDGR
Whispers: An American Legend opens with five-year-old Lucy Ann Talbet, a "fairy tale of a human being" who is playing hide and seek in the old Talbot colonial mansion with her brother Jeffrey when disaster strikes. Mister Tasty Treats has lured her into the woods beyond the family home. The disaster reverberates until it comes to rest in another time, when three sisters find their dream vacation turned into a nightmare.
Whispers is a unique story of social and family danger that reaches into disparate lives with a powerful threat by Mister Tasty Treats. The kidnapper has struck again, taking Stacey's eight-year-old niece. Only this time, he has to contend with Stacey's prowess and determination, as well as her savvy about modern approaches to problem-solving and devices such as the internet.
Stacey encounters a group that has been hunting this perp for four years, but she's not impressed by the kind of help it offers her: "I just blurted out, “Hunting an abductor of children long after the missing kid is grown-up and still not solving the thing? That doesn’t inspire much confidence. You ever find anyone?” I couldn’t believe how direct I was being. It wasn’t like me to provoke instead of coax. I think I was just over the bu****it at that point."
Does it help if the victims are found alive, many years later? Does it help if women's' experiences aren't believed or publicized? As Stacey delves deeper into the mystery, a strange truth emerges that challenges her ideals of justice and the reality and myth of Mister Tasty Treats, who turns out to have long roots reaching back to 1910.
Readers who like stories of investigation, horror, and a family challenged by history and present-day events and attitudes will find Whispers a surprising blend of not just horror, but satirical social inspection and political commentary.
Those who choose Whispers expecting the usual staid supernatural thriller will find that it evolves from a typical kidnapping scenario into a brand of special inspection that may stymie those who expected a one-dimensional entertainment piece. It's not.
It's a treatise on women's changing roles and strengths in the world, it cultivates an uncanny ability to pose uncomfortable truths in the guise of a thriller, and its engaging examination of different social truths and realities, both political and personal, create a dynamic story that is anything but a ghost tale or thriller alone.
The mystery powers the explorations of women in distress who are strong and savvy enough to take charge of their own destinies in unexpectedly astute, original ways.
Whispers is highly recommended reading for women (and men) who like unexpected twists and turns, sometimes-uncomfortable social insights, and a mystery that creates the backdrop for social inspection at an unexpected level.
Whispers won't be for everyone; especially those who anticipated a thriller or supernatural tale alone. Those who enjoy plots that begin with seemingly predictable genre elements, only to evolve into inspections of corruption, racial inequality, and social issues, will find this story wide-ranging, unexpected, and delightfully thought-provoking.
Whispers: An American Legend
