WHISPERING SMITH (Western Thriller) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Daring Policeman on a Mission to Catch the Notorious Train RobbersBy Frank H. Spearman
Length10h 34m
About this audiobook
Frank H. Spearman's WHISPERING SMITH is a taut Western thriller centered on the hard, morally ambiguous world of the railroad frontier. Its protagonist, the legendary railroad detective Gordon "Whispering" Smith, moves through a landscape of train wreckers, outlaws, corporate power, and personal loyalties, where law is improvised under pressure. Written in a vigorous early-twentieth-century prose, the novel blends action, romance, and procedural detail, standing at the intersection of the classic Western and the modern industrial adventure tale. Spearman was one of the most notable American writers to make the railroad a subject of popular fiction. His fascination with rail systems, frontier commerce, and the men who maintained order in expanding territories informs the novel's atmosphere of danger and technical authenticity. Writing during an era when railroads symbolized both progress and conflict, he transformed contemporary anxieties about modernization into dramatic narrative. This book is recommended for readers interested in Western literature beyond the cattle-trail formula: it offers suspense, vivid characterization, and a distinctive portrait of the railroad as both setting and force of history.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.9 (684)
Includes Amazon, LibraryThing, Goodreads, StoryGraph
GenreAction and Adventure, Mystery and Thriller
Length10 hrs 34 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJul 30, 2017
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1WHISPERING SMITH (Western Thriller) (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Chapter I. The Wrecking Boss
Show all chaptersShow less
6Chapter II. At Smoky Creek
7Chapter III. Dicksie
8Chapter IV. George McCloud
9Chapter V. The Crawling Stone
10Chapter VI. The Final Appeal
11Chapter VII. In Marion’s Shop
12Chapter VIII. Smoky Creek Bridge
13Chapter IX. The Misunderstanding
14Chapter X. Sweeping Orders
15Chapter XI. At the Three Horses
16Chapter XII. Parley
17Chapter XIII. The Turn in the Storm
18Chapter XIV. The Quarrel
19Chapter XV. The Shot in the Pass
20Chapter XVI. At the Wickiup
21Chapter XVII. A Test
22Chapter XVIII. New Plans
23Chapter XIX. The Crawling Stone Rise
24Chapter XX. At the Dike
25Chapter XXI. Supper in Camp
26Chapter XXII. A Talk with Whispering Smith
27Chapter XXIII. At the River
28Chapter XXIV. Between Girlhood and Womanhood
29Chapter XXV. The Man on the Frenchman
30Chapter XXVI. Tower W
31Chapter XXVII. Pursuit
32Chapter XXVIII. The Sunday Murder
33Chapter XXIX. Williams Cache
34Chapter XXX. The Fight in the Cache
35Chapter XXXI. The Death of Du Sang
36Chapter XXXII. McLoud and Dicksie
37Chapter XXXIII. The Laugh of a Woman
38Chapter XXXIV. A Midnight Visit
39Chapter XXXV. The Call
40Chapter XXXVI. Duty
41Chapter XXXVII. Wickwire
42Chapter XXXVIII. Into the North
43Chapter XXXIX. Among the Coyotes
44Chapter XL. A Sympathetic Ear
45Chapter XLI. Dicksie’s Ride
46Chapter XLII. At the Door
47Chapter XLIII. Closing In
48Chapter XLIV. Crawling Stone Wash
49Chapter XLV. Back to the Mountains
50Analysis
More from Frank H. Spearman
The Mountain DivideFrank H. Spearman6h 5m$2 · $0.00
The Daughter of a MagnateFrank H. Spearman6h 52m4.0 (34)$2 · $0.00
Nan of Music MountainFrank H. Spearman9h 9m3.9 (286)$2 · $0.00
Held for Orders: Being Stories of Railroad LifeFrank H. Spearman5h 19m4.0 (21)$1 · $0.00
Nan of Music MountainFrank H. Spearman9h 9m4.1 (11)$2 · $0.00
The Labyrinth of the SpiritsCarlos Ruiz Zafon27h 55m4.5 (77.2K)$53 · $0.00
