This is going to be my shortest review ever, just pick it up and read it, this is a sweet, sweet ride!! Hard to put down murder mystery with creepiness included. And yes, it is poignant, terrifying, superb and brilliant.
If a door is left half open….
This one comes in with a high 5****’s. I thank Celadon Books and Net Galley for allowing me the privilege of reading this book for my honest review

This book grabs you from the start and pulls you right in. It’s intense, it’s scary and it’s hard to put down. It gave me chills and nightmares. Probably a bit too scary for me.

I've been on quite a thriller bender recently and this one looked promising. When I attempted to read it I had to set aside it just didn't catch me. I really wanted to give the ARC a review before the book came out so I finally picked it up again.

I try to be as positive as I can, but when you read as much as I do sometimes books like this just aren't worth the time. The sinister thing coming after children plot is hot right now. Look at the Blumhouse films like Annabelle or the slew of recent books by authors like Stephen King (The Outsider), Paul Tremblay (Devil's Rock), etc. If you're going to tackle such beaten paths you better step it up. This one didn't do it. The build up had no tension for me, when there's a father with a son in a book like this you know where we're headed. The author also writes chapters in such short break-neck speed it's like he's trying to build tension, but these aren't cliffhangers they just leave you feeling slighted.

Overall the book is pretty safe in its plot so maybe is better suited for a general audience than some other kid in danger stories; but I felt the plot relays too much on parents will relate to this so lets use that as an easy source of tension.


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I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tom Kennedy is a novelist who has not written much in the ten months since his wife, Rebecca, suddenly passed away. Adding to Tom's misery is the fact that he has difficulty communicating with his only child, seven-year-old, Jake. The boy is imaginative and loves art, but he is a loner, can be sullen, and is still healing after losing the mother he adored. In an effort to start fresh, Tom buys an odd-looking house in a place called Featherbank which, it turns out, is probably not the best choice for this depressed pair. Jake enrolls in school, but his odd behavior (he speaks to imaginary friends) and lack of social skills make him the target of bullies. As if this is not upsetting enough, this town is notorious for being the site where a serial killer, Frank Carson, kidnapped and killed five boys twenty year earlier. Only four of the bodies were recovered. Frank, who is in prison, is an unrepentant sadist who is proud of his macabre crimes.

“The Whisper Man,” by Alex North, sticks closely to the conventions of its genre. A six-year-old, Neil Spencer, walks home from school alone, and disappears before he reaches his destination; the aforementioned serial killer, Frank Carson, seems to know more than he is willing to reveal to the authorities; and fifty-six-year-old DI Pete Willis, a recovering alcoholic, has disturbing memories that gives him no peace. Tom Kennedy, meanwhile, is trying to earn Jake's trust so that they can attempt to rebuild their broken family.

Alas, the book's pace is sluggish, the revelations are foreshadowed before they are divulged, and the predictable conclusion is disappointingly flat. In addition, this work of fiction has a supernatural element that is never fully developed. "The Whisper Man" lacks the suspense, depth, and originality that might have made it a memorable thriller. Still, Alex North effectively and poignantly conveys the idea that the failure of fathers to bond in a wholesome manner with their sons can have long-lasting and tragic consequences.

Creepy vibes with a bit of local folklore.

This book was much more than I expected (in a good way). Stellar writing and plotting with a darkness that slowly creeps it way into the heart of the tale.

Tom is a doting father and after the untimely death of his wife, he wants a new start with his son, Jake. Couldn't a new town bring a new beginning? They both need to heal. He chooses the town of Featherbank. It sounds so comforting and warm. How could he have known?

The house is old. It has a history. Something unnerving...but Jake was entranced.

This was a captivating and creepy tale. There is a mystery, a past crime and investigation, a loving father/son relationship and a bit of a sixth sense feel.

Can you hear the whispers?

Jake Kennedy and his dad, Tom, need a change. Things have not been good for the pair since the death of Jake's mom. Jake is a strange child; he has imaginary friends and he keeps to himself. Tom hopes that with the move to their new home in Featherbank, Jake will start to come out of his shell. What neither of them realize is they are moving to a place where children aren't safe, especially when they hear whispers. The premise of this story is good and it's suspenseful but I wasn't in a huge hurry to find out what was happening. There weren't any shocking twists and to me it felt more like a character study with a few spooky elements thrown in. I still enjoyed reading it. 3 stars.

