Looking Glass Sound

Ward’s (Sundial) latest psychological thriller features multiple metafictional layers that hide many secrets. The first layer describes Wilder Harlow’s story about his summer as a teen in Whistler Bay, from the friends he makes to the horror he encounters in the form of the Dagger Man, a mysterious figure terrorizing this small Maine village. There are also vows forged in blood, dead bodies discovered, and stories that grow beyond their teller’s control. Wilder returns to Whistler Bay some 30 years later to reclaim his story, but he is haunted by visions of drowned women and a betrayal that still stings. Eventually, he comes to doubt his senses and his sanity. Ward once again delivers a novel that leaves listeners curious, if uneasy. Narrators Christopher Ragland and Katherine Fenton effectively portray the characters’ frustration and fear, especially when they begin to question what’s real and what isn’t. This novel demands that listeners carefully sift through the details Ward doles out until the final mind-bending twist.