The Whispering Palms

Oh my word!! Just look at this front cover!
I love the colouring of the background – just enough to entice that exotic feeling but then the darkened edges and the contrast of the black palms just screamed mystery to me!

I was instantly drawn to this one and it was just a brilliantly written thriller.

20 years after her mother mysteriously dies, Andie returns to investigate and search for a missing backpacker.
Ex-cop and now true crime writer, Andie was shunned by the townsfolk – all except PI Mac Turner – who agrees to join forces to uncover the secrets and lies that have been lurking here for years!

Andie and Mac were the best main characters – they were instantly relatable and I loved the banter between them that built up as we read through.
Their ease with each other helped me to feel like part of their team and it was easy to then focus on the case itself and the events from the past.

I loved how the storyline twisted and turned throughout – finding clues that helped the case, but opened up more questions, leaving me struggling to know who I could trust.

The writing style was gripping from the start and I had a sense of unease to the end, that had me on the edge of my seat and flicking through the pages so fast. I needed to know what was going on.

A really enjoyable read and I hope that we’ll see more following on?

Oh my goodness what an amazing novel! I literally could not put it down. I was immediately drawn in to the writing style which made it easy to then relate to the characters. The story was epically crafted with threads that interwove between the past and the present culminating in unravelling the key thread that was running throughout – solving a decades old murder. I 100% recommend this book.

I loved this book! I read it all in one day while travelling. This book kept me guessing throughout, its a great mystery set in Australia. Andie and Mac are a fantastic team, and both are likeable characters. This is a well thought out plot with murders spread over twenty years. I really hope there is a sequel. We definitely need to see more of Andie and Mac, with Jake playing a supporting role.

Really pleased to have been included on the blog tour for The Whispering Palms.

Set in Australia, true crime writer / investigator Andie teams up with her good friend Mac investigate the disappearance a backpacker. Summer was last seen in Bayswater, coincidentally the town where Andie grew up and where her own mother died.

This was another where the cover sucked me in as much as the blurb, doesn’t it just smack of summer holidays and warmer weather!

I really enjoyed it, the story moved quickly with lots of twist and turns and I was invested in Andie and her desire to solve Summer’s disappearance and at the same time get under the skin of her own mother’s death.

I loved the partnership she had with Mac, in fact I looked to see if there was a back catalogue of previous books but it looks like this was the first, I hope there will be more!

I really enjoyed this book, I was instantly drawn to the book by the front cover, I love anything that looks tropical and the blurb sounded so interesting. I love thrillers that include cops/ ex cops working with private investigators, so I knew this would be a winner and I wasn’t disappointed.

The book is well written with a compelling story line that gripped me right from the start and didn’t let me go. The characters are well developed, all are relatable and very believable, however, for me it was all about Andie and Mac or Anmac as they now known in my head. I loved their relationship and they just worked so well together.

The mystery in this book was done really well with a good amount of tension, perfect pacing and a good amount of twists that had me on the edge of seat not wanting it to end. but, desperately wanting to know what happened. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

This was such a good read. I love that it was a mystery crime thriller but it also had in some historic crime which was different for me but i absolutely loved it. I was drawn into this book it had it all I mean it really did. I thought I knew who did it then the more I would read the more I was like no that’s not right. The dynamic between Andi and Mac was amazing and I really loved how the author just combined both crimes so well it worked !! I never would have thought to do that. I also hope this becomes a series because I need more. Just more of the characters the crimes all of it !!!

I need more from this author because I loved this book so much !!! I’m sad it’s over. I get attached to books and characters so easy and this book was no exception!!!

The Whispering Palms is an accomplished read which has pace throughout. It tells the story of Andie Yates who is asked by a woman called Maureen Daniels to look for her daughter, Summer who has disappeared without trace. Andie is an investigator with previous police experience and so you know that you are in the presence of someone who will pursue the truth until it is found.

The difficulty that Andie faces is that looking for Summer means returning to the town where she grew up and where her mother was found dead in mysterious circumstances. Andie is keen to find Summer but she is also determined to find out more about her mother and her life but as she begins to probe, with her friend and colleague, Mac to help her, she finds that the residents of Bayswater are not keen to open up about anything.

This, of course, drives her search even more.

Andie meets figures from her past and learns new things about her mother as well as meeting new influential people in the meantime. One of these is insurance investigator, Jake who seems to be interested in Andie but is he all that he seems to be or does he have a secret to hide as well?

Both Andie and Mac are characters who are likeable and the chemistry between them as colleagues and friends who know and respect each other comes across throughout. There are lots of people mentioned through the book who could be responsible for Summer’s disappearance and the plot unfolds nicely and at the right pace. Annette Leigh’s writing is fluid and her dialogue is snappy and I found it very easy to read.

Bayswater feels like an insular environment and Annette Leigh does well to show the caginess of all of the residents; some are reluctant to talk because of bringing up the past whereas others seem to be fearful of something or someone. There is a sense of a conspiracy and Andie’s doggedness increases the threat to her which is just what you’d expect from a good thriller.

There is nothing too heavy here. Tension and mystery is maintained throughout but it is not an incredibly dark book and it made for light and enjoyable reading.