What readers think of Whispering Shadows, plus links to write your own review.

I really enjoyed this book, as I am an avid fan of books that keep you in suspense. The cast of characters was well developed, so I actually began to care about what happened/was going to happen to them throughout the course of the book. I would recommend this book for book clubs as there are many topics to discuss; love, loss, corruption, morality, that would provide excellent conversation for a book club. I would also recommend this book to anyone who likes books about crime and finding redemption.

Whispering Shadows is not a quick read. Even though I am normally a fast reader, the patient, deliberate pace of this book made it impossible for me to speed through. And that was fine with me. I know little about life in China and Hong Kong so I found the glimpse into the lives of ordinary people fascinating. The main characters were dealing with personal tragedies that shaped their entire lives and made their efforts to find the murderer of a perfect stranger quite heroic. This was definitely a book worth the time.

This book was very different from books that I usually read. I choose it for that reason. I also chose to read it because it is about a place and its people that I am completely unfamiliar. The author did an amazing job of portraying the people and the country of China. I could feel how hot and humid it was as I read. After reading this book, I am not planning a visit to China any time soon. I enjoyed the fact that the main character was an American and I loved the contrast between Paul and Elizabeth. Both Americans, with completely different views of the country that they found themselves living/visiting. The contrast between China of the past and China of the present was very well interwoven throughout the story. I was surprised at how much the past effected the present choices of the characters. The author made it so I was truly caught up in the lives of the people in the story. I'm rooting for them all to have a happy ending!

I was excited to be selected to read and review this book as I enjoyed Sendker's earlier work The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. I think my actual review if allowed would've a 4.5. I have been fascinated with Hong Kong and it's relationship to China for years and enjoyed learning more about their history through the book. Paul was a compelling lead and I was pleasantly surprised by the many elements of the classical crime thriller showed up in the book. i was left with an even stronger desire to put Hong Kong near the top of my travel wish list. Definitely recommend.

Fate has a way of leading you thru this story filled with twists and turns you don't see coming. Paul Leibovitz is still grieving the death of his young son and is not looking to get involved with anything or anyone. He has lived in Hong Kong for a long time, speaks the language and has a good friend who lives in mainland China. His chance meeting of Elizabeth, a distressed lady whose son has gone missing in China, changes his life and the lives of those he knows.

In trying to help Elizabeth, he contacts his old friend, Zhang, a detective in China, for his help. Thus begins a time of suspense as few people are who they appear to be, including friends.

The book is rich in the history of China during the revolution and I enjoyed it for that contribution alone. It is interesting to see the revolution thru the eyes of people who were in it and are now a part of the reformed communist China. It also gives a lot of insight as to what living in Hong Kong is like.

This would be a good book for a bookclub.

The unexpected confluence of two events in my own life—the loss of a child and a son's recent wedding in Shenzhen—made my journey through Jan-Phillipp Sendker's novel, Whispering Shadows, startlingly intimate. This coincidence afforded me a clear perspective on the authenticity of the author's sensibilities about the interior struggle of his protagonist, Paul Leibovitz. As well, my academic background is suffused with the study of Chinese history and literature. My apprehensions were dispelled, almost instantly, by Sendker's sensitive Prologue, which set not only the scene but the mood of the narrative.

Haunted by loss and despairing of his future, Paul Leibovitz eschews any personal contacts that might cause him to forget his son or to render him future pain. He has retreated to an isolated island off the coast of Hong Kong, venturing to the main island only when necessary. From this perspective, he seems a reluctant, improbable "detective." Nonetheless, he finds himself drawn back to life, yet the phrase "at what cost…." shadows his every move.

Sendker's understanding of the modern Chinese dilemma—a complex ambivalence about capitalism—is both effective and important, for it haunts the central discourse of the novel. Indeed, it is Sendker's appreciation for his characters' memories of China's Cultural Revolution, in Deng Xiaoping's "enterprise zone" and throughout China, that creates the real tension in the novel. In many ways, the actual "mystery" is secondary; the absorbing questions are more "novelistic" and focus on the emotional development of several key characters.
   
Thus the novel is really about emerging: the tortuous development of modern China and the equally painful movement away from absorbing loss. Memories whisper throughout: "at what cost…." does life continue.

A good read, a good mystery. It gives a look into other cultures and some history. It was a little slowing moving for me. It would make a good book club pick. There are many things that good be used for discussion.

I enjoyed this book as an interesting character and cultural study. I lived in Asia and traveled extensively in China in the late '90s and felt the author did an excellent job of reflecting the character of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. His character development exploring Paul's deep grief, as well as the trauma of the Chinese characters who grew up as victims of the Cultural Revolution was insightful and poignant. However, as a great fan of mystery novels, I found the mystery aspect of this novel disappointingly lacking in development. Perhaps he was a bit overambitious in selecting a murder mystery as the vehicle for the story. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. This is the first novel I've read by this author and I plan to read his prior novel and would gladly read future books.