Admittedly, I've not read the two books in this series that preceded this one. But reading a bit about the main characters - private investigators Max Summerlin and Jonah Kendrick, enticed me to dive in (as did previous experience with this talented author). And now, I'm already eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Despite having what I'd call a tenuous relationship, Max and Jonah are trying to keep their firm, Celina Investigations, afloat. Their specialty? Finding people - especially those who have gone to extreme lengths to not be found. Their success, to a large degree, comes because of Jonah's special ability - he's a psychic who's able to "read" what's in the minds of other people (not always a plus, as when his target person is Max).

The latest case, though, seems especially difficult; a man named Charlie is looking for his missing girlfriend, who showed up at his sister's pastry shop alone and shaken and agreed to stay and help out. But Charlie knows almost nothing about her - not even her real name (she calls herself Darcy). Photos? Nope. Max, who's in the office by himself, has serious doubts - but when the man hands over more than enough cash to get the team going, he agrees he and Jonah will give it a shot. The other problem? He's just broken a rule of the partnership: No cases will be accepted unless both partners agree. Whoops - welcome to the first of many "blunders" that threaten their already tenuous relationship.

Charlie also emphasizes that the police are not to be involved, adding even more tension because Max is a former cop. Finally, Charlie finds something that suggests the woman's real name may be Kate and that she seemed to be running from something or someone terrifying - although that doesn't provide much to go on. As all this is going on, Jonah is trying to deal with his infatuation with scientist friend Dr. Eve Roth, but he's sure she's far too intelligent and beautiful to ever look twice at someone like him.

The story follows the efforts of Max and Jonah to track down "Kate," especially when it becomes clear she could be in mortal danger. That, in turn, puts the investigators in mortal danger and provides edge-of-seat experiences for readers all the way to the end. My only issue, and it's a minor one, is that I found it difficult to keep the timeline straight (meaning not fully understanding when what I was reading actually took place. But it all came together in a gruesome, but satisfying way and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to meet the quirky and intriguing characters by way of a pre-release copy. Bring on the next one - I'm ready!

The Whisper Place by Mindy Mejia is a highly recommended investigative thriller and the third novel in the Iowa Mysteries series.

Max Summerlin, a former police officer, and Jonah Kendrick, a psychic detective, are private investigators who specialize in finding people who don’t want to be found. When Charlie walks into their business, Celina Investigations, he wants them to find his girlfriend Darcy, whose real name is likely Kate. He also offers them $10,000 cash to start, which Max can't turn down. Charlie has his own reasons for not wanting to go to the police. Finding Kate is going to be tricky since Charlie doesn't know her last name either. The investigation leads to some dark and dangerous situations.

The well written, fast-paced narrative is told through the points-of-view of Max, Jonah, and Kate (Darcy). Max and Jonah begin the investigation, trying to find out information about someone who doesn't want to be found. All the discoveries made and lines of inquiry they make are presented and logically followed. Kate's account provides her story and we know immediately that she is a young woman who is on the run from something, but we don't know exactly what until later in the plot.

Even though this is the third book in a series, I think it could be read as a stand alone. There is enough information about the characters provided to easily follow the plot along with their personal lives. Additional character development occurs in this third book for those already reading the series. There is enough action and suspense going on to keep you engrossed in the plot right to the end. The only drawback is I'm not a fan of Jonah's psychic abilities.

The Whisper Place is a good choice for those who enjoy investigative thrillers. Thanks to Grove/Atlantic for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

While this book was a quick one, it didn't really hold my attention. The writing was fine, but the story itself was just kind of boring to me.

Thank you, NetGalley and Grove Atlantic, for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

a great book to sink your teeth into. the relationships between our characters were great to read and get to know. i love how in series you do truly come to know, care and feel more involved by getting to follow a person or group throughout. it adds more tension or trueness to a read and make you all the more immersed into both the story and the characters surrounding it.
we've got a woman on the run in this book. why? for innocent reasons or other? we find out why throughout.
Max and Jonah run their own PI firm.they each bring their own unique talents to the firm. one day a man comes in needing their help. the man is looking for his missing girlfriend.
are these two linked?
it gets dark in this book and you have to really try and this makes you really root for the good guys even more. the writing carried you along through this book so you can and dont want to stop reading. the style is spot on for the book and the flow and smoothness was just so good. it made for such a brilliant reading experience. also the way the author knew their characters and their person traits and lives, it meant we got to feel we did too.
i really liked this book. way more than i thought i would going in and i was excited even before i got going. it was just a spot on read for me and i cant wait to read more from this duo and this author.
you know when a book is just really good. both in character,story, pacing and feeling? this was one of those books. and to me there is not much better than finding a GOOD book.