Ship of the Line (Annotated)Cecil Louis Troughton Smith11h 13m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
The Road to Gundagai (The Matilda Saga, #3)Jackie French12h 31m4.6 (1.2K)$33 · $0.00
TimelessR. A. Salvatore12h 30m4.5 (8K)$33 · $0.00
An Inside JobDaniel Silva9h 28m4.4 (26.3K)$29 · $0.00
The CommodoreP. T. Deutermann11h 53m4.5 (2.4K)$20 · $0.00
A Closed and Common OrbitBecky Chambers11h 30m4.4 (140.7K)$29 · $0.00
Thud!Terry Pratchett10h 31m4.4 (112.6K)$8 · $0.00
All Quiet on the Western Front (Annotated)Erich Maria Remarque8h 34m4.4 (12.9K)$1.99 · $0.00
Crime and punishmentFyodor Dostoevsky22h 34m4.4 (1.3M)$3 · $0.00
Exit FeeBrad Taylor3h 16m4.5 (1.9K)$18 · $0.00
The Alice NetworkKate Quinn15h 7m4.4 (887.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Ohio River Trilogy: Betty Zane, The Spirit of the Border & The Last TrailZane Grey29h 8m4.4 (1.8K)$1 · $0.00
A Darkness ReturnsRaymond E. Feist19h 29m4.4 (1.9K)$40 · $0.00
THE VALLEY OF SILENT MEN (Annotated)James Oliver Curwood8h 25m4.5 (420)$2 · $0.00
The Emperor's FistJay Allan8h 37m4.5 (272)$26 · $0.00
West of the TularosaLouis L’Amour5h 53m4.4 (3.6K)$20 · $0.00
The Amazing Interlude (Annotated)Mary Roberts Rinehart8h 42m4.5 (365)$1.99 · $0.00
Hornblower and the Hotspur (Annotated)C. S. Forester14h 7m4.4 (17.3K)$2 · $0.00
Shades of WickedJeaniene Frost8h 51m4.4 (19.5K)$29 · $0.00
The Labyrinth of the SpiritsCarlos Ruiz Zafon27h 55m4.5 (77.2K)$53 · $0.00
Olympic Mountain PursuitJodie Bailey5h 55m4.6 (638)$12 · $0.00
Glen AffricKarine Giebel22h 51m4.5 (3.2K)$46 · $0.00
Deadly Badlands PursuitSharee Stover5h 53m4.6 (361)$12 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
Three ComradesErich Maria Remarque15h 50m4.5 (47.3K)$2 · $0.00
AngelAnita Waller10h 30m4.6 (672)$30 · $0.00
The BorderDon Winslow29h 8m4.5 (35.7K)$53 · $0.00
FlashpointCatherine Coulter11h 38m4.5 (11.6K)$29 · $0.00
The Man in the Brown Suit & They Came to BaghdadAgatha Christie15h 43m4.6 (495)$33 · $0.00
Fang Si-Chi's First Love ParadiseYi-Han Lin8h 25m4.5 (4K)$26 · $0.00
The Rose CodeKate Quinn16h 2m4.4 (493.7K)$33 · $0.00
No Woman Left BehindJulie Moffett8h 49m4.5 (3K)$25 · $0.00
CovertJanie Crouch6h 15m4.5 (2K)$12 · $0.00
Cold Case InvestigationNicole Helm5h 30m4.6 (321)$5 · $0.00
The ReunionJana DeLeon6h 31m4.5 (1.6K)$12 · $0.00
Courage Under FireSharon Dunn5h 50m4.5 (730)$24 · $0.00
Decoding the TruthJulie Miller7h 31m4.6 (350)$12 · $0.00
Murder Gone ColdB.J. Daniels5h 50m4.5 (562)$12 · $0.00
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky22h 22m4.4 (1.3M)$0.60 · $0.00
You may also like
ManhuntJames L. Swanson15h 34m4.3 (53.1K)$33 · $0.00
A New Beginning: John Hayes 3Mark David Abbott6h 29m4.4 (262) Only with Ultra
Red HarvestDashiell Hammett8h 15m4.1 (31.8K)$1 · $0.00
The Neighbor: John Hayes Book 9Mark David Abbott8h 18m4.6 (253) Only with Ultra
The ExecutionDick Wolf10h 11m4.0 (2.8K)$29 · $0.00
The Authentic Life of Billy the kidPat Garrett5h 30m3.7 (1.7K)$2 · $0.00
Mr. MajestykElmore Leonard4h 28m3.9 (4K)$20 · $0.00
St. Nicholas Salvage & WreckingDana Haynes8h 27m4.1 (369)$20
Dark AngelJoseph Badal8h 40m4.5 (829)$20
Drug LordTerrence E. Poppa12h 40m4.3 (849)$23
Bad MemoriesBlair Howard8h 20m4.4 (3K)$23
AnimalK’wan11h 2m4.6 (4.8K)$23
Vengeance: John Hayes #1Mark David Abbott5h 54m4.3 (2.4K) Only with Ultra
Shark Skin SuiteTim Dorsey9h 34m4.0 (3.4K)$29 · $0.00
The Clue of the Twisted CandleEdgar Wallace6h 35m3.7 (2.2K)$7 · $0.00
A Study in ScarletArthur Conan Doyle6h 8m4.2 (558.1K)$2 · $0.00
Ninety DaysAnirudhya Mitra9h 32m4.3 (319)$18 · $0.00
Thrill KillBrian Thiem8h 36m4.3 (302)$20
The Killing SeasonMason Cross11h 13m4.0 (6.7K)$23
Reprisal: John Hayes 5 Mark David Abbott7h 4m4.6 (227) Only with Ultra