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Private investigator Charlie Parker has been through a lot and has seen a great deal that most men would never comprehend. It might be part of the reason why he agrees to investigate the apparent suicide of a veteran of the Iraqi war. Damian Patchett's father knows that something happened in Iraq that changed his son and it had nothing to do with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The ex-soldier, as well as some of his former comrades, was involved in some sort of smuggling operation that apparently developed into more than they bargained for. For the last few weeks they have been hearing whispering voices, but they do not know whose they are. The voices have been driving them slowly insane, causing some of them to commit suicide. Something from the war seems to be genuinely affecting them and Charlie knows that whatever it is it is not something good. Once he learns that his nemesis, an enigmatic killer known as "The Collector," is interested in what these young soldiers discovered, he knows that he is in for another dangerous look into the mysterious and unexplained. John Connolly uses this novel to expose the real dangers of PTSD for war veterans while at the same time adding an element of the supernatural that is usually present in most of his stories. This, however, is not a science fiction novel or even a horror novel. This is a dramatic novel deeply involved in character development. But it is this that makes this work stronger. These men, including Charlie, all have inner demons they are trying to exorcise and they struggle to overcome them. Charlie is still trying, but for some of the soldiers the struggle is one they will not win. THE WHISPERERS is an unusual addition to the Charlie Parker collection, and it is one that should not be missed. § Angel L. Soto is an equal opportunity reader and a book editor at a New Jersey academic publisher.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, August 2010
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