I didn’t know this book was part of a series but I couldn’t tell, you can definitely read this as a stand alone. A psychic PI and his partner make it their mission to find a missing girl with a hidden identity who’s running from her traumatic past. I devoured this story. The amount of suspense I felt while reading was crazy. I loved!✨

The Whisper Place (book three of the Iowa Mysteries Series,) by Mindy Mejia
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
4 stars

I didn’t realize that this novel was the third in a series. I really enjoyed the main characters in this story so I will definitely be going back to read the first two novels to get more backstory on Jonah and Max.

Regardless of the fact that I had not read the first two installments, Mejia was descriptive and detailed enough with the writing that the pieces fell into place relatively easy and I don’t feel like coming in on the third book left me at a disadvantage.

Charlie walks into Celina Investigations with a complicated case. He desperately needs help locating his missing girlfriend BUT he doesn’t actually know a lot of information about her. Darcy mysteriously showed up in his town, works in his sister’s bakery and never really gave up too much information about herself. Max is adamant that there is nothing his office can do for Charlie but ultimately money talks and Charlie lays down a stack of bills equaling 10k and a contract is signed. Max’s partner Jonah learns of the job after Max has already committed them to the case and they quickly realize this will be a near impossible case to solve.

There are three POV’s that we follow, Max’s, Jonah’s and Darcy’s. We learn Darcy’s story and what led her to the bakery where she met Charlie and his sister. Max and Jonah have to devise a plan to locate Darcy with only Charlie’s help because he refuses to involve the authorities.

I enjoyed the found family aspect in the story. Max and Jonah are not only close like brothers but they rely on each other’s skill set, Max is a former police officer and Jonah has psychic abilities. This makes them quite a dynamic duo. Darcy finds a sense of home and family, something she never thought she would have, with Charlie and his sister Blake.

This was a solid read that was easy to immerse myself in. It was suspenseful with well written characters, small town theme and exploration of grief, trauma, the past catching up with you and the power to move forward.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Whisper Place hit a sweet spot for me: a lot atmospheric with a spoonful of human messiness. Without saying too much, there are some flashbacks the juxataposition really builds good tension. The dynamic between the two main characters was solid, that "unlikely consultant + cop" trope pretty much always gets me. Don't care how much I see it.

Their dynamic and the investigation scenes that highlight their unique team work make this a run read. There was a bit of slowness but really solid overall!

First time reading this author. Decent mystery as the pace move's fast at the Beginning gets bogged down at the end and somewhat confusing, but still an entertaining mystery
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy

A solid thriller with a lot of twists. The dual perspective works in this book and I think the author handles it very well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

The partnership between Max and Jonah is the highlight. Their dynamic is unconventional (a psychic and a former cop), but it works surprisingly well. Some parts of the story felt familiar, the mysterious woman with a dark past, the man who won’t go to the police, but the pacing and tension kept me engaged. The dual storyline adds depth, though I found myself more invested in the investigators than the woman on the run. Overall, it’s a solid thriller with some emotional weight. Not groundbreaking, but entertaining and atmospheric, perfect if you’re in the mood for a mystery with a little something extra.

The following review was posted on Goodreads on 6.26.25:

I reread the first book in this series earlier this year and then read the second installment, so I was primed and ready for this newest installment (which comes out in September). The last book was a bit disappointing, partly because I didn't love the narrators; I was happy to discover that THE WHISPER PLACE is told through the perspectives of Max, Jonah, and Kate (the missing woman Max and Jonah are hired to find). Max isn't the most dynamic of characters, but Jonah is much more interesting. Kate is sympathetic and likable enough although she's not very unique or memorable. Eve and Earl (my favorite characters in the series) make several appearances in this installment, which made me happy. I just wish they had played a bigger role in the story.

As far as plot goes, this book is just as exciting as its predecessors with lots of conflict and action to keep it interesting. The story's vibe is darker and more disturbing, though. It's not very original either. That being said, the novel is still a page turner. I kept reading because I cared about the characters and I wanted to know what was going to happen next. So engrossed was I that I whipped through THE WHISPER PLACE in about a day.

The first book in this series is still my favorite. I'll stick with the series, though, because I like the characters and I want to see how they develop and progress over time. I'd love to see more Eve and Earl. No matter what, Mejia knows how to tell stories that draw me in and keep me reading. Whatever she writes, I'll read.

