Whispers from the Dead

By Joan Lowery Nixon

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Caroline Cooney, and R.L. Stine comes Whispers from the Dead from four-time Edgar Allen Poe Young Adult Mystery Award winner Joan Lowery Nixon.
 
        Only Sarah senses the horror.
        The minute she steps through the doorway of her family’s new home, Sarah feels a smothering cold mist, and hears the echo of a scream and a heartbreaking whisper in Spanish, “Help me!”
        Sarah feels compelled to find out who is trying to reach her. But can she uncover the mysteries of the past before terror strikes again?
 
“A master at creating compelling suspense novels, Nixon has written yet another carefully plotted, subtly terrifying thriller.” –Publishers Weekly

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9780307823465

Joan Lowery Nixon

Joan Lowery Nixon (1927–2003) was a renowned author of children’s literature, best known for series like the Orphan Train Adventures and Casebusters. Born in Los Angeles, she began dictating poems to her mother before she could read. At the University of Southern California, Nixon majored in journalism, but took a job teaching the first grade upon graduating. In 1949, she and her husband moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, and in 1964 she published her first novel, The Mystery of Hurricane Castle. Nixon became a fan of mystery fiction when she was a child, and many of her most popular series incorporate elements of sleuthing. She won four Edgar Awards for best young adult mysteries, including prizes for her novels The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore (1979) and The Name of the Game Was Murder (1993). In addition to writing more than 140 young adult novels, Nixon also co-wrote several geology texts with her scientist husband.      

Reviews for Whispers from the Dead

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After a near-death experience, 16-year-old Sarah starts to feel a presence following her. Things only intensify when she moves into a new home and her parents learn a murder occurred there years before. Now Sarah is haunted by the spirit of a woman warning of her danger and asking for Sarah's help.This book was originally written in the late 1980s and it has that style of so many teen books written then -- the language feels nothing like the way teenagers speak and in fact has a more childlike narration style (but not content). The characters are completely one-note and the big reveal is so completely obvious from very early on in the text.That all being said, however, Nixon does write a compelling story and I found myself on the edge of my seat waiting for that reveal and all the smaller ones along the way. It is incredibly readable and moves at a quick pace. This book is perfect for folks like me who like a slightly spooky thriller but don't want a full-on horror novel.

[mutantpudding · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Felt like reading some ghost stories and came across this stinker. Ghost story part not bad but mystery part enraging because of how obvious it was and because of how brain blistering stupid the protagonist was! Love interest despicable from the start (he is friends with an accused rapist and it's totally glossed over) and is just generally garbage. Protagonist is oblivious to this and to the murder mystery. There was also some random racism and fatphobia thrown in for good measure.

[simply00complex · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not one of the best from the author. It started off strong with the main character describing a near death experience and afterwards she became sensitive to the afterlife, hearing a ghost in her house. But the story quickly fizzled after that and became very boring and predictable.