The Whispering Gallery
Published on 5. July 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-0-00-729682-8 (ISBN)
Description
A gripping and evocative mystery set in 30s London, in which a young journalist goes on the trail of a serial killer
On a sweltering day in July 1937, reporter John Steadman is in London's St Paul's Cathedral waiting for his girlfriend ... But romance is pushed aside when he witnesses a man falling to his death from the Whispering Gallery, killing a priest in the process. Did he jump or was he pushed?
Two days later Johnny receives the first of a series of grim packages at the offices of his newspaper, the Daily News. Each contains the body part of a woman and an enigmatic note, one of which says that he will be the murderer's final victim.
To catch a killer, Johnny must set himself up as bait - with police and a fascinated public looking on. But he still has to uncover the tragic truth behind the double-death in the cathedral...
On a sweltering day in July 1937, reporter John Steadman is in London's St Paul's Cathedral waiting for his girlfriend ... But romance is pushed aside when he witnesses a man falling to his death from the Whispering Gallery, killing a priest in the process. Did he jump or was he pushed?
Two days later Johnny receives the first of a series of grim packages at the offices of his newspaper, the Daily News. Each contains the body part of a woman and an enigmatic note, one of which says that he will be the murderer's final victim.
To catch a killer, Johnny must set himself up as bait - with police and a fascinated public looking on. But he still has to uncover the tragic truth behind the double-death in the cathedral...
Reviews / Votes
Sanderson's storytelling moves at full pelt and he combines an engrossing tour of long-gone back streets with a tremendous eye for the louche and grotesque ... If you love London, you'll love The Whispering Gallery' Evening StandardPraise for Mark Sanderson:
Powerfully atmospheric. A compelling journey into the dark heart of the Square Mile' Jake Arnott
'Sanderson relishes the louche and smoky milieu where police and press rub shoulders with sexual adventurers and criminals, and he describes it with considerable verve' Spectator
'Sanderson is a journalistic boulevardier of great wit and charm, with a gift for the outrageous...The author sports a narrative grasp that won't let the reader go...His ace in the hole is the pungent evocation of time and place. London of the 1930s is conjured with immense skill' Independent
'Elegant, unpretentious writing, a strong build-up of suspense and the portrayal of a central relationship between Johnny, the hot-shot reporter, and his old school buddy Matt Turner, a policeman from the City's Snow Hill police station, which is both emotionally believable and intriguing. Snow Hill has undeniable page-turning appeal' Financial Times
'A fully polished, fast-paced and thoroughly entertaining affair' Daily Mirror 'Book of the Week'
'The period atmosphere is vividly and convincingly portrayed ... It's a very good read and an interesting story based on an event that is rumoured actually to have happened' Literary Review
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
260 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-729682-8 (9780007296828)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Mark Sanderson
The Whispering Gallery
E-Book
07/2011
1st Edition
HarperCollins
€5.49
Available for download
Person
Mark Sanderson is a journalist writing mainly for the Sunday Telegraph and Evening Standard. Since 1999 he has written the Literary Life column in the Sunday Telegraph. A memoir, 'Wrong Rooms', published in 2002 to widespread acclaim was described by Melvyn Bragg as "one of the most moving I have ever read".