"If you leave a door half open, soon you'll hear the whispers spoken."

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty years ago, a serial killer known as "The Whisper Man" targeted young boys in the town of Featherbank. Now, it seems that The Whisper Man is back, but he is in jail. Is there a copycat, or is he somehow involved? Meanwhile, Tom Kennedy and his young son, Jake, move to Featherbank right as a young boy goes missing, and Jake begins hearing the whispers, too. Detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis lead the investigation of the recent young boy's disappearance, and we see everyone's worlds intermingle. The book is told from alternating POVs, keeping the perspective fresh and interesting. This is a twisty thriller that hooked me from the very beginning. It moves at a fast pace, and, though not a horror book as thought of in the traditional sense, it is most certainly its own type of horror - real life horror focusing on the abduction and murder of children.

I have seen this book getting so much attention, and deservedly so! Highly recommend if you're in the market for a creepy, twisted thriller!

The Whisper Man is an absolute thriller. I had read many great reviews on this book and they are all true. This is a must read for anyone who loves psychological suspense. I am looking forward to reading many more books written by Alex North.

I absolutely loved this book!! Often with books like this it leaves you in suspense to the point where you can't enjoy the book because so much information is left out until you find it all out in the end. This books was PERFECT it gave you all the twists and turns at the perfect time! My head was spinning by the end of it! Can't recommend this one enough!

This book is the scariest book I have read in a long time. I also have to say it kept me awake reading it until I finished it. I turned around and read it again. This is an amazing read and I hope there is more like this, from Alex North!

This book tells the story within a span of 20 years, from the Detective who worked on a case where a man killed 5 young boys, one never found, to the present day. A young boy has been kidnapped, yet the original killer is in prison. A new detective has been assigned to this kidnapping, however the original detective is still on the force, and he has a bad feeling.

I do not want to say to much, it is better if you approach not knowing too much. Get ready for plot twists, an abundance of angst, and a lot of shocking secrets and facts that are revealed throughout this book. I was surprised by these twists and secrets until the last page.

I gave this book 5 scary stars and can't wait to read more by this author!

I was really hoping this was going to be better. I'd heard so much about how it was creepy and exciting. It wasn't creepy for me and it didn't get exciting until the last 20% of the book. On the plus side, I wasn't able to guess who the bad guy was.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy.

"The greater the noise, the easier it was to slip silently in without being noticed"
~ From the Whisper Man

The Whisper Man is the best thriller that I have read this year, and because of that I want to write a review that will give it justice and not spoil anything. There are many sub-plot lines that run through this book and are all wrapped up in the end. I appreciated this because it made it more than just a violent psychological thriller and added some much needed depth to the story.

While yes, this book is about a serial killer that abducts children it also contains explorations of grief on many different levels, for different characters and how that can affect our daily lives. It also explores this idea of how actions can affect the local community for years.

In the end, I immensely enjoyed this book and did not guess who it was until the end, plus there were many other twists that I did not see coming. I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads and will look forward to the next book by Alex North.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest and unbiased review.

I loved this book- so incredibly creepy, not super predictable, no whiny unreliable female narrators- this one was a dream come true! So different than anything I’ve read lately, The Whisper Man was a breath of fresh air! I devoured this one in less than a day - I absolutely couldn’t put it down. I was so creeped out but also extremely invested in finding out what the heck was going on. If you’re sick of suspense novels/psychological thrillers right now (who isn’t?!?) I’d DEFINITELY check this one out.

Thank you so much @celadonbooks for the free copy via @netgalley for review!
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Wow. I had heard great things about this one from @jennsbookvibes and she wasn’t lying! I absolutely loved it! The writing was transportive. I felt like I was right there. It gave me goosebumps. It was scary, but it also really sucks you into the story. I couldn’t put it down. Not too sure how I feel about that ending, but overall, it was a fantastic read. I’m very impressed this is a debut novel. I’m going to be gushing for awhile. If you like crime/mystery/thrillers, then you need to read this book!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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This book releases August 20th!

This book was a real page turner! It creeped me out so much that I didn't want to read it at night. I can't wait to see what author Alex North writes next. I hope it's in the same vein as this book.

