This book was reminiscent of some of my favorite horror movies like Scream. Twisting and turning and you are never really sure who the killer is until the very end. Great book, quick read!

When Madisons relationship fails soon after losing her dad she’s heartbroken but no she’s done the right thing but when she finds out her friend Amy was murdered she’s devastated. Thankfully her brother Zane only lives a couple hours away in LA and comes to have lunch and drive her to the airport he is Presley arrive from a business trip but doesn’t hesitate to help his sister unfortunately Amy will not be the only friend or acquaintance of Madison that is murdered and after each she has left the clue but who is doing it and why? I love a great thriller/horror story and couldn’t wait to read this one I’m going to be honest and say I was not at all disappointed although I thought the ending felt a bit rushed it was still so good and it will definitely go on my shelf of books that I couldn’t put down. I want to think flame tree press and net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

“Do you like scary movies?”

“- What do you want?

- To see what your insides look like”

If you’re a fan of 90’s slashers films, I’m sure you know who said those lines (it was Ghostface, in case you have no idea). Also, if your answer was YES, you HAVE TO read this one cause Whisper is one of those slashers in book format and you’re gonna love it.

The author says in his acknowledgments that he wanted to recreate the experience of watching movies as Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer, and he succeeds in spades as Whisper is a really compelling and addictive read. That opening scene screams Scream (see what I did there 😅), and you can’t help but put Drew Barrymore’s face on Amy.

Madison is grieving the death of her father, and going through a break up with her long term boyfriend. When one of her childhood friends is murdered, she’s in shock, as she got a message from her just hours before. Soon after more people from her circle of friends and co-workers get targeted by the same killer, so she’ll have to delve into her past to track the killer down before she becomes a victim as well.

Whisper may be short (around 250 pages), but it sure packs a punch in each and every one of them. With little nods to those movies, the graphic (but not too graphic) nature of the murders, showing some inventive and fun (what does that say about me? 😆) ways to kill the characters, is one of the things that brought back those nostalgic memories of being at the movies.

Do you know how, when you’re watching a movie and the character does something stupid like running upstairs while escaping from the killer, or going outside to investigate all alone after hearing a noise, you yell at your TV things like “don’t go there!” or “why are you going alone, you idiot?!”? Well, I did the exact same thing while reading Whisper, and yelling at my kindle is always a good sign, as it means I’m in the story 100%.

In good slasher fashion you will suspect everyone and no one will be safe. The question is…will there be a final girl this time?

Under the whole murderous spree, the novel has an underlying theme of grief and resilience that becomes much more significant once you read the author’s note at the end.

Whisper pays homage to all those slashers and the whole generation of people that grew up with them in a truly fantastic way. It is a gripping and promising debut, absolutely bingeable, and the perfect read for this summer while sitting by the pool or at the beach. I can’t wait to see what Brian comes out with next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Brian Dearborn for the advanced copy of Whisper in exchange for my honest review!

I'm not sure "fun" is the right word to describe a slasher book, but it's the one I'm going with. If you are a fan of Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, or really just any 90's slasher movie, you're going to want to pick this one up.

The writing style is excellent, and the way the killer ramps up with each kill is very reminiscent of slasher films. Had life not gotten in the way, I could easily have finished this book in one sitting. I could not wait to find out who the killer was! (And I definitely guessed wrong)

I am an immediate fan of Brian Dearborn after this one (and it helps he's quite possibly the nicest person ever) and can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

What a fast thrill ride. A relatively short story full of slasher moments. A genre done to death but told in a mire character reveal driven way. Story very generic but total emersion . The conclusion of the story came too soon for me. I wanted more. Look forward to the next one. A fantastic 5 higjly recommended. Thank you net gallery for my arc

Whisper - Brian Dearborn

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

II have to give this book 5 stars; it is a "slasher movie" of a novel, and it starts out at 100 MPH and continues climbing from there, I thoroughly enjoyed it! 😀😘

One additional comment, I noticed that despite the increasing number of dead bodies, the characters STILL insisted on going to the gym (ALONE), going over to a house to get forgotten keys (ALONE) - and when the character gets to her house (3 or 4 dead friends later, in the movie / story) she doesn't worry that: the door was unlocked, her friend doesn't respond when she calls her name, the house is torn apart, (to the point where the chandelier is dangling a foot above the bed, I mean, come ON someone would have had to CAUSE that level of disarray, everyone KNOWS that, right?

This MUST to be an intentional tip of the hat to 80's and 90's slasher movies, in which the characters NEVER seem to realize they are STILL in danger before they see ANOTHER dead body, but only the author knows for sure!

