Customer Reviews

Whispers of the Bayou

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Whispers of the Bayou by Mindy Starns Clark is full of twists and turns and family secrets. Miranda Miller's life is going according to plan, even if it isn't perfect, when she's suddenly attacked and then gets word that she needs to return to her family's plantation in Louisiana. The caretaker is dying, but he insists that he has something that he can only tell her in person. Miranda takes her daughter and falls into a twisted history of secrets and lies that may cost not only her life, but those she loves as well. For just a few hundred pages, Clark manages to pack an enormous amount of plot into this well-crafted thriller. Secret societies with mysterious secrets, long-long parents and lovers, murder and betrayal, this book has it all, but without sacrificing plausibility or character development. Miranda is a smart, interesting character who learns about faith and trusting others. Every time I turned the page another bomb was dropped; I couldn't put the book down.

I very much enjoyed this new offering from Mindy Starns Clark. Like her other books, this has a great suspense plot and offers some very interesting twists. The question of who "Cass" was definitely took me by surprise as well as all the family connections.

I would say that I don't think the Christian plot is as strong as it could be. I really felt it was more of an addition to already complete story than an integral part of the plot and that disappointed me. The same with the issues with her husband. You could see them working out in Miranda's head, but not having him present for the process really took away from it - as well as having them come to their Christian realizations separately.

The plot was great, but I did feel like it all sort of just "fell" together at the end. For the most part, it was believable and worked, but I would have liked to see more discovery over time - like with Miranda's family background.

I think this is a well-written book and definitely one that will grip your interest, but I think in Clark's switch from series to stand-alone fiction, she needs to work on spreading out the discovery more as she doesn't have more books to work it in, so needs to start earlier. Or she could just go back to series - I personally love series!

Miranda Miller thought she had her life together. She enjoys her job as an art restorer. She's married to a nice guy with a great 5 year old daughter. She's living life in the fast lane in New York City and loving it.

But all that changes on day. First, a man comes in with a painting he wants restored. Yet he seems more interested in a strange symbol on it then the painting itself. Then she is attacked while walking to meet her aunt for lunch. Yet the men leave her alone after examining her scalp.

As if that weren't strange enough, Miranda's Aunt Janet tells her that Willy Pedreaux wants to see her before he dies. Willy was the caretaker of Miranda's grandparent's estate in Louisiana. But Miranda hasn't been there since her mother died when Miranda was 5 years old. What secret could Willy possibly have to tell her? And will going back dredge up all kind of painful memories?

Mindy Starns Clark has quickly become a favorite author, so I was looking forward to reading this stand alone novel. It started out strong with plenty of questions, but then it stalled for about 100 pages or so. Fortunately, things picked up and the book became a race to the end. The characters were real right from page one, which helped me maintain my interest the whole way through. While a Christian novel, the Christianity wasn't as prevalent as normal. However, I found that plot thread believable and just right for this particular novel.

Overall, I did enjoy this novel. It is sure to please the author's many fans and anyone looking for a good mystery.

Mindy Starns Clark has done it again! She weaves an intriguing story with the history and culture of the Cajun people. Her ability to draw the reader into the ambience of an area while building a whodunit plot never fails to capture the reader's interest from page one. Mix this with Christian overtones, and you have a great tale.

I did find, however, that book focuses more on the regional culture and mystery plot than it does on Christian themes and any one character's personal walk with God. Still, it is an entertaining read.

Miranda Miller can't remember anything that happened to her before she was five years old. All she's known is a life in the city with her aunt. Now an adult with a family of her own, mysterious circumstances involving a tattoo she never knew existed and a grounds keeper dying bring her back to Louisiana. There she discovers she's now the owner of her grandparents' estate. Secrets abound on the plantation, dating back to centuries before Miranda was born. She also discovers the reason why her childhood memory left her and the shocking truth about her family.

