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by Sara Moliner
Barcelona in 1952 is rife with rumor and violence, and every secret can be lethal, in this intricate, atmospheric, and utterly gripping new thriller.
Barcelona, 1952.
General Franco's fascist government is at the height of its oppressive powers, casting a black shadow across the city. When wealthy socialite Mariona Sobrerroca is found dead in her mansion in the exclusive Tibidabo district, the police scramble to seize control of the investigation.
Ana Martí Noguer, an eager young journalist, is surprised to be assigned this important story, shadowing Inspector Isidro Castro.
But Ana soon realizes that a bundle of strange letters unearthed at the scene point to a sequence of events dramatically different from the official version. She enlists the help of her cousin Beatriz, a scholar, and what begins as an intriguing puzzle opens up a series of revelations that implicate the regime's most influential figures. The two women have placed themselves in mortal danger. As the conspiracy unfolds, Ana's courage and Beatriz's wits will be their only weapons against the city's corrupt and murderous elite.
"Starred Review. The tension in this gritty debut lies in the detailed descriptions of Barcelonans in the grip of state control, which gains a more brutal edge played against the cozy-like presentation of the mystery." - Booklist
"Starred Review. If this first mystery is, as many are, the introduction of a detective for a new series, then this young reporter may prove to be a character readers are eager to follow." - Kirkus
"While too much exposition slows the narrative, the oppressive atmosphere of Franco's Spain is palpable and frightening." - Publishers Weekly
"This is an exciting, original and thoughtful thriller that paints a vivid picture of the awfulness of life in Barcelona, and indeed the whole of Spain, during the fascist years." - The Literary Review
"One of the most original, dynamic, convincing and addictive crime novels around today." - El Mundo (Spain)
"The Whispering City is not simply a magnificent thriller: it is a vivid and forensic dissection of an era cloaked in a tyranny of silence." - Marc Pastor, international bestselling author of Barcelona Shadows
This information about The Whispering City was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sara Moliner is the pseudonym for the writing duo Rosa Ribas and Sabine Hofmann. Rosa Ribas was born in Barcelona and now teaches at Frankfurt University. She is the celebrated author of six previous novels published in Spain. Sabine Hofmann is a former lecturer in philology at Frankfurt University. The Whispering City is their first novel together.
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