Book Review: Whispering Shadows by Jan-Phillip Sendker (Translated by Christine Lo)

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,

  Occasionally in the past I have begun books and have not finished them for one reason or another. But when I began Whispering Shadows it was at the recommendation of a book seller that could not stop gushing about how amazing it was. Back then I was not reading as much, and the novel slipped into the recesses of my book pile never to be seen again. Now, three years later, I have picked up this novel  and have finished it. Do I agree with that book seller's assessment? It is time to share my views. 

   Whispering Shadows is a novel by German author, Jan-Phillip Sendker, and is translated by Christine Lo. It is published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. This intriguing book is set in and around Hong Kong and is the first book in the Rising Dragon series. In it we are introduced to Paul Leibovitz and his wife, Meredith. Their young son, Justin, is diagnosed with a terminal illness that has the little boy living his final days. When Justin finally passes Paul and Meredith divorce, and Paul moves to Lamma Island to be in seclusion. Paul does not want his memories of his son to fade amidst the hustle and bustle of the city. By living away from the noise, Paul believes he will be able to keep his memories of Justin fresh in his mind. An active child, despite his illness, Justin left Paul with many wonderful memories of activities they had shared. Paul enjoys recreating those moments of joy that he had with his son. One of which is hiking a nearby mountain peak..

   At the peak's cafe, Paul meets a distraught Elizabeth Owen. The woman is beside herself with worry and sleep deprivation. Her son, Michael, has disappeared while on a business trip to China, and she wants answers as to his whereabouts. Feeling sorry for the woman, Paul, reluctantly listens to her story. She explains that she and her husband, Richard, have conducted their search as best as they can. Paul tells her that he has been a resident of the area for thirty years. Upon hearing this Elizabeth feels Paul's regional knowledge can help them find Michael. Against the advice of his girlfriend (although he would not want to admit this), Christine, Paul agrees to help Mrs. Owen. With the aid of his homicide detective friend, Zhang Lin, Paul begins to investigate the young business man's disappearance. But things become complicated when the body of young man matching Michael's description is found.

  Whispering Shadows is a definite page turner. Sendker's writing was easy to follow, and often his narrative pulled me in. However the pacing was a bit slow in places and it did seem to go back to the same locations during the investigation, making some scenes repetitive. I also found that the investigation eventually gave me a somewhat anti-climatic resolution to Owen's disappearance. This novel tried to be a taught thriller, but at times it suffered from an identity crisis. It read like a dramatic book with some suspense, rather than the opposite. I found that I was more invested in Paul Leibovitz's personal life and not so much the mystery of Michael Owen. Sendker had an often beautiful writing style that captured Paul's grief and hesitation to start over with Christine. He also gave us a back story for Zhang Lin that further led me to respect the character and his struggles even more. Where Whispering Shadows lacked in suspense it made up for it with excellent characters. The world that Paul Leibovitz lived in was also vivid and well described.

 I read this in part with the narration of actor, George Newbern. Newbern’s ability to convey the feelings of the characters, as well as present distinctive voices for the cast, made the audio adaption compelling. I have always liked Newbern's acting, and I was pleasantly surprised by his presentation.

  Whispering Shadows was a very entertaining read that left me wanting more of these characters, and to see where another story would take them. Even though it did not come across as a thriller, I loved the world building and excellent characters. I will pick up books two and three once I can find the English versions. I enjoyed Sendker's writing style and will definitely pick up more of his translated novels. In the end I gave Whispering Shadows four out of five stars.  

Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.

 
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All written content (c) Copyright 2018 by Thomas Bahr II
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