Whispers of the Bayou

by Mindy Starns Clark

Book Overview

From the author of the popular Million Dollar Mysteries and Smart Chick Mysteries comes a new stand-alone novel full of hidden staircases, buried secrets, and the promise of hope found in knowing God. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0736918795
• ISBN13: 9780736918794
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
• Length: 337 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Good storyteller but was not edited well

The story itself was somewhat entertaining, though the ending felt very rushed, as if she just got tired of writing and wanted to wrap it up quickly. But the worst part was that there were so many grammatical errors, repeated words and the like that it gave the story a "cheaper" feel and took away from the reading experience I so greatly enjoy. I felt as if I was reading a story written by someone on Wattpad. I had to go over and reread some sentences thinking it was my interpretation that was incorrect, when it turned out that it was just a fragmented sentence. Overall, it was interesting but not a "can't put this book down" interesting, more like "I'll catch up while I'm waiting to be seen at the doctors office" interesting.

Faith filled mystery chock full of suspense and thrills

Whispers of the Bayou by Mindy Starns Clark is full of twists and turns and family secrets. Miranda Miller's life is going according to plan, even if it isn't perfect, when she's suddenly attacked and then gets word that she needs to return to her family's plantation in Louisiana. The caretaker is dying, but he insists that he has something that he can only tell her in person. Miranda takes her daughter and falls into a twisted history of secrets and lies that may cost not only her life, but those she loves as well. For just a few hundred pages, Clark manages to pack an enormous amount of plot into this well-crafted thriller. Secret societies with mysterious secrets, long-long parents and lovers, murder and betrayal, this book has it all, but without sacrificing plausibility or character development. Miranda is a smart, interesting character who learns about faith and trusting others. Every time I turned the page another bomb was dropped; I couldn't put the book down.

The best mystery novel of the year

Miranda Miller can't remember anything that happened to her before she was five years old. All she's known is a life in the city with her aunt. Now an adult with a family of her own, mysterious circumstances involving a tattoo she never knew existed and a grounds keeper dying bring her back to Louisiana. There she discovers she's now the owner of her grandparents' estate. Secrets abound on the plantation, dating back to centuries before Miranda was born. She also discovers the reason why her childhood memory left her and the shocking truth about her family. Ok I will admit it. Books set in Louisiana dealing with Cajun and bayou subjects scare me to death. Something about swamps and voodoo give me the creeps and make me want to leave my lights on. This book definitely gives the chills due to the setting which was described so perfectly I could imagine myself being there. This is the BEST mystery book I have read this year. It was such a page turner that I spent all of one weekend day glued to the book. The writing is suspenseful and keeps the reader guessing throughout. The characters are intriguing and there are so many twists that people you think are trustworthy may not be what they seemed. Stories that have huge plantation houses always house secrets and there are MANY secrets that are revealed in this book. I love how the past blends with the present. The ending, while I wish there was a sequel, ties up all loose ends and is very satisfying. The story is not preachy at all, in fact it is interesting to see what brings a non believer to a faith in Christ. If you are a fan of Clark's past works, you will devour this story as well. If this is your first book, you will become a fan and want to read all her books. I just cannot express how good of a book this is. If there is one book you should read this year, it is this one. HIGHLY recommended.

An intriguing story line, not like others.

The odd twists in this tale became apparent quickly and pulled me into the character's journey of discovery. The resolution of the heroine's personal drama was just as compelling as the outcome of the central mystery. Definitely a multi-layered, intriguing book.

Inventive and Intriguing

I very much enjoyed this new offering from Mindy Starns Clark. Like her other books, this has a great suspense plot and offers some very interesting twists. The question of who "Cass" was definitely took me by surprise as well as all the family connections. I would say that I don't think the Christian plot is as strong as it could be. I really felt it was more of an addition to already complete story than an integral part of the plot and that disappointed me. The same with the issues with her husband. You could see them working out in Miranda's head, but not having him present for the process really took away from it - as well as having them come to their Christian realizations separately. The plot was great, but I did feel like it all sort of just "fell" together at the end. For the most part, it was believable and worked, but I would have liked to see more discovery over time - like with Miranda's family background. I think this is a well-written book and definitely one that will grip your interest, but I think in Clark's switch from series to stand-alone fiction, she needs to work on spreading out the discovery more as she doesn't have more books to work it in, so needs to start earlier. Or she could just go back to series - I personally love series!