Whispers (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "TUESDAY AT DAWN, Los Angeles trembled..." (more)
Key Phrases: conventional police wisdom, clifftop house, brown armchair, Bruno Frye, Los Angeles, Hilary Thomas (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The classic of suspense from Dean Koontz

He's back--the terror that stalked Hilary Thomas as a child is back in her life, in her house, at her bedroom door. She killed him once. But he keeps coming back. Again. And again...

"An incredible, terrifying tale."--Publishers Weekly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Dean Koontz is one of the best-selling writers in the world. He lives in Newport Beach with his wife. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (June 12, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042518109X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425181096
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #322,968 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'S BAAAAACK...!!!, October 25, 2001

By	Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This is a highly suspenseful book, written in clear, spare prose. It is an easy read and a definite page turner. It is a plot driven book, however, with little character development.

The plot itself is simple. A beautiful screenwriter, Hilary Thomas, is confronted in her own home by an intruder named Bruno Frye. It seems that Mr. Frye has been stalking Ms. Thomas in the belief that Ms. Thomas is his long deceased mother, Katherine, who has ostensibly come back from the dead in order to kill him. He feels that he must kill her, before she kills him.

Of course, Ms. Thomas has no clue as to why Frye has singled her out. She is aware only of his murderous intent, and she is afraid, very afraid. On Frye's first go around with Ms. Thomas, she survives. On the second go around, Frye does not. Thinking herself to be safe, as Frye has seemingly gone to his maker, she is shocked when he, yet again, confronts her with deadly intent.

Why this is happening and how, will certainly keep the reader turning the pages. Some of it is predictable, but it, nonetheless, makes for an absorbing, easy read. This is one of the author's better, early efforts. Readers who enjoy suspenseful novels will not be disappointed.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Breakout Book for Koontz, September 9, 2001

By	Brandon Massey (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

WHISPERS was a major breakthrough in Dean's career, and when you read the book, it's easy to see why. It's an excruciatingly suspenseful tale of a talented, yet troubled young screenwriter being stalked by a relentless psycho who has a rather unique background of his own (to put it lightly).

But that's merely the surface story here. Koontz explores the serious theme of how childhood experiences can exert a powerful--if almost invisible--influence on an adult's life. It's a distinctly Freudian theory, and it's interesting to note that in interviews several years after he published this book, Dean criticizes his views as naive and uninformed.

Nevertheless, whether you agree with the psychological theories or not, you can read and enjoy this book for what it is: a masterful example of the suspense tale executed by a truly brilliant author. I refer to this novel again and again as I publish my own suspense novels, for sheer inspiration!

Highly recommended!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Koontz Novel, but Not His Best, September 5, 2006

By	Thriller Lover (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Dean Koontz wrote WHISPERS in 1980, and was his first large success. I enjoyed this novel overall, because it is highly suspensful serial killer story (especially toward the second half of the book). It is also very well written and I liked most of the major characters.

Although enjoyable, WHISPERS isn't perfect. This is a very long book, almost twice as long as your average suspense novel. It tends to drag a bit at the beginning. There are also long dialogues between characters which seem more like disguised political commentary than real conversations.

This is also the most sexually explicit novel by Koontz that I have ever read; I would not recommmend this novel to people who don't care for those types of scenes. There is a relatively graphic rape scene toward the end of the book that seems pretty gratuitous to me --it doesn't really serve to push the plot forward.

This book, although very good, isn't nearly as great as Koontz' later stuff. If you want to begin reading Koontz, I would suggest starting with novels like WATCHERS, PHANTOMS, LIGHTNING, INTENSITY, or ODD THOMAS. Those are much better novels overall, and more representative of the great talent that Koontz possesses.