The Silence of the White City

By: Eva Garcia Sáenz

Narrated by: Henry Levya

Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

"You’ll want to race through The Silence of the White City, but it’s best to slow down and savor the full effect of the volatile, intoxicating universe Sáenz has created. This is the first novel of the White City trilogy to be translated into English - the second can’t come fast enough." (AirMail)

How do you stop a killer who's always two steps ahead?

A madman is holding Vitoria hostage, killing its citizens in brutal ways and staging the bodies. The city's only hope is a brilliant detective struggling to battle his own demons.

Inspector Unai López de Ayala, known as "Kraken", is charged with investigating a series of ritualistic murders. The killings are eerily similar to ones that terrorized the citizens of Vitoria 20 years earlier. But back then, police were sure they had discovered the killer, a prestigious archaeologist who is currently in jail. Now, Kraken must race to determine whether the killer had an accomplice or if the wrong man has been incarcerated for two decades.

This fast-paced, unrelenting thriller weaves in and out of the mythology and legends of the Basque country as it hurtles to its shocking conclusion.

©2020 Eva Garcia Sáenz (P)2020 Random House Audio

Murder, suspense, thriller

Very well written! Kept you wondering who is the killer. Love the back-and-forth from present and pass to weave a wonderful storyline.

A Must

Story, performance and production near perfect. Riveting. The Reader is terrific. I hope the second two books of the Trilogy get translated soon. Please employ the same Reader.

Excellent Listen!

this was truly a great listen. the story was rich with traditions and family, twists and turns. The reader was especially a big plus. the pronunciations and his accent added flair to the story...Loved it!!

Amazing

You must listen to this!! It was an amazing intriguing book, also the performance was amazing! You can visualize the story. Amazing!!!

Good suspension

The story plot and twist were interesting with nice science and history connection with a dash of mystical touch

Meh

Did not live up to the hype. Loved hearing the beautiful Spanish, whenever. Too many tragedies in hero’s family. Added soap opera aspect to story.

I first bought the Kindle version, but I highly recommend the Audible version

I liked this lengthy serial killer mystery set in Basque Country of Spain, but the prose is uneven and at times overdone to the point of logorrhea. I was unfamiliar with the names and language, so I bought the audiobook, which I enjoyed immensely. I set the speed to 1.3-1.5, listened to fantastic narrator Henry Levya, and found myself immersed in the story. Twenty years ago, a series of bizarre, ritualistic murders ended after a police detective arrested his twin brother, who was convicted and imprisoned. Now, when the murderer is due to be paroled, serial murders with the same signature have resumed.

The storyline is familiar and yet quite exotic—especially the often fantastical folklore of the region. I was fascinated by the near paranormal abilities of the beloved grandfather of Inspector Unai Lopez de Ayala. New-to-me folk remedies seemed almost supernatural, as are some local traditions and beliefs. I especially liked the setting in a historic and ancient city—which is always a plus, as were the maps which helped me Wiki the cultural landmarks.

This is a fantastical mystery, so I expected TSTL moments, but Inspector Ayala’s final, dramatic situation felt forced and some actions unbelievable. Plus, I preferred a denouement that’s less schmaltzy. That’s the best word to describe the ending. Overall this is a 4 stars read.

Beautifully woven

Narrator was wonderful, love how the past and present came together to build this tale.

Bored out of my gourd.

The characters were adolescent in their development or lack thereof. The narrator consistent made the characters sound like a bunch of teenagers embattled by adolescent angst. The story itself is tedious. Good concept. Lousy execution. I gave up after about three hours when I found myself “listening” without having the first clue what was going on because my mind was wandering. I love a good mystery. This isn’t it.