Honestly, defeating these mad slashers wouldn't take a genius.
Get a friend, buy two semi-auto Ruger's, or, if guns make you nervous, you can buy stun guns and/or tasers and "bear spray". Order pizza, so you can stay IN ((well, maybe not , as the delivery person could be killer) call in sick and you and your both hole up in ONE of your homes, and sit in a corner TOGETHER, side-by-side, or even back-to-back (so that your backs are protected from someone sneaking u on you). Finally, wait until the freakily prolific serial killer rampaging through your town is caught or killed, OR the slasher just reached your name on their ""kill list" and when the wander into your house, they expect someone with no greater defenses than say, oh I don't know... than Energizer bunny? A cotton ball? You get the idea...

And you TAKE THE SICK PUPPY OOUUUTTT!

Wow, that review was.. intense. 😘

Oh, I almost forgot, trigger warning re: graphic violence. By the end of this novel, there had been a few evicerations, a decapitation or two, you understand...

Until next time... Stay safe, AND smart! And ARMED.

This book is an absolute gem! It has everything a reader could ask for - suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, a serial killer, and a great who-done-it. The plot is full of crazy twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I was completely engrossed in the storyline and couldn't put my Kindle down.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thrilling read. It is well worth your time and attention. I want to express my gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this masterpiece with me.

I so nearly gave this 4 stars, it’s about a 3.8. Plenty red herrings & a few horror film cliches. Kept my interest enough to read it over 2 nights. Not once did I want to give up on it. Great first novel.
Thank you netgalley & Brian for an advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.

“𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆.”

Calling all slasher film aficionados! The debut novel from Brian Dearborn is for you!

Dearborn’s love of pop culture and nineties horror films are all over this book. I loved the winks to Scream in particular (like the INTENSE first chapter and kill - the modern text message taunting like the original phone call and the setting of Westport, Connecticut reminding me of Westborro). Dearborn did such a good job with setting a mood; I was so nervous as an unknown assailant chased Amy and I kept turning my head to make sure I was alone! The deaths are gory and inventive, and the writing style takes its cue from Riley Sager: descriptive, fast paced and entertaining. There were so many pop culture references (especially all the great songs) and a couple winks to satire Scream Queens too (Bradley would fit right along Chanel Oberlin!). The characters are interesting and pretty well developed, especially for a debut, and I loved how we got different people’s point of view (especially when the killer was after them). The dialogue can be a little stilted at times; there’s a few places where things skip around (characters make assumptions very quickly) and I wasn’t sure if I was missing information. However, this novel is pure fun from opening page to its tension filled end.

Whisper is a story of reunions, grief, family, horror and retaliation. It was a quick, entertaining read that is a tribute to thrillers of all types. I definitely recommend this one and can’t wait to see what Dearborn comes up with next! A special shoutout to the author himself for the ARC!

Loved it! Its exactly like a teen slasher film which worked for me since I grew up on scream and I know what you did last summer etc. It's a really quick and easy read. The killer pops up in the most random of places and does a whole creative way to die type thing. It's awesome! It's well written, the plot is constantly moving forward, the killer is everywhere and killing everyone and the main character can't figure out who or why.... its so fun!

Whisper by Brian Dearborn is this author's first novel. I hope he writes more. Whisper is a very good book. The story had good twists and page-turning action. How can you go wrong with murder, mystery, a serial killer, and well-developed characters?

Fresh off a breakup and finally coming to terms with her father's death, young biotech professional Madison Parker is ready to move forward with her life in California. That is until her hometown best friend from affluent Connecticut is viciously murdered.

With Madison still reeling from the tragedy, the killer begins to target other members of her inner circle, and she finds herself at the center of a string of increasingly brutal murders that span coast to coast. As she struggles to understand the killer's motive and protect her remaining friends, she realizes it's only a matter of time before she becomes a victim of the deadly game.

The cover is also very cool. I would recommend this book. A solid 4 out of 5 stars for me.

#Whisper #NetGalley @VE_NetGalley

Madison moved to San Diego shortly after her fathers passing leaving her mom and older brother, Zane, on the east coast. One by one, Madison’s friends and coworkers are murdered leaving her to be the connection to each crime. Who is targeting the people closest to her and can she stop the slayings before she is next?

Thank you to author, Brian Dearborn, for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book reminded me a lot of early 2000’s slasher films. Particularly the opening scene of the movie Scream. Each murder has a chapter dedicated to the happenings of the victim and the killer in gory detail. Although I did genuinely enjoy Whisper, I also found it predictable. For me, I enjoy insane plot twists and I figured out the ending pretty early on. I would’ve liked to have been surprised by something wild happening.

This book I had a bit of a hard time getting into. I couldn’t stop getting distracted. It wasn’t a bad story by any means this particular book just wasn’t for me

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, serial killer, A great who done it, and a few crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!