This is one of a whole cadre of books this season circling around the issues facing women in the workplace and in our culture at large (The Water Cure, The Farm, Women Talking, etc). It's not nearly the best, but perhaps I'm saturated.

Although a new book, this feels dated, as if it's an anthem for a time recently passed (not that the issues addressed have been solved, in any way, but the discussion feels passe).

I found myself nodding and smiling at many of her "women unite!" moments ("So when we said that we would prefer not to have to be asked to smile on top of working, we meant that: we would like to do our jobs, please. When we said that we would like not to hear a comment about the length of our skirt, we meant that: we would like to do our jobs, please.")---but I also found these rah rah moments overdone, irritating and distracting.

The plot itself is a little slipshod and obvious, but forgivable because the characters are deftly drawn. All in all, a bit uneven but entertaining, with a few gems of wisdom you know but felt grateful to be reminded of.

The name Christine Blasey Ford echoes through the pages as three women fight against one man who is being promoted despite his deplorable actions. It starts with the BAD list that circulates through Dallas revealing the names of those who have sexually harassed women or made unwanted advances. When one man gains a promotion, the women who work for the same company start a lawsuit against him. Then he dies. And that makes it a lot like Big Little Lies, but the depositions throughout the story showcase the comments that emerge: pro-woman, misogynistic, irrelevant, blatant opinions that have no bearing on anything. That is the strength of this story; it runs through the peanut gallery taking a look at the sheer force of will it takes to stand up to someone who has done unspeakable things to you. The secondary story of death isn't necessary except for sensationalism, but the true worth of a book like this is to make you consider the lingering aspects of assault and the things kept secret and buried for years.

A powerful and compelling psychological thriller comfortably and interestingly tied together with the MeToo movement, Baker’s Whisper Network is a well plotted mystery with shades of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl and Iian Reid’s I’m Thinking Of Ending Things. Ostensively at first a tale of four unique voices all operating under the banner of the Truviv corporation as disparate parts of the legal department, by the end we are greeted with a masterful mix of competing psychological profiles and characters outside the boundaries of innocence and guilt. At what point do whispers become realities, and innocent beginnings morph into hideous and potentially dangerous situations? There are tough questions being asked here, and Baker gives the reader plenty of opportunity to marinate on the hidden psychologies of how we interact with one another. A thinking soul’s thriller, this is a story begging to be both devoured greedily and sipped slowly so as to make the digestion all that more complete. An excellent parable of complex times.

I was very excited to read this book as it seemed focused around such an important and timely topic especially during the #metoo movement...office politics, the expectations, the way women are treated differently in professional situations and sexual harassment.

I initially struggled through the beginning of this book and felt many of the characters and plot line were hard to differentiate between. This was definitely a slow burn and although there is a mystery element to this story, where it shined the most was through the personal stories of these strong women.

I would have loved for the author to go a bit deeper in some of these situations because some of them were glossed over in order to keep the story flowing. I do appreciate that Baker was able to take on such a powerful and important topic with her engaging storytelling. This would be a great pick for a summer beach read or a great book club conversation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Iron books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I thought that this book sounded good but I was disappointed. I did not finish the book but I was not intrigued with it. I see others liked the book. Maybe I will try it again one day.

The Whisper Network by Chandler Baker is a pager turner that is part mystery part thought provoking look at corporate culture and women’s rights in the work place. I predict this will be one of the most talked about books in the Women’s Fiction genre this year.
The story revolves around four strong, and resilient women who work for the Fortune 500 company Truviv, Inc. Three of the women, Sloane, Grace, and Ardie, are attorneys and part of the inhouse legal team. The fourth, Rosalita is part of the night cleaning crew. They have one thing in common, they have all been sexual harassed by Ames Garrett another attorney on staff.
Each woman, for their own reasons, have remained silent about his behavior. Then when the CEO of the company dies unexpectedly and it appears that Ames is the shoe in for his job, they decide it has to end. What starts as just adding Ames to the “BAD Men’s” list circulating around Dallas turns into a law suit and much worse. The consequences will be far reaching and will affect the entirety of these women’s lives.
Baker did an excellent job of telling a story that is very relevant today. I was especially taken with how the thoughtfully the characters were portrayed in the book. They were human and made mistakes… lots of them and despite being strong they doubted themselves. They struggled with work and family demands. They felt guilty for not being the perfect mother and wife, something most every woman has felt at some point in her life.
The pace of the story was a little slow at first, but once it got going it was a page turner. The story had some twists in that were predictable. Still, this story really grabs at you because despite being fiction it is so very real. The book will resonate with many.
I highly recommend this to any women working today. In addition, this would make an excellent book club read because the issues it addresses.
I received a free ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review. For more of my reviews, and author interviews, see my book blog at www.thespineview.com

Four women work in the legal department of a high-profile company in Dallas. A spreadsheet called The BAD Men List of names of sleazy men is passed around the city by email. The CEO of their corporation dies. The boss of the legal department is in line to be the next CEO. His name is added to The BAD Men List.

The women in our novel deal with today's issues that affect not only them, but also you and me. Some chapters begin with mini-essays of these issues:
workouts in the gym, success, marriage, childhood bullying, motherhood vs. work, being nosy, ,judging others, menstrual periods, guilt, pain, fear of violence, and secrets.

These mini-essays were my favorite parts of the book. The plot, secrets and background of the four women was also well written. The end, with so many secrets, tied up nicely.

This is my favorite read so far in 2019. Thanks, NetGalley!

