The Whispering City, Sara Moliner
The Whispering City, Sara Moliner
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The Whispering City

Author: Sara Moliner, Mara Faye Lethem

Narrator: Roxanne Hernandez

Unabridged: 14 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/15/2015

Synopsis

Barcelona, 1952. General Franco’s fascist government is at the height of its oppressive powers, casting a black shadow across the city. When wealthy socialite Mariona Sobrerroca is found dead in her mansion in the exclusive Tibidabo district, the police scramble to seize control of the investigation. Ana Martí Noguer, an eager young journalist, is surprised to be assigned this important story, shadowing Inspector Isidro Castro.But Ana soon realizes that a bundle of strange letters unearthed at the scene point to a sequence of events dramatically different from the official version. She enlists the help of her cousin Beatriz, a scholar, and what begins as an intriguing puzzle opens up a series of revelations that implicate the regime’s most influential figures. As the conspiracy unfolds, Ana’s courage and Beatriz’s wits will be their only weapons against the city’s corrupt and murderous elite.

About Sara Moliner

Sara Moliner is the pseudonym for the writing duo Rosa Ribas and Sabine Hofmann. Rosa Ribas was born in Barcelona and now teaches at Frankfurt University. She is the celebrated author of six previous novels published in Spain. Sabine Hofmann is a former lecturer in philology at Frankfurt University. The Whispering City is their first novel together.

About Mara Faye Lethem

Mara Faye Lethem is a Brooklyn-born, Barcelona-based writer and literary translator from Catalan and Spanish. Her translations have appeared in The Best American Non-Required Reading 2010, Granta, the Paris Review, and McSweeney’s.

About Roxanne Hernandez

Roxanne Hernandez is an audio narrator and a top narrator choice for young adult, adult drama, and Latin American/Chicano literature. She was a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration in 2011.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Felicia on December 18, 2016

This is a really fascinating mystery that takes place in 1952 Barcelona, which is my favorite city I've ever been to. This period it time though was one I wasn't familiar with, and is actually a bit frightening. A corrupt government that practically owns the press adds a tense undercurrent to a real......more

Goodreads review by Cold War Conversations Podcast on November 27, 2014

Highly acclaimed in Spain, this is a cracking thriller set in a believable 1950s Barcelona that builds the tension to a brilliant climax. It is post-Civil War Spain and in 1950’s oppressive and very fascist Barcelona Ana Martí Noguer, a keen young female journalist, is surprised to be assigned to wor......more

Goodreads review by Encarni on March 10, 2019

Me lo habían recomendado y han acertado de lleno. Ha sido una historia muy entretenida, con tensión a veces, sorpresas, muertitos, una mezcla que ha hecho que salga una novela muy atractiva. Los personajes están muy bien trazados, cada uno con su personalidad, sus miedos, su vida, personajes humanos......more

Goodreads review by Michael on December 14, 2015

General Franco was at the height of his power in Barcelona, 1952. When a wealthy socialite is found murdered in her mansion, the police scramble to seize control of the investigation. An over eager journalist named Ana Martí Noguer is assigned the task of shadowing the lead investigator, Inspector I......more

Goodreads review by Maria on August 25, 2016

Si tardo dos días en leer un libro de 400 páginas es que me ha gustado, me ha enganchado, he leído hasta esperando dos minutos el metro. Los personajes me han atrapado, excepto (como casi siempre) la protagonista, que es la más desdibujada. Si, es audaz, si, es valiente, si, es sosa (aunque nos la v......more

Quotes

“The plot…is embellished with ingenious twists and turns, and the concept of using linguistics as a detection tool is fascinating. Ana is given a crash course ‘in what she was allowed to think and what she should keep quiet’, and it is this evocation of an era when brutality and repression are the norm that gives real pause for thought.” Daily Mail (London)

“One of the most original, dynamic, convincing and addictive crime novels around today.” El Mundo (Spain)

“This is an exciting, original, and thoughtful thriller that paints a vivid picture of the awfulness of life in Barcelona, and indeed the whole of Spain, during the fascist years.” Literary Review

“The tension in this gritty debut lies in the detailed descriptions of Barcelonans in the grip of state control, which gains a more brutal edge played against the cozy-like presentation of the mystery. A fascinating angle on an ever-intriguing period.” Booklist (starred review)

“Spain’s Fascist regime gives the novel a ready-made atmosphere of fear and suspicion. But the real measure of that time is in the details rendered with the familiarity of something closely observed…This young reporter may prove to be a character readers are eager to follow.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The murder of Barcelona socialite Mariona Sobrerroca propels this accomplished debut from the pseudonymous Moliner (the writing team of Rosa Ribas and Sabine Hofmann), set in 1952…The oppressive atmosphere of Franco’s Spain is palpable and frightening.” Publishers Weekly

“The Whispering City is not simply a magnificent thriller: it is a vivid and forensic dissection of an era cloaked in a tyranny of silence.” Marc Pastor, internationally bestselling author of Barcelona Shadows

Awards

  • Booklist Top 10
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