Who will heed the call when Death comes whispering?
Small time drug dealer, Marcus Stone and DCI Clive Burston had never met until one night in August. By the end of that night, both had been shot dead in a small bedroom in the heart of gang territory.
DI Erika Piper is called to the scene but is at a loss to explain what’s happened. How did these two even meet, let alone end up dead in what appears to be a strange murder-suicide? As Erika leads the investigation, another two bodies are found, killed in a similar fashion. One murder, one suicide. But who is controlling this macabre puppet show?
As Erika delves deeper into the lives of the dead, the pieces begin to fit together and a number of nefarious characters crawl out of the woodwork – one of whom is almost certainly pulling the strings.
A catastrophic event and a personal miracle threaten to derail the investigation. Erika must find the strength to continue, before the whispers catch up with her too…
Welcome to the first day of the Whispers In The Dark blog tour, I’d like to thank Chris (or what I like to call him ‘Mac’) for asking me to be one of the first readers to read this new installment of the Erika Piper series, as well as Red Dog Press and marvellous Meggy who invited me to be a part of the tour on PUBLICATION DAY! Yes, that’s right, happiest of publication days Mac and I’m honoured to be celebrating it with you on my blog.
Available to buy today in hardback, paperback AND ebook directly from Red Dog Press’ online store here – this is really the best way to buy indie books rather than huge online sellers! Both indies and their authors benefit hugely from you ordering via their online stores!
I’m a reader who absolutely loves a prologue, or an essence of a prologue. It’s a readers first impression of the story and it sets the feel for the rest of the novel in atmosphere and expectation. Well, from the short, snappy, sinister prologue of Whispers In The Dark, I was mesmerised by Chris’ deathly twisted instalment of the Erika Piper series. The shock factor of those first few pages echoed through the upcoming chapters that resulted in me getting kindle claw because I just could not put the damn book down! Many parts of this book felt like a massive punch to the gut, leaving a high dark bar for the rest of the novel (*spoiler* those expectations were exceeded!) Seriously THAT PROLOGUE!
One of the main things I noticed in this novel, was the development of Erika Piper’s character. During A Wash of Black we met this kick ass detective inspector who took no crap, during Whispers In The Dark we begin to see the veil of strength slipping from Erika’s face, the one that she held up to those around her, the one that hides that vunrability which lies just under the surface. Erika is still haunted by her previous violent case, one that changed her life, not only in the way the world saw her but also how she saw herself. I felt that this character development was one of the aspects of the storyline that kept me hooked. The way that Chris has sewn a softer layer into Erika’s persona, not only demonstrates his growth as a writer, but also shows that he has connected with his antagonist in a way that makes her more human and identifiable to his readers. She’s not just a kick ass female, but she’s also emotional, understanding and fragile.
Whispers In The Dark is a part of a crime fiction series, but I felt that this instalment had been planned and executed to such a level that it evolved into an intoxicating psychological thriller that was sprinkled with that fabulous police and forensic detail that Chris injects into his writing so well. It’s at this point that during the planning process, Chris has emerged from his cocoon (designated writing area) as a psychological thriller writing butterfly! This was entwined so well into the plotline with the use of human psychology with a dashing of philosophy, one that shows attention to detail.
I’m not going to go too much in to the individual aspects of the plot itself, because you need to experience the whole thing for yourself. The concept that flows through the book will hit you in so many feels, what you will get is the book palpations, one that will do things to your blood pressure that will have you contemplating getting ‘Death by Reading’ on your gravestone. I’ve already mentioned the philosophical aspects of the book (I’ve mentioned there are aspects, not what they are) these will haunt you because it is so plausible. I really can’t flaunt this book, it’s the easiest 5 star rating I’ve given for a whole, one that made me want to throw my kindle at the wall on so many occasions but also made me want to cwtch a pillow for support and comfort. Flawless. I have no other words, but you’ll see this book on my top reads of 2020 list!
This blog tour is a celebration of Chris’ new book, keep your eyes peeled for all those bloggers that are coming up to share with you why you really need to add this book to your TBR. Thanks again to Meggy and Red Dog Press for the opportunity to read Whispers in the Dark before it’s release in preparation of this tour.
Until next time,
Happy reading!
The Reading Closet 