This was a fun and quick read that didn't do anything particularly spectacular or original, but was definitely enjoyable. I am intrigued by Keira as the protagonist and thought that Darcy Coates did a good job of keeping the reader guessing about her backstory. The town of Blighty is a fun setting with good vibes and I think the characters are all likable in their own ways, particularly Adage. There are some pacing issues for me in terms of how quickly the relationships were developed and the plot itself is a bit pedestrian, but the overall reading experience is good and I will continue to read the series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the first book I've read by Darcy Coates and it will not be the last. I loved this book! While I felt like it was written more in a YA way, it didn't matter because the story took off and kept me hooked until the very end. I loved the fact that it is a ghost story mixed with Keira's life story and that she eventually helps those ghosts to find closure. This was a super-quick read and I cannot wait to read the next one!

I have read many books by this author and have loved every single one and this one definitely did not disappoint. This storyline felt different than other books I have by this author. It felt lighter and more wholesome than scary, which shockingly I really loved. I was addicted to this story, to the town of Blightly and all its residents. I wanted to know each and everyone of their stories, those dead and alive. This was a super fast read, that will keep you guessing even after the story ends. It had a little bit of everything, you had humor with Zoe, hints of possible romance with Mason and of course lots of paranormal suspense. I highly recommend this book and this author to everyone.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this advanced copy! It set me up for the release of "The Ravenous Dead" big time!

Twisty mystery that will take you down a dark rabbit hole containing several mysterious path's, all of which need an ending. First we start with Keira. She finds herself hurt and alone with zero memory of who she is and what has brought her to Blighty. She finds herself knee deep in a mysterious graveyard which holds many questions that need answers. We then find our unfortunate ghost, Emma who is roaming the graveyard, searching for something.....what is that something? We have a few shady gentlemen, a kind pastor and a looney girl who befriends Kiera, Zoe. And we can't forget the sweet little Cat, Daisy. Did Kiera wind up in a town with far too many dark secrets, adding to her lost memory?

Edge of your seat reading, brought to you by the amazing Darcy Coates. Slow burn and ends in a bang. But, when I say "ends", does it really? Um no. You are left with so many more questions that NEED answers which sets you up for the next book in this amazing series.

If you are a fan of this author then you will definitely enjoy this series.

I love this I've read so many of Darcy Coates ghosts stories this is the first series I've picked up by her and i will be continuing with it

This is what I would call horror light. It wasn't all that creepy or spooky and it didn't really scare me at all. Ive read scarier young adult books vs. this story. I think if you are looking for something very light and an easy read then check this one out. But it isnt anything to write home about.

This book was ok. There was nothing really scary in it. I liked Keira and the friends she made. There are a lot of unanswered questions at the end. I will read the next book to see if they are answered.

This was my third or fourth book by Darcy Coates, with my favorite being The Haunting of Ashburn House. Coates knows how to craft awesome gothic atmosphere without over-the-top horror. In other words, if you're looking to be scared, this probably isn't for you, but if you like graveyards, small towns, and supernatural elements, I think you will enjoy it. The main character of Keira is a little too one-dimensional for my taste but apparently this is the start of a series so I would assume there will be some character growth. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this ARC.

Darcy Coates is one of my favorite authors. Her books are the perfect combination of intrigue and creepiness that keep me entrained until the end. The Whispering Dead was a well told story and I enjoyed it; however, I did find the story was not nearly as scary as Coates usual stories. As the first book in a new series I knew there would be some unresolved aspects of the story which leaves me anticipating the next installment of the Graveyard series.

Somebody is haunting Keira and she is taking refuge in a cottage near a cemetery. She can't remember anything about her and her life. From the cottage she can see that the cemetery is full of ghosts, why are they still here? What is keeping the dead to move on? Keira is going to try and find out.
Thanks to Netgalley for this book.

Love this! Can’t wait for more in the series. Great characters, great scares, a horror level that is appropriate for upper middle school and high school.

A solid 3 from me, which translated via the Goodreads rating system means I liked it. Coates is a relatively new-to-me author; I've only read two of Coates's books prior to reading The Whispering Dead. I will certainly be looking forward to more in this series. Although it has become difficult to find unique scary / horror / supernatural books, Coates always has a surprise or two, and it's this aspect of her writing that will keep me reading her work.

Found myself a bit lost with this one, not what I was expecting and probably a case of 'it's me not you' with this book as it just didn't hold my interest enough and I struggled to finish this one. Unfortunately not one that I'll be recommending sorry. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Keira is on the run. She has no memory of who she is or where she’s been. All she knows is that she needs to get away from the man chasing her. She finds refuge in an abandoned groundskeeper’s cottage tucked away at the edge of a cemetery, surrounded on all sides by gravestones. The cemetery is alive with spectral shapes, led by a woman who died before her time. Kiera is the only one who can see her and becomes her new target. Determined to help put the ghost to rest, Kiera digs into the spirit’s past with the help of some unlikely new friends in the strange town she now calls home. What she finds is a history of deception, ill-fated love, and murder that leaves Kiera back in the crosshairs of danger.

THE WHISPERING DEAD kicks off Darcy Coates’ new Gravekeeper series with the introduction of Kiera. Our main character knows as much about herself as we do, but it’s clear that there is an interesting past haunting her. Thanks to the help of a fun cast of secondary characters, Kiera quickly starts to find her footing in her new town. She also makes acquaintances with the ghost of a woman who was murdered in this town. Kiera’s got a secret past, is being hunted, and can see ghosts...call me intrigued!