The Whisper Network is about a group of women who work at a high profile company as lawyers. Everything is going alright for the most part until the CEO of the company dies suddenly ans that leaves a job opening. Their boss Ames is the next in line to take over and that does not bode well for them or other women in the office. Ames has a history of not treating women well and this group of women decide to sue the company so they can prevent that from happening. What follows is a chain reaction that has deadly consequences.
I really wanted to like this book because it sounded like am important book at a time when this type of situation is happening all to often. To me all the characters sounded the same so at times I would forget who I was reading about until they mentioned a detail about their lives. And then i felt like the one the character Rosalita who was the only one who was not a lawyer was there the bare minimum just so she would have a reason to show up later in the story and drop a truth bomb.
While I did manage to finish the book it dragged on at times and all the shocking revelations never seemed all that shocking since you could kind of see everything coming.

“If only you’d listened to us, none of this would have happened.”
This book begins with a tragedy. It continues with the stories and interactions of the women who were involved in the events that lead to it. In a male-dominated office, the women lawyers are constantly thinking of their appearances and their social engagements. Caught up in work and family, striving to be the best at work and at home, they seem to be out of touch with what is really going on around them. They are not. Being women, they are expected to perform as wives, mothers, lawyers, and more. It is the more that the reader uncovers as the book progresses. In this age of the me too movement, the more doesn’t surprise. The question is why do these women accept it as normal. As their stories unfold and they come together to support one another, we learn that no one is safe from a predator. We also learn about the power of women who have decided that enough is enough.

A must summer read ripped out of the headlines of the #MeToo movement opens with a bang when company executive Ames falls to his death from a high rise office building in Dallas. Four women who worked with Ames at Truviv, a sporting goods company, are particularly affected by his death. Sloane, Grace, and Ardie are friends and lawyers in the company's legal department while Rosalita is an office cleaner. For years whispers have circulated about Ames and his behavior with women at the company, but when the CEO of Truviv dies suddenly, leaving Ames as his likely successor, the women decide enough is enough and take action. Ames suddenly pops up on the BAD men's list, a list of Dallas businessmen who have sexually harassed female co-workers that is flying through the ranks of women in the corporate world. All hell breaks loose as women begin to feel empowered and fight back. Baker skillfully depicts the reality of office politics and the glass ceiling for women in the corporate world where they must do twice as much to receive half the attention of their male counterparts. Any woman who has ever navigated the dangerous waters of the sexual divide in the working world will love this book. "Nevertheless, she persisted," indeed. #WhisperNetwork #NetGalley

Timely, incisive, insightful and smart--and funny! This novel delivers on so many levels. It's impossible to finish it and not find yourself brooding about it deep into the night.

The narrative begins slowly as we come into this story of four women working for a sporting apparel corporation, the CEO of which, has just plummeted to his death from the eighteenth floor. Three of the women work in the legal department and one is a cleaner. As the story unfolds and questions start to be asked about the true cause of the CEO's death, a lawsuit and a widely circulated list of bosses who've been accused of all manner of sexual harassment, each woman and her involvement in the situations unfold. What starts as a slow narrative but builds to a pretty good clip about the halfway point.

I'm withholding on spoilers but I very much liked the way the story showed the shifting sands of office politics. Power and power adjacency vied against friendship and alliances in surprising and unsurprising ways. I applaud Baker for penning a timely story that didn't feel preachy or heavy-handed. Also, the portrayals of men beyond Ames were well done and were illustrative of other ways attitudes are expressed in various situations girls and women face.

Lastly, I wasn't surprised about who figured into what went down on the eighteenth-floor balcony. It had been teased out very well and when finally detailed was completely satisfying. The thread of Sloane's daughter Abigail and her problems at school was one of my favourites. Steve earned both punches Abigail gave him and Mr. Tully so to, deserved the withering takedown by Sloane. It was pitch perfect and hit close to home for me. A reminder that the whole "boys will be boys" & telling girls to "ignore it" begin too early in life and last too long. I cheered as Sloane handled the matter and smiled that she reminded me that my own parents defended me and always made it known such behaviour was not okay or to be ignored. Period.

Recommended.

I won a galley in a giveaway. Many thanks to the publisher.

The book was well written and enjoyable., but the ending left me a little empty.. I.n addition, it was hard to make the connection of Ames as a rapist, when he seemed to be describe, while living, as more of a sexual harasser.

A book that could be torn from the headlines a group of strong women a group that will not allow themselves to be harassed by men to be harassed by their male boss.When women band together there is nothing they can’t achieve.This is a wonderful book you will laugh cheer for the women& want to share discuss with your girlfriend.#netgalley #flatironbooks.

Such a perfect time for this book. It truly is a gossipy,fun read, sort of a TIMES UP version of 9 TO 5.

The main characters are 3 women working in the legal department of a major corporation and the man who figures in their lives.

The characters are well drawn and very relatable. Their boss is perfectly sleazy and the plot moves quickly. I thought about all the women who are finally having a chance to tell the tales of years of harassment, this book will bring back memories for some of us and inspire us to share our stories.

Baker also adds rich asides, postpartum depression and the acceptance of sexual bullying of children.

This is a book that women will love and reading groups will enjoy dissecting.

Thank you Netgalley.

Fascinating read. Talk about finding your tribe! The women in Whisper Network are fierce, strong, and smart. All you need is a glass of wine and a free night to enjoy this one!

Review WHISPER NETWORK by Chandler Baker and reviewing for Netgalley. Women. Women in the work place competing with each other and the men . Trying to be mothers and stay in the game at work. Guilt and worry about their children, sexual harassment. Several women who work together are going through all these things. When someone dies is it a suicide or murder and what are the underlying reasons? The repercussions will put them all into a spin. Great book.⭐⭐⭐⭐Four stars

Witty and fun, funny and heartbreaking, timely and oh so wise. I'll be gifting all my gal pals with a copy of Chandler Baker's Whisper Network. Five Stars