Alex North’s thriller, The Whisper Man, brings to surface every parent’s worst fear. When a child is abducted in a sleepy village, both the police and the public are immediately reminded of the killer who abducted and killed 5 young boys two decades ago. When frightening parallels are made between those old horrors and the present day abduction, police officer Pete Collins must confront both the the Whisper Man, now in prison, as well as his own personal demons. As newcomer Tom Kennedy and son Jake become targeted, they must all confront past demons in order to survive a stalker who is relentlessly bent on making Jake his own.
The Whisper Man adeptly uses atmosphere to set the constant tone of fear, dread, and terror in the reader. Characterization is well done, and the pacing is apropos for a thriller. The ending is especially gratifying and The Whisper Man accomplishes what a good thriller should do, which is for the reader to check their doors and locks after the last word is read.

I can't decide if this is a 4 or a 5 stars so it is somewhere in between. This is one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time, maybe the best one this year. This kept me guessing and left me feeling disturbed at the end. I love when I can't figure out what's happening with a thriller and this one got me every time I thought I had it figure out.

This follows writer Tom Kennedy and his 7 year old son Jake as they are still grieving from the sudden death of wife and mother respectively, Rebecca. Tom struggled to connect with Jake even before Rebecca's death and Jake is a unique child and doesn't find it easy to communicate with people. In an attempt to make a clean start, Tom finds them a new house to live in. As they start their new life, Jake starts to hear whispers in the night at his window. What makes things worse is another young boy has recently gone missing and appears to be a copycat of a missing persons/murder case from 20 years ago. The killer from that case is still in jail, however the detective is brought in to consult. Pete Willis has been haunted by The Whisper Man for 20 years because he never found his last victim and truly closed the case. Now someone knows intimate details about the case that were never released to the public and is recreating the horrific crimes from the past. As Pete is pulled back into his worst nightmare, Tom and Jake find themselves the target of the new Whisper Man's very creepy fantasy.

I really loved how everything wraps up in this and everything is connected. All of the plotlines come together so smoothly in the end. There were times when I was thinking I wasn't sure why this or that was part of the story, but Alex North does not disappoint with plot holes and useless threads. Everything serves a purpose and all is revealed in due time if you let it. This book is eery, creepy, suspenseful, and kept me turning the pages. There is quite a bit of character and relationship development in this book which I really enjoyed. I highly recommend it.

Wow- what did I just read! 😳❤️

This layered thriller has a bit of a slow start - which is why I kept putting it off and was kinda stuck on the first chapter for a while. Wound up reading some others reviews and decided to get back to it. Binged it in one day! It did NOT disappoint!

I just loved everything about this book really.
I loved how the premise was super creepy based on an urban legend like “true” crime event. I loved how this book explored the Father/Son relationship in so many ways/ twisted and heartwarming at the same time.
I loved the main characters and felt deeply for them. I loved it. All of it.

I recommend this one (highly) although I can see it not being for everyone - I gave it 4.75 ⭐️ stars.

I’m so grateful to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for this advanced copy.

I think this is one hell of a debut novel. Keep them coming / I’m in ! 👍🏻

Author Tom Kennedy moves to Featherbank with his seven year old son Jake, after the death of his wife. Still grieving, they are trying for a new start.
When a young boy goes missing in the area, Detective Inspector Pete Willis fears that it is related to the crimes of serial killer Frank Carter. In prison for killing five boys twenty years ago, he is nicknamed The Whisper Man. He would lure his victims from their homes by whispering to them by their windows at night.
Then Jake begins to hear whispers at his window...
This police procedural thriller with hints of the supernatural, captivated me from the start. With his engaging, wonderfully expressive writing, the author drew me into this creepy and haunting story.
Don't miss this spooky tale, full of heart.
Thank you to Celadon Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I kept hearing how creepy this book was and I didn't get that at all, but I also don't get scared. I still enjoyed the story as more of a police procedural though.
Jake may have seemed like a weird little boy that talked to himself/imaginary friend but it was actually very sweet-the rain that he was that way. Tom is a good dad just trying to get through raising a son on his own. Pete is a very good cop that takes his job seriously and can't forget the one case he still needs to solve. It turned out as a surprise to me as to who he actually was.