The pacing of THE WHISPERING DEAD is easy to fall into and reads quite quick. Despite there being a lot to unpack with Kiera and her current situation the book feels effortlessly done and incredibly easy to follow. It’s hard to talk about the details of the plot without spoiling anything, but what I will say is that I can easily see this becoming a great series! Coates left a lot open ended with room to grow and unveil a ton of storylines. THE WHISPERING DEAD is a great start to a series that I’ll be eagerly awaiting the second book for!

I'm a huge fan of Darcy Coates and I couldn't wait for this book to be available. I devoured it and I am pleased. I can't wait for book two. I wasn't enthralled with her Whispers in the Mist series so I had concerns about this book, but I really enjoyed it. I like the main character, the side characters, and the premise. Great start to a series!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, Darcy Coates and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

The Whispering Dead is the first book in a new series called Gravekeeper. The second book in the series comes out in May 2022.

Darcy Coates is the queen of clean but frightening ghost stories. I have read many of her books and this one does not disappoint. Kiera, the principal character, wakes up in the woods with no idea who she is or how she got there. She is bruised and bloody and there are men chasing her. She stumbles upon the home of a pastor, who takes her in and feeds her. He lets her stay in the small groundskeeper's cottage, which sits in the middle of a nearby cemetery. On the first night of her stay in the cottage, she sees a woman at her window who is clearly a ghost trying to communicate with her. At that, she realizes she can see many ghosts in the cemetery. The woman trying to communicate with her has died tragically over 40 years ago and Keira is determined to help her move on.

Keira makes friends quickly with two people in town; zany Zoe and handsome Mason, a med school drop-out trying to find his way. The novel takes place in Blighty, a tiny little town seemingly in the middle of nowhere with lots of stories and quirky characters. Keira is determined to investigate the mystery of the whispering woman and enlists Zoe and Mason to help her. This is a great cast of characters and some scenes are laugh out loud funny, which is rare in a ghost story. Of course, we have the evil characters also, such as Gavin who wants to make sure that Keira doesn’t get in his way.

Darcy Coates is a master at her craft. The dialogue is amazing and flows beautifully. How she describes the cemetery is breathtaking, with the lost souls wandering around. While there may be some plot holes in the book - we never find out who Keira actually is and who was following her - I have good faith that the author will cover those in the sequel. There is a dark fog throughout the book, with rain and thunderstorms, that will put you in the mood to be scared. If you have never read this author, I recommend you take the plunge if you love light horror and a good mystery.. The Whispering Dead is simply written, as is the author’s usual style.

The Whispering Dead is the first book in Darcy Coates new Gravekeeper series (book 2—The Ravenous Dead—is due for release in May 2022). The book has all the earmarks for a proper series. First, we have a gothic heroine in Keira: an amnesiac in peril who is endowed with a supernatural gift. Second, there is the mystery that surrounds her: who is she, why are there armed men after her, and why did she appear in Blighty of all places? Third, she makes friends quickly with the village outcasts: eccentric Zoe, and medical school dropout Mason (will there be love?). Fourth, there is the village villain, Gavin (will he continue to be a malicious menace?). Lastly, by the end of the book, she has both unfinished and new business to take care of.

Darcy Coates is at her best in the dialogue. The verbal sparring is genuine and flows naturally. The descriptive parts are okay; the sections where she illustrates the supernatural elements are evocative. However, I became confused by how during thunderstorms with copious amounts of rain, there is also mist and fog.

If you are looking for a fun, quick read with elements of the gothic and supernatural, this book is for you.

I’d like to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this fun book.

Short and simple. We don’t deserve Darcy Coates. Why would you choose to pick up a Stephen King book when Darcy is RIGHT THERE? I can’t praise this woman’s writing enough. She is the current master of atmospheric horror. I appreciate Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this wonderful ARC. I can’t wait to buy a copy on release day. The Whispering Dead is out on May 4th, 2021 by Poisoned Pen Press.

If someone were to go into this book not realizing it is going to be a series, I would understand the disappointment. Knowing it is the first in a series though, I thought this book was a wonderful read with characters that I can't wait to spend more time with in the future.

There is an underlying mystery in the book revolving around Keira, a young woman who wakes up in the woods with an extreme case of amnesia and who is being chased by unknown men. This mystery is sure to be an ongoing one in future books as there is no resolution or explanation as to Keira's past. I liked the character of Keira so much though that I can't wait to see how it all unfolds.

The magic of this book lies in the creation of its side characters that help support Keira and help to move the plot forward. They are all so fun and I just loved the friendships that Keira forms with them along the way. I am a big fan of books that take place in small towns, especially when authors know how to use that setting to their advantage. Coates obviously does because she executed the spooky background of the town perfectly, making the reader feel like a welcome visitor to all of its quirks.

I was somewhat disappointed with the resolution of the ghost story as it was summed up a bit awkwardly and abruptly. While it answered any questions, I wish it had unfolded a bit slower rather than the entire reasoning behind the haunting being expelled over a couple pages.

Needless to say, I will be impatiently awaiting the next book in this series. I can't wait to find out more about Keira and follow along with her new occupation helping ghosts move on to the afterlife.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review!

The Whispering Dead
by Darcy Coates

Supernatural mystery

I absolutely love ghost stories and have read a few of Darcy Coates books that were really good. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this one at all. Perhaps it is because (as I have recently realized) that it is supposedly going to be part of a series which I have never been a fan of. Regardless, this just wasn't for me however, the writing is good, the story definitely has potential but as an avid reader of horror and everything paranormal, I found it a bit bland.