The Whispers - Heidi Perks

I've enjoyed a previous book from Heidi Perks and was eager to listen to her latest - The Whispers. 

Anna and Grace were the best of friends as children, almost sisters you might say. When one of the families moves away, the friendship drifts to an end. But Grace misses Anna terribly and when the opportunity arises to move back to their British hometown, she doesn't think twice. Except....things aren't the same as she had imagined. Anna has a new group of friends and doesn't seem to want to rekindle the relationship with Grace. 

Well, I'm sure you've heard the phrase "Mean Girls'. How about Mean Mommies? Anna and her cohorts seem to fit the label. The title of the book brings to mind gossiping parents by the school gate.

I thought I had figured out where Perks was going to take her tale. Wrong. (Happily!) Anna goes missing. (Aha!) And Perks completely turns things upside down. (Captivating!) Both Anna and Grace are given a voice, so the listener is privy to both lead character's thoughts and actions. (Riveting!)

Perks explores friendships, the good, the bad and the ugly - and the secrets friends keep in The Whispers to great effect. A slow burn, but a good one!

The Whispers was read by Karen Cass, Nneka Okoye and Helen Keeley. I'm not sure who narrated what character, but they all did an excellent job. Each voice was clear, well paced and pleasant to listen to. The character of Grace had an Australian accent while the other two readers has British accents. All were excellent and true. The voices for the supporting characters suited and were different enough to know who was speaking. What made this book such a good listen to was the nuances, emphasis, tone and tenor used by the readers to capture Perks' plot. Listening to a book lets you experience the story in a much more intimate fashion. And this was definitely the case with The Whispers. Hear for yourself  - listen to an audio excerpt of The Whispers. Nine hours and twenty minutes.