The Whisper Man by Alex North, I've seen so many raging reviews for this one I think I may have hyped it up too much in my head. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the story for the most part. Although some parts fell kind of flat for me, other details I found were unnecessary and other parts I found kept me hanging. I also didn't find the book to be that creepy or scary. I found the writing style of multiple points of view confusing at times because the chapters jumped point of view but you had to start reading the chapter before you could distinguish who was talking. I guess i was just hoping for more.
I loved the premise of the story. North did an amazing job bringing childhood and parental fears to life. He had excellent character development. You were able to really get a feel for what the characters were thinking, feeling and experiencing.
A small town is faced with a serial child abducter, who lures children by whispering to them was caught and put in prison. Skip to 20 years later and one of those children's bodies still hasn't been found, when a new child goes missing. Are the abductions connected, how so if the prepetrator is still in jail, a copycat? A new family moves to town into the infamous "scary house". Strange things start occuring. Bones are discovered, a body, and a new kidnapping. Will they find the children in time ands figure out who is behind it all?

Thank you to Celadon books and netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.



Review can also be found on my goodreads and Instagram

Crime mysteries are another subgenre of thrillers that I’ve been checking out lately, and since stories about cold cases and serial killers are my jam, I knew I had to check out The Whisper Man by Alex North. This book has been getting a ton of attention lately, with lots of hype around it surrounding it and even a movie deal, so who can blame me for being curious.

In the small town of Featherbank in Britain, terrorized residents thought they could finally move forward and feel safe again after Frank Carter also known as “The Whisper Man” was caught and put behind bars. In the years he was active, the notorious child killer kidnapped and murdered five little boys. That was more than ten years ago, and life was just starting to return to normal there when the unthinkable suddenly happens—one evening, the parents of 6-year-old Neil Spencer realize that their son never made it back home after a short walk. But with Frank Carter in prison, it couldn’t be The Whisper Man this time, could it? Or is the town under threat from another serial killer, possibly a copycat or an accomplice of Carter’s who has remained on the loose after all this time?

Meanwhile, Tom Kennedy is a recently widowed author who has just moved to Featherbank, hoping to start a new life with his young son Jake. Seven years old and gifted with a vivid imagination, Jake has become even more reserved after his mother’s death, struggling with bullies and retreating into conversations with imaginary friends. But instead of getting better, Jake remains troubled at school and in the eerie old house they’ve moved into, telling Tom about the whispering he hears in the dark. After a frightening incident in the middle of the night, the police who are called are immediately alerted to some of the warning signs in Jake’s story. For Detective Inspector Pete Willis, the details are especially disturbing, for he was the one who worked on The Whisper Man case. One of the victims has never been found, and to this day Willis is still trying to persuade Frank Carter to reveal the location of the remains. Now in light of the disappearance of Neil Spencer and Jake’s terrifying encounter, it’s become even more imperative for the detective to solve the connections and catch the culprit.

If you’re looking for a nice atmospheric thriller, The Whisper Man will certainly deliver. But after reading it, do I think it’s worth the hype? Well, I think that would depend on the kind of reader you are. This past year I’ve been cutting my teeth on similarly themed books by C.J. Tudor, Lesley Kara and many others, so after a while you start to spot some of the same tonal patterns and plot elements—killer in a small town, difficult parent-child relationships, the imaginary friend angle, a dark thread of the supernatural lurking beneath the surface, etc., etc., etc. That is to say, at a certain point the novelty starts to wear off, and I think I’ve reached that place. I mean, I found nothing inherently nothing wrong this novel; it was well written, well plotted, and well presented. And yet, the story didn’t grip me like I thought it would. Perhaps I was expecting too much, but I found the overall plot of The Whisper Man to be fairly predictable (I saw at least two of the major twists coming a mile away) and subsequently, it’s hard not to feel underwhelmed.

Though of course, your mileage may vary. Obviously, seeing clichés everywhere and being able to predict certain outcomes caused me to enjoy this one a bit less, but there’s still a lot to love here. Alex North uses multiple perspectives to craft this tale, threading them together so they form a tight, cohesive narrative that is spot on with timing. I wouldn’t call this fast-paced exactly, but the story never feels slow because there’s always something interesting happening on the page. Character development is layered on gradually, as the events unfold. Clues are also doled out meticulously at just the right times. I also enjoyed the thick and moody atmosphere, which is so important for a story like this, and the supernatural element was also a welcome touch. Like I said, I have no complaints at all regarding the technical aspects of this book; North is clearly no stranger to the craft of writing, having previously written more crime novels under a different name according to his publisher profile, and I do like his style.

If only The Whisper Man had held more surprises for me, I probably would have adored this book. That said, I didn’t think it was bad at all, even if I don’t love it enough to gush about it. For a crime mystery, it had its interesting moments and provided an entertaining journey, and I had a good time. I can definitely see this one being a hit for many.

The scary story of the Whisper Man is an urban legend used to scared children into obedience. Or is it?
Little boys have gone missing, their bodies discovered in an attachment to a house of a man his wife and son. The man Frank Carter is now in prison for those murders. He was know to be the monster that whispered to thes4 boys before kidnapping them, torturing them and killing them. The bodies have been found. All except for one. It has been 20 years with no resolution.
Tom Kennedyand his son Jake, have moved to a new town following the death of their wife and mother from a heart attack. They are trying to get theirs lives back on track. Jake is 7, young but smart and intelligent. His daddy doesn't really know that he has an imaginary friend a little girl. She encourages him to be brave. She promises to always be there for him. Hopefully she will because The Whispering Man is calling to Jake. And Jake just might be listening.
Excellent read, full of twists and turns and surprises galore!

