The House of Whispers by William Le Queux

Gabrielle, blind Henry’s devoted daughter and personal secretary, is implicated when someone steals Henry’s important private papers. She is quite suddenly sent away from her beloved Glencardine. Meanwhile, Henry’s wife and her friend Flockart have information they are holding over Gabrielle’s head which makes her do whatever they want. By the end, Gabrielle doesn’t know whether to tell the truth as she knows it or to commit suicide, a “logical” course of action since she has heard the mysterious whispers in the castle ruins at Glencardine and these whispers always foretell the impending death of the hearer.

I really didn’t like the first 90% of The House of Whispers by William Le Queux. It was often dreadfully boring. The dialogue goes in circles needlessly and repeatedly, making it quite tedious to read. That it was a mystery was repeated regularly because, without those reminders, the reader would likely forget. I found it utterly and completely unbelievable that Sir Henry would listen to a man he very recently had thought of as his enemy and turn on his devoted daughter. It just plain didn’t make sense or seem in character. The last few pages do redeem the book a bit, though the solution to the “mystery” is apparent long before the big reveal (or, rather, two big reveals).

2 (out of 5) Stars

Books Read in 2015: 26
Pages Read in 2015: 7744
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)