Whistling In the Dark [Kindle Edition]

Lesley Kagen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The loss of innocence can be as dramatic as the loss of a parent or the discovery that what's perceived to be truth can actually be a big fat lie, as shown in Kagen's compassionate debut, a coming-of-age thriller set in Milwaukee during the summer of 1959. Ten-year-old Sally O'Malley fears that a child predator who has already murdered two girls, Junie Piaskowski and Sara Heinemann, will target her or her little sister, Troo, next. Sally's mom is in the hospital, while her big sister, Nell, is distracted by love and her stepdad, Hall, by the bottle, so who can save her if the killer is, as she suspects, her neighbor, David Rasmussen, a popular cop who has a photo of Junie hanging in his house? Though the mystery elements are sketchy, Kagen sharply depicts the vulnerability of children of any era. Sally, "a girl who wouldn't break a promise even if her life depended on it," makes an enchanting protagonist. (May)
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Review

Delightful...gritty and smart, profane and poetic. -- Milwaukee Magazine

I loved Whistling in the Dark. It was a fabulous book. Living with the O'Malley sisters for the summer is an experience that no one will forget. -- Flamingnet.com Top CHOICE award

Innocently wise and ultimately captivating. -- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kagen's debut novel sparkles with charm thanks to 10-year-old narrator Sally O'Malley, who draws readers into the story of her momentous summer in 1959. The author has an uncanny ability to visualize the world as seen by a precocious child in this unforgettable book. -- Romantic Times Top Pick [4 and a half stars]

One of the summer's hot reads. -- The Chicago Tribune

The plot is a humdinger...a certifiable Grade A summer read. -- The Capital Times

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 350 KB
• Print Length: 324 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0451221230
• Publisher: NAL (May 1, 2007)
• Sold by: Penguin Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001M0BUPG
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (163 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,697 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Lesley Kagen is a writer, actress, and restaurateur. She lives in Wisconsin.
Visit her web site at www.lesleykagen.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

102 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Characters to Savor, June 18, 2007

By 

Gayla Collins (Sheridan, WYOMING USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whistling In the Dark (Mass Market Paperback)

"Whistling in the Dark" is an endearing tale about the "O'Malley sisters," Sally and Troo, 10 and 9 years of age, and their summer chalked full of turmoil and suspense. Their mother becomes gravely ill leaving them to be tended by a drunken stepfather, a disinterested older sister, and a neighborhood full of delicous, eccentric characters. Set in 1959, the book remembers days of lazy summers filled with "red rover," "green light, red light," and playground antics. Though seemingly the era of innocence, darkness hides in the shadows, and Sally and Troo stumble upon it in it's most dangerous form. Thankfully, the O'Malley's have enough family and neighbors in their arsenal to allow this book to be enlightening, humorous, and charming, as well as intense.

Ms. Kagan has the ability to make the reader experience belly laughter, jitters, tingling fear, and sentimental sadness. Descriptions and dialogue are colloquial, while the plotline turns the pages for you. Gift yourself to this summer treat.....you won't regret it.

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So wonderful I had to email the author!, July 3, 2007

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Whistling In the Dark (Mass Market Paperback)

Told from the perspective of a young girl, Sally O' Malley, this is the kind of summer read that can change your life - or make you remember a world you used to know, if you grew up during the 50s.
From start to finish, I was completely enthralled. Sally is a totally believable child and she has a combination of innocence, kindness and common sense that is unique. She also has great intuition, which eventually lets her sense when true danger is around (although she takes a few wrong turns along the way).

I don't know how to best categorize this book - is it the tale of two sisters who learn to turn to each other when crisis strikes? Is it a suspenseful murder mystery? There is certainly great danger, in the form of a child murderer, true evil in a world full of 50s nostalgia, standing out even more against the contrast of simpler times, long summers and kind neighbors.

To add to the drama, Sally and her sister, Troo, are nearly on their own for the summer, while their mother recuperates from a long illness. Yes, sister Nell is supposedly in charge, but she is far more preoccupied with her boyfriend and other distractions to do a proper job. SO Troo and Sally have to depend on each other. They have intensely different personalities but an equally strong bond.

Don't ignore the Conversation Guide by author Leslie Kagen, at the back of the book. It offers insight into how she actually wrote this novel, not something she had a great deal of confidence in actually completing. She came up with a superb, heartwarming work, full of heart, suspense and a master's touch at evoking time and place.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great who dunnit, November 25, 2007

By 

bhr "birdwoman" (Bryn Mawr, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Whistling In the Dark (Mass Market Paperback)

Told from the point of view of 10 year old Sally O'Malley, this story is a brilliant mix of living history (I didn't live in the 50's, but I felt like I did, reading this), thriller (there's a child murderer on the loose in the streets), and simple drama. At points, I was convinced, like sally, of who the murderer was, simply because of the evidence Sally had that no one else would see or understand. Her black and white vision of the world is often at odds with what I understand must have been going on, but because of the way the story is told, I saw through her eyes.

Sally is a great character whose true heart shines through the whole book. Though there are great hardships in her life, she sticks with her sisters and sees through to the end. Supporting characters like Nell, the older sister who is to care for her siblings but spends more time "exercising" with her boyfriend, Hall, the abhorrent stepfather, and the rest of the cast really pull the story along. And the background plot keeps it moving.

A great read!

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