If I could, I would give this book 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language, violence, blood/gore, disturbing subject matter, and sexual content

The Whisper Place is the third book in the series featuring private investigators Max, a retired cop, and Jonah, a psychic as they join forces to find missing persons, aided by Jonah’s visions. In this edition, the duo are hired by a boyfriend to locate a young woman who has disappeared from a small town. The problem: her boyfriend won’t go to the police, and he doesn’t know her name. The first part of the book moves quickly, with the pair using their respective skills to try and identify the woman, uncovering a shady past of a woman apparently on the run. But the book gets slowed down as Jonah grapples with his relationship with his new girlfriend Eve, a client from a previous case, made even more difficult due to his psychic abilities. Some of the narrative is also confusing as the scenes shift timeframes, but those shifts aren’t clearly marked, so it takes the reader a second to decipher exactly where you are in the story, a minor annoyance that could have been eliminated with a graphic. All in all it’s still an entertaining read, the pairing of the two partners works well, and Jonah’’s issues aside, it’s a suspenseful story. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy! I will say i found it hard to follow in the beginning which felt like a slightly slower start because i didn’t realize this was a third book in the series, totally my fault. But i was still able to read it as a standalone! I’d love to read the first two books and read this again!

Third in the Iowa Mystery Series. Max and Jonah are hired by a man to find his missing girlfriend, a woman with no past, who came out of nowhere, and then disappeared back into it. He's not even sure of her name. We slowly learn just how horrific her past was, and why she can't seem to stop running. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mindy Mejia for the ARC of this. I enjoyed this story alot, but there were places where I felt that they were just added in as filler pages. I enjoyed the character development through the book and the ending was a satisfying conclusion after the revealed twist. I also enjoyed the multiple POV style of it, even though sometimes it became a little jumpy. Overall I found it an enjoyable book, with good characters, well-written and a satisfying twist and conclusion.

I’m a big fan of the Iow Mystery series by Mindy Mejia. “The Whisper Place” fits right in with the first two books. It was face-paced and intense. As someone who read the first two books (it’s been a while), I do appreciate the slight recaps to jog my memory. I also think it’s helpful for those who are new to the series.

The multiple POV was also extremely well done. There was a lot of depth to the plot of this one and I loved how atmospheric it was. The twists were well designed and not one right after the other, which really helped me enjoy the book.

It stands up well on its own, but I recommend reading the first two books in the series, simply because they’re all great.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected and was able to jump right in despite it being book three of a series. It was strongest in its relationships, they felt real and I was rooting for all of them, the two partners in the detective agency, Jonah the psychic with the boundary issues and Max and the relationships between Max and his wife, Jonah and his new girlfriend, as well as the mother/daughter and the brother/sister and their friend, the missing woman who was hiding her identity and on the run. While the action sequences were necessary to the plot, they were less interesting to me . Overall a good read.

A gruesome event has Kate on the run, if possible to the end of the earth.
On a break from the road she meets Blake who runs a pastry shop and needs a helping hand. The women connect deeply and Kate decides to stay.
Unfortunately the past catches up with her and Kate goes missing.
With two PI's handling the case, the reader finds out what happened in past and present.

The Whisper Place is a fast paced exciting story, set in modern day Iowa. It moves from sweet baked goods and wide open country with fresh air to rotten wood, an old smelly car trunk and dense woods where past and present collide. A constant power struggle between darkness and light.
This well crafted intense psychological thriller kept me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.

This is the first book I have read by this author so it took me a bit to get into only because I was confused on a few of the back stories. Completely my fault and the author did a great job of explaining situations to help. This was a nice easy quick read with a few twists. Overall I really enjoyed this book and will look for more by this author. Thank you Netgalley and Mindy Mejia for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing an eArc in exchange for my honest thoughts. I'd like to preface this by saying i had zero idea this was part of a series which is 100% my fault and honestly if I didn't see the title on Goodreads I probably wouldn't have figured it out on my own. That being said, in my opinion it worked well on it's own. We follow three perspectives, Max, Jonah and Darcy, as always with stories set up this way I always tend to gravitate towards specific POVs and for me I leaned towards Max and Darcy more than Jonahs. I really enjoyed this story, but couldn't quite get behind the psychic element (again my fault for not realizing it was part of a series), especially because the main conflict was actually quite believable. I enjoyed the pacing of the present to past, as well as the writing style. This was a solid thriller/mystery but didn't have that oomph for a higher rating in my opinion.  I would read more by this author because I enjoyed the writing but maybe something with less psychic dreams.