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Whisper Down the Lane
- Author
- Clay McLeod Chapman
- Narrator
- James Patrick Cronin
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 6 July 2021
- Run Time
- 8 hours 31 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Inspired by the McMartin preschool trials and the Satanic Panic of the ’80s, the critically acclaimed author of The Remaking delivers another pulse-pounding, true-crime-based horror novel.
Richard doesn’t have a past. For him, there is only the present: a new marriage to Tamara, a first chance at fatherhood to her son Elijah, and a quiet but pleasant life as an art teacher at Elijah’s elementary school in Danvers, Virginia. Then the body of a rabbit, ritualistically murdered, appears on the school grounds with a birthday card for Richard tucked beneath it. Richard doesn’t have a birthday—but Sean does …
Sean is a five-year-old boy who has just moved to Greenfield, Virginia, with his mother. Like most mothers of the 1980s, she’s worried about bills, childcare, putting food on the table … and an encroaching threat to American life that can take the face of anyone: a politician, a friendly neighbor, or even a teacher. When Sean’s school sends a letter to the parents revealing that Sean’s favorite teacher is under investigation, a white lie from Sean lights a fire that engulfs the entire nation—and Sean and his mother are left holding the match.
Now, thirty years later, someone is here to remind Richard that they remember what Sean did. And though Sean doesn’t exist anymore, someone needs to pay the price for his lies.
Critics Review
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“A well-crafted thriller with an intricate plot…[and] a sharp eye toward the underside of American popular culture.”
New York Journal of Books
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“Chapman is a maestro at building grim suspense…proving genuine horror dwells in the world we live in today.”
Mystery and Suspense Magazine
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“A shocking yet important novel…He explores motivation, psychology, gossip, innocence, guilt, and the uncomfortable reality of simply not knowing the truth…A case that would be scary if true…and scary if not.”
Hollywood Soapbox
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“A suspenseful tale of paranoia that will keep readers riveted until the last surprise is sprung.”
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“Within just a few pages you’ll have gotten enough shocking violence, overwhelming fear, and psychological intrigue to keep you hooked for hours.”
BookPage (starred review)
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“For those fascinated by the Satanic Panic, you’ll appreciate that this new horror novel is based on a true crime story: the McMartin preschool trials.”
BookRiot
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“A diabolically creepy hybrid of horror and psychological suspense that thrills as much as it unsettles. You’ll keep turning the pages even as your hands shake.”
Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author
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“Scary, compelling, heartbreaking, Whisper Down the Lane dredges our generation’s collective past and turns up the worst monsters of all: us. A fantastic read.”
Andy Davidson, author of The Boatman’s Daughter
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“A twisting maze of deadly secrets and dark, dangerous shadows. A nail-biting exercise of psychological terror.”
Richard Chizmar, author of Chasing the Boogeyman
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“I fearfully devoured chapter after chapter…Chapman’s ’80s-inspired horror will crawl under your skin and shake you silly, and you’ll like it.”
Molly Pohlig, author of The Unsuitable
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“A ruthlessly compelling novel, where two stories close on each other like a claw—a truly diabolical nightmare that daylight can’t dispel—all the more terrifying for what it tells us of ourselves.”
Ramsey Campbell, author of The Wise Friend
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Clay McLeod Chapman
- Narrator
- James Patrick Cronin
- Duration
- 8 hours 31 minutes
- Release Date
- 6 July 2021
- ISBN
- 9781665020282
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Horror and supernatural fiction, Psychological thriller, Occult fiction
Synopsis
Inspired by the McMartin preschool trials and the Satanic Panic of the ’80s, the critically acclaimed author of The Remaking delivers another pulse-pounding, true-crime-based horror novel.Richard doesn’t have a past. For him, there is only the present: a new marriage to Tamara, a first chance at fatherhood to her son Elijah, and a quiet but pleasant life as an art teacher at Elijah’s elementary school in Danvers, Virginia. Then the body of a rabbit, ritualistically murdered, appears on the school grounds with a birthday card for Richard tucked beneath it. Richard doesn’t have a birthday—but Sean does …Sean is a five-year-old boy who has just moved to Greenfield, Virginia, with his mother. Like most mothers of the 1980s, she’s worried about bills, childcare, putting food on the table … and an encroaching threat to American life that can take the face of anyone: a politician, a friendly neighbor, or even a teacher. When Sean’s school sends a letter to the parents revealing that Sean’s favorite teacher is under investigation, a white lie from Sean lights a fire that engulfs the entire nation—and Sean and his mother are left holding the match.Now, thirty years later, someone is here to remind Richard that they remember what Sean did. And though Sean doesn’t exist anymore, someone needs to pay the price for his lies.
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