Demon Whispers by Phillip Cook

Demon Whispers is the sequel to Dead Man's Journey, and I had the privilege of working with Phillip to edit both novels.

In Dead Man's Journey, scientists discover a form of transporter technology which had unintended side-effects: it transported people into the spirit realm, the realm of angels and demons. Demon Whispers has a similar theme, in that the characters are looking for the answers to the puzzles of the universe through science—this time, through plants.

Here is the slightly creepy book description from Amazon:

Whisperers, spectators of our lives until they gain access.

For Madeleine Perdu, access was granted. Gentle whispers, subliminal messages came, and then the darkness.

Why, Madeleine, why? Her mother, Ava Perdu, asked. The whisperers blew thoughts into Ava’s head. People will pay for this. And so they did.

Ava, a mysterious and dangerous woman, never stopped to question the accuracy of those whispers. But she had no choice when a stranger entered her life and identified the whisperers.

Things are not as they seem.

Demon Whispers isn’t your typical Christian novel. It’s speculative fiction (a growing genre in the Christian market, but still not one that’s considered mainstream). It’s set in the near future. It’s written by an Australian and set in Australia (and although I’m not Australian, I do enjoy reading about somewhat familiar locations).

And it’s Christian fiction that is unashamedly Christian (although there aren’t as many angels and demons in Demon Whispers as in the first in the series, Dead Man’s Journey, there is still ample acknowledgement of the spirit realm, and the fact that not all angels are good).

In terms of writing craft, Phillip Cook is still learning and is improving with each book. But he’s got a strong sense of plot and has created excellent characters: the heroes aren’t perfect, and the villains aren’t all evil, and each of the characters has clear goals and motivations. I look forward to reading (and editing) his next novel.

I do recommend reading Dead Man's Journey first—while Demon Whispers works as a standalone novel, you'll get more out of it if you start the story at the beginning.

You can find out more about Phillip Cook at his website (Phillip-Cook.com), and you can read the beginning of Demon Whispers here: