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Teen Fiction - Body, Mind & Health, Teen Fiction - Horror & Suspense
The Murmurings by Carly Anne West — book cover

The Murmurings

by Carly Anne West
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Overview

A teen girl starts hearing the same voices that drove her sister to commit suicide in this creepy, suspenseful novel.

Everyone thinks Sophie’s sister, Nell, went crazy. After all, she heard strange voices that drove her to commit suicide. But Sophie doesn’t believe that Nell would take her own life, and she’s convinced that Nell’s doctor knows more than he’s letting on.

As Sophie starts to piece together Nell’s last days, every lead ends in a web of lies. And the deeper Sophie digs, the more danger she’s in—because now she’s hearing the same haunting whispers. Sophie’s starting to think she’s going crazy too. Or worse, that maybe she’s not….

Synopsis

A teen starts hearing the same voices that drove her sister to commit suicide in this “atmospheric, paranormal chiller (that) will appeal to fans of Stephen King” (VOYA).

Everyone thinks Sophie’s sister, Nell, went crazy. After all, she heard strange voices that drove her to commit suicide. But Sophie doesn’t believe that Nell would take her own life, and she’s convinced that Nell’s doctor knows more than he’s letting on.

As Sophie starts to piece together Nell’s last days, every lead ends in a web of lies. And the deeper Sophie digs, the more danger she’s in—because now she’s hearing the same haunting whispers. Sophie’s starting to think she’s going crazy too. Or worse, that maybe she’s not….

About the Author, Carly Anne West

Carly Anne West is a freelance writer with an MFA in English and Creative Writing from Mills College. She lives with her husband and son in Seattle, Washington. Visit her at CarlyAnneWest.com.

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Editorials

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Satisfyingly disturbing."

Shelf Awareness

"The perfect mix of horror and psychological thriller. Jaw-dropping."

Booklist Online

"This creepy debut has a supernatural mystery that readers will want to solve."

Kirkus Reviews

Sophie worries that she may wind up in a mental institution like her sister Nell when she starts hearing the same ghostly whispering that doomed Nell. Was Nell crazy? Is Sophie? Or do both sisters have an ability to hear things from beyond the grave? Worse, does their ability put them in danger? Sophie's new love interest, Evan, wants to help find out what happened to Nell when she died after escaping from the Oakside Behavioral Institute. Sophie and Evan investigate Nell's death, meeting Adam, the former Oakside worker who helped Nell escape. Ignoring, of course, both Adam's and Evan's advice to stay away from Oakside, Sophie goes there anyway and becomes trapped when an unethical doctor convinces her alcoholic mother to commit her. It seems the doctor has his own reasons for getting "seers" under his control. Now Sophie must find a way to escape from Oakside on her own. For a short time, West flirts with the possibility that Sophie's "murmurings" might be psychological rather than paranormal but drops that mystery in favor of pure suspense. The plotting is effective, including secret prowling around the institute at night, surreptitious meetings with a sympathetic ally, fun with mirrors and heart-thumping encounters. A steady pace helps to compensate for an overlong story. Some decent frights will keep the pages turning. (Paranormal suspense. 12 & up)

Book Details

Published
March 5, 2013
Publisher
Simon Pulse
Pages
370
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781442441798

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