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Smoke & Whispers [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Mick Herron (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Price: $35.50 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Details
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Hardcover, Large Print, November 2009 $35.50  
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Book Description

November 2009
Praise for Mick Herron:

“Mick Herron never tells a suspense story in the expected way, which is why his new novel . . . reads as much like a puzzle mystery as it does a thriller. . . . Unpleasant things are bound to happen, and they do—but not until Herron has finished surprising us. . . . In Herron’s book, there is no hiding under the desk.”—The New York Times Book Review

“[A] masterful thriller. . . . The intricate plot, coupled with Herron’s breezy writing style, results in superior entertainment that makes most other novels of suspense appear dull and slow-witted by comparison.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

When a body is hauled from the River Tyne, Sarah Tucker heads to Newcastle for a closer look. She identifies the dead woman as private detective Zoë Boehm, but putting a name to the corpse only raises further questions. Did Zoë kill herself, or did one of her old cases come back to haunt her? Why was she wearing a jacket a murderer had stolen years before? And what’s brought Sarah’s sparring partner, Gerard Inchon, to the same broken down hotel? Coincidence is an excuse that soon looks pretty unconvincing. Sarah can’t leave until she’s found the answers to her questions, however dangerous they might turn out to be.

Mick Herron is the author of four previous successful titles. Born in Newcastle and a graduate of Balliol College, Oxford, he has a degree in English. A resident of Oxford, Mick works in London on future novels.
--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this assured mystery from British author Herron (Reconstruction), Sarah Tucker, a freelance publisher who also raises ostriches, identifies a body dredged from the River Tyne in Newcastle as her friend Zoë Boehm, an apparent suicide. Tucker, however, doubts Boehm, who worked as a private investigator, took her own life, as the police believe. Instead, Tucker suspects that Boehm's demise was connected with her probes into Alan Talmadge, a creep who targeted middle-aged women and killed them in a way that looked like accident or suicide. Relying on her wits, Tucker takes over the search for Talmadge. She looks into a number of people of interest who were in Newcastle at the time of Boehm's death, including a gangster's son and a prominent businessman. While the climax won't surprise every reader, Herron does a nice job of planting red herrings and making his heroine's amateur sleuthing plausible. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Mick Herron was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and was educated there and at Balliol College, Oxford. He still lives in Oxford today and commutes daily to London, where he works.His short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, where his first published story (Lost Luggage) was voted one of the top ten readers' favourites for 2006.In addition to writing fiction Mick reviews regularly for Geographical and Bookdealer magazines. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 338 pages
  • Publisher: Isis Large Print Books; Lrg edition (November 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0753184745
  • ISBN-13: 978-0753184745
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.1 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars superb investigative thriller, March 31, 2009
This review is from: Smoke and Whispers (Hardcover)
In Newcastle, England, a corpse is fished out of the River Tyne. Freelance publisher and Ostrich farmer Sarah Tucker identifies the corpse as her friend private investigator Zoe Boehm.

The police assume Zoe committed suicide, but Sarah takes exception to that conclusion as the woman had a zest for life. Instead she believes Zoe was murdered in a way to make it look like she took her life. With the police seemingly contented with their conclusion, Sarah considers her late friend's inquiry into Alan Talmadge, who murdered middle-aged women but made their death appear to be an accident or a suicide. With the premise too coincidental, Sarah investigates who Talmadge is and if he killed ZoeThis probe makes her a target for suicide.

The key to this superb investigative thriller is the ostrich farmer who comes across as a rare legitimate amateur sleuth as Mick Herron "sells" Sarah as a detective with a motive. The story line is fast-paced from the moment that Sarah identifies the corpse and never slows down as she makes inquiries into her late buddy's last case, which puts a bulls-eye on her head. Although the climax can be seen clear across the Channel, SMOKE & WHISPERS is a fantastic English amateur sleuth.

Harriet Klausner
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4.0 out of 5 stars Very well done!, March 29, 2011
This review is from: Smoke and Whispers (Hardcover)
Sarah Tucker is devastated to read about her friend's death on the web. Zoe Boehm didn't keep normal contact with her close friend Sarah. She'd occasionally pick up the phone and call, or more times than not, send a postcard to let Sarah know she was doing ok. Sarah knows Zoe leads a dangerous life, so from time to time, she googles Zoe on the internet to see if anything bad has happened. But the day it does appear, Sarah denies it is Zoe until she identifies the body herself.

After Sarah confirms that the body is indeed her friend Zoe, Sarah starts a little investigation of her own. There is no way that Zoe would commit suicide and jump into the River Tyne, a conclusion the police have come to. Zoe loved life too much to throw it all away. Zoe was a private investigator, and Sarah feels it may have something to do with the case Zoe had been working on. Alan Talmadge made the deaths of middle-aged women appear as an accident or self-inflicted, when he himself murdered them. Sarah believes its too much to be coincidence and investigates further. But when Sarah gets too close to the truth, the target paints a big bull-eye on her.

Mick Herron draws the reader in from page one and does not let go until the final clue in the mystery unfolds. Set in England, he paints a backdrop worthy of a museum. So real, you can almost touch it. Sarah is a worthy opponent in any setting, being an argument, fancy dinner, or the morgue. A very versatile heroine that you just can't help but like. The plot in this mystery was well-spun. Just when I thought I knew the answer to one question, another arrived. Very well done!
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5.0 out of 5 stars Subplots and subtext, May 12, 2009
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His writing shows great improvement. The style is tighter. His story is more direct without losing its subtleties. His characters are more likable. It is a more seamless read than his first novel, Down Cemetery Road. Smoke and Mirrors has made me a fan. Lady J of CA
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
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Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Alan Talmadge, Jack Gannon, Zoë Boehm, Brian Harper, Gerard Inchon, Big Issue, Bolbec Hotel, Madeleine Irving, Michael Gannon, Wallaby Springs, Sarah Tucker, Hall One, Millennium Bridge, Poor Paula, Derek's Carol
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