The Whisperer

An unorthodox cop joins forces with an elite investigative team led by a brilliant profiler in Carrisi’s intriguing if overly plotted debut. “Somewhere near W.,” in “an absurd woodland cemetery,” Italian police officers, including Mila Vasquez, who excels at finding missing children, examine a makeshift grave. Five missing girls, ages seven to 13, appear to have been murdered, though the six severed left arms in the grave leave one missing child unaccounted for. The close-knit team, headed by criminologist Dr. Goran Gavila, home in on a suspect, but it all seems too easy. While the man is clearly guilty of a crime, he may not be the serial killer they’ve christened “Albert,” thus setting off an elaborate cat-and-mouse game between the real killer and his pursuers. Familiar crime thriller tropes include the damaged cop and the haunted profiler, but Carrisi spins an engagingly gruesome tale. (Jan.)