Ok I will admit it. Books set in Louisiana dealing with Cajun and bayou subjects scare me to death. Something about swamps and voodoo give me the creeps and make me want to leave my lights on. This book definitely gives the chills due to the setting which was described so perfectly I could imagine myself being there. This is the BEST mystery book I have read this year. It was such a page turner that I spent all of one weekend day glued to the book. The writing is suspenseful and keeps the reader guessing throughout. The characters are intriguing and there are so many twists that people you think are trustworthy may not be what they seemed. Stories that have huge plantation houses always house secrets and there are MANY secrets that are revealed in this book. I love how the past blends with the present. The ending, while I wish there was a sequel, ties up all loose ends and is very satisfying. The story is not preachy at all, in fact it is interesting to see what brings a non believer to a faith in Christ. If you are a fan of Clark's past works, you will devour this story as well. If this is your first book, you will become a fan and want to read all her books. I just cannot express how good of a book this is. If there is one book you should read this year, it is this one. HIGHLY recommended.

The odd twists in this tale became apparent quickly and pulled me into the character's journey of discovery. The resolution of the heroine's personal drama was just as compelling as the outcome of the central mystery. Definitely a multi-layered, intriguing book.

Miranda Miller hasn't seen her childhood home in the Louisiana bayou country since she was sent to live with her aunt in New York at the age of five. Her history is completely unknown to her and her remembrance of her early years is non-existent. It's as if she didn't exist for the first five years of her life.

Miranda currently lives in New York with her husband and five-year-old daughter. She's passionate about her career in a Manhattan museum, but is stumbling along in her marriage. Her husband mourns her aloof nature, and Miranda is unable to break down the protective walls. She chalks it up to a personality trait. But in the recesses of her mind, she knows her behavior has other origins.

Willy Pedreaux is a man from Miranda's past. He's dying and insistent that Miranda return to Louisiana to receive some important information about her past-and following his death, to receive her inheritance that includes the family mansion.

Willy dies before he can give Miranda all the information she needs to understand what happened to her and her family so many years ago. But Miranda's need for the truth conquers her fear of `knowing' and she follows the clues that will unearth dark family secrets involving deaths, a valuable treasure, and enemies she didn't know existed.

Whispers of the Bayou sizzles! The Louisiana setting, the myths, treasure, murders and mayhem make for a wonderful story that won't be set aside. The pages keep turning long into the night and when the last page is read, you will want more. While this is from a Christian publisher, it's really a crossover book. Christianity and the relationship with Christ is something dealt with at the very end of the book.

Armchair Interviews says: Whispers of the Bayou is worth the read.

Whispers of the Bayou was our book club selection for May, and embarrassingly, I was the only one who hadn't finished the novel before the meeting. In fact, I didn't even have my own copy. Even after hearing about the Whispers plot and of Miranda's attack, her tattoo, her trip to the bayou, her surprising genealogy, and all of the other exciting yet scary events, I still wanted to read the book for myself.

I found it to be a suspenseful tale, especially towards the end when Miranda begins to uncover her grandmother's paintings beneath the wall paint. Events begin to unfold quickly, and many of the previous "foreshadowing" begins to make sense. For instance the cut on her supposed father's head raises some questions...as do some of Lisa's blasé responses. I never could figure out the reason for the food poisoning scenario unless it was to throw the reader off track; if that was the case, it worked.

All things considered, it was a suspenseful, "clean" book and a great introduction to the work of this author. I love books with happy-ever-after endings, and Whispers of the Bayou fits this description. Despite heartache, loss, and death, love prevails.

Mindy Starns Clark just keeps getting better the more she writes.
While leaving her "Smart Chic" series, the characters, historical relationships, and moving plots keeps any reader wondering while devouring Whispers of the Bayou. This is one book that is hard to put down; you even think about it when you aren't reading it.

Enjoyed this book very much. My first by Mindy Starns Clark. Would like to read more of her books. A good mystery without profanity. Enjoyed learning about Cajun history. Upon Miranda Miller's inheritance, her whole life began to change, including who she was.