Il suggeritore (The Whisperer)

Donato Carrisi

Pub date 31st January 2009

Original publisher Longanesi, Italy

Publisher (UK) Little, Brown

Publisher (US) Mulholland Books

International publishers Current licences: Czech Rep – Dobrovsky s.r.o.; France – Calmann Levy; Greece – Patakis; Korea – Sigongsa; Poland – Albatros; Serbia – Vulkan; Spain (World) – Antonio Vallardi; Taiwan – Spring International; Turkey – Pegasus; Ukraine – Family Leisure Club; Vietnam – Women’s Publishing / Past licences: Brazil – Record; Bulgaria – Riva; China – Shanghai Translation; Croatia – Znanje; Denmark – Art People; Germany – Piper; Hungary – Alexandra; Israel – Kinneret-Zmora; Japan – Hayakawa; Lithuania – Sofoklis; Norway – Lundquist; Portugal – Porto Editora; Russia – Azbooka-Atticus; Slovakia – Slovart; Thailand – ClassAct; The Netherlands – Wereldhibliotheek

A record-breaking bestseller and multiple literary prize-winner, Il Suggeritore came from nowhere to become an astonishing Italian publishing phenomenon

Six severed arms are discovered buried in a forest clearing. They are arranged in a mysterious circle, and appear to belong to missing girls between the ages of eight and thirteen. But the rest of the bodies are nowhere to be found.

Criminologist Goran Gavila is given the case. A dishevelled, instinctively rebellious man, he is forced to work with young female police officer Mila Vasquez. Lithe, boyish, answering to no one, Mila has a reputation as a specialist in missing children. She also has a tragic history of her own that has left her damaged, unable to feel or to relate to others.

Theirs is a fiery but strangely affecting working relationship – and as they uncover more secrets about the dark secrets in the forest, their lives are increasingly in each other’s hands…

A gripping literary thriller that has taken Italy by storm, Il Suggeritore has been as sensational a bestseller in Europe as the Stieg Larsson novels. It is that rare creation: a thought-provoking, intelligent literary novel that is also utterly unputdownable.

Praise for Il suggeritore

‘Exquisite. Readers who appreciate manipulation, both of plots and themselves, by the author, and those who appreciate a shock of bloody horror will be absolutely enthralled by this offering.’
– Library Journal (starred review)