The Whisper Man: A Novel

Alex North

Aug 2019 · Sold by Celadon Books

About this ebook

**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**

"WORKS BEAUTIFULLY... If you like being terrified, The Whisper Man has your name on it."
—The New York Times, Editor's Pick

"SUPERB"
—Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review

"BRILLIANT... will satisfy readers of Thomas Harris and Stephen King."
—Booklist, Starred Review

"POIGNANT AND TERRIFYING"
—Entertainment Weekly

In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window...

Ratings and reviews

The Whisper Man is a great story about a father and son. Jake lost his mother, young and Tom lost his wife. Tom's relationship with his son was tough. They didn't get each other very much. When a child goes missing the police do everything they can to try and find him. In the mean time they use an incarcerated man to try and gain information to help. All of the different parts of the story come together explosively. There are lots of twists and turns, some if which you'll never see coming. This novel has elements of horror, suspense, thriller, crime and the story is well told. The story is told from multiple view points, which makes it more interesting and helps you to get to know the key players better. This is a great book, at times it was difficult to put down.

There has been a lot of hype about this book, and maybe I let that build up my expectations, maybe I've just read too many similar stories, or maybe it's just that this one wasn't for me, but The Whisper Man left me thoroughly underwhelmed. The premise is sufficiently creepy, but the story is dreadfully slow and repetitive. It does pick up a bit in the second half but all too soon, it slows back down. On top of the slow pace, it's also rather predictable. Again, that may be because I've read so many thrillers. There is an interesting touch of the supernatural that I would've liked to have seen explored, but we're just left with hints of that angle. I did finish the book but sat it aside several times, and it was a lot easier to set aside than to pick back up. In the end, I was bored more often than not and found this one severely lacking in the building tension of a good thriller. My opinion of this one is certainly far from the average, but it is what it is. I certainly liked the idea of this book much better than the reality of it. With all the hype and hoopla, it's darn near impossible to go into this one blind, but that would be my recommendation and hopefully you'll fall into the large number of readers who enjoyed The Whisper Man more than I did.

This was a creepy story and a fast paced read! A ‘whisper man’ who had abducted children in a small town by whispering to them was caught and put in prison. But, there must be a copycat because the book starts with another child getting abducted nearly 20 years later. The following year a father and son move into the town’s “scary house” and soon learn about the creepy past of the town. The son, Jake, seems to be extra aware of what is going on. Soon they are caught up in the story. This is a good thriller! Keeps you guessing with many twists and turns. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC in exchange for an honest review.

About the author

Alex North was born in Leeds, England, where he now lives with his wife and son. The Whisper Man was inspired by North's own little boy, who mentioned one day that he was playing with "the boy in the floor." Alex North is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name.