This book has been very popular with book bloggers and on social media, so I was excited to read it. I was disappointed. Too many plots, not woven together effectively. I didn’t really care about the characters.

“If you’re lonely, sad and blue the whisper man will come for you.”
Wow, what a debut novel!!! It started off a tad slow to start but then I couldn’t put it down. I needed to solve the case! It was very atmospheric & had such a creep factor you might want to keep the doors locked and the lights on for this one!

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an early copy for my honest review!

The Whisper Man

After his wife dies Tom moves his small son Jake into a new town, searching for a fresh start. Inconveniently and unknowingly he’s moved to Featherbank, a town haunted by a serial killer brought doom to the town 20 years ago. As soon as they move in a small boy goes missing. If the synopsis doesn’t suck you in, then the writing will. I haven’t slept with the windows open in three nights because this book FREAKED ME OUT..... From page one, I couldn’t put this book down. The characters are brilliantly written, the crime was soul shuddering, the family dynamic and creepily portrayed house they moved into was the perfect blend of “holy sh*t I loved this book”.

Love this!! I thought the story/writing started off a little slow, so it actually took me several days before I really got into it, but at about 25% it really took off and I rushed through the rest in about a day.

The mystery was really great and I thought the storytelling was so good and really almost perfect. I only dropped it to 4.5 (and rounding down) because of the slow start.

Tom Kennedy relocates with his son Jake to start a new life in Featherbanks after his wife passes away.

Frank Carter also known as The Whisper Man was arrested after committing 5 murders.

Neil Spencer a 6 year old boy comes up missing and his parents say he was talking about somebody whispering to him. But the whisper man has been in prison for years so who is this "new whisper man."

I enjoyed this read from the beginning to the end. I loved reading from Jake's point of view. Some of it was creepy and it was entertaining. I liked the father and son relationship and even after the death of his wife and feeling helpless on how to raise his son he was trying. A must read!!!

Every once-in-a-while I am fortunate enough to read a truly memorable, enthralling, and disturbing mystery. That is the case with The Whisper Man by Alex North. It is a serial killer book that centers on familial relationships between multiple generations, making it not only a frightening tale but also a complicated portrayal of family.
Children have been kidnapped, assaulted, and murdered over a span of twenty-some years, in a small town in England. The legend is that the abductor whispers to the victims, enticing them to come with. The police captured the doer of these crimes twenty-five years ago, but now the same crimes are happening again. Of course, the townspeople are frantic, as are the cops. How can this be happening again with the perp incarcerated? The books roll along rapidly as these and other questions are elegantly addressed and answered in a truly satisfying way. I am not whispering when I say that you need to buy and read the whisper Man RIGHT NOW.

"If you leave a door half open, soon you'll hear the whispers spoken.
If you play outside alone, soon you won't be going home.
If your windows left unlatched, you'll hear him tapping at the glass.
If you're lonely, sad, and blue the Whisper Man will come for you."

4.5 stars. This highly-anticipated Summer thriller did not disappoint. In the town of Featherbank, children have heard whispers before being abducted and murdered. Tom is a newly single father of 6-year-old Jake, who talks to imaginary friends and doesn't quite fit in. Amanda and Pete are detectives who are on the hunt for a child serial killer, one who seems to be imitating a convicted child serial killer from 20 years ago.

This book is told in multiple points of view from each of these characters. I really enjoyed that this story is told from the point of view of a single father, something I don't see much of in books. I also like that the reader learns how the story is going to unfold before the characters in the book find out what is going to happen. This book doesn't have the shock factor that so many thrillers try to go for these days, and I think it really works in the book's favor. The twists are unexpected, but fit in well with the overall story.

I can see why this book is so popular this Summer and I think thriller lovers will be impressed with The Whisper Man.

If you leave a door half open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken.
If you play outside alone, soon you won’t be going home.
If your window’s left unlatched, you’ll hear him tapping at the glass.
If you’re lonely, sad, and blue, the Whisper Man will come for you.

========================================

…over the years I’ve told you many times that there’s no such thing as monsters.
I’m sorry that I lied.

A child has disappeared. Snatched from the streets. His taking bears an uncanny resemblance to a series of child abductions that occurred twenty years ago. Which is a problem because the perpetrator of those crimes, one Frank Carter, has been nicely tucked away in prison ever since he was convicted of the crimes. Deputy Inspector Pete Willis should know. He is the copper who put Carter away.

Willis is called in to assist a young DI on the case, because of his familiarity with Carter. That familiarity includes knowing that one of the missing boys was never found. It has included visits to the prison where the large--near 300 pound, 6’5”--Carter does his best Hannibal Lecter impression, teasing Willis with obscure clues, without giving him much, really, but letting it be known he knows more than he should. Did Carter have an undiscovered associate two decades ago? Does he have a partner now?

Tom Kennedy, a writer, and his seven-year-old son, Jake, have just undergone a tragedy of their own. Rebecca was found dead in their home, Jake being the one who discovered his mother’s body. The memories too much, Tom has moved to Featherbank, a pleasant-seeming community, to an odd-looking house, hoping for a fresh start.

Our house.
We were here.
I pulled into the driveway. The house still looked the same, of course, but the building seemed to have different ways of staring out at the world. The first time I’d seen it, it had seemed forbidding and frightening—almost dangerous—and then the second, I’d thought it had character. Now, just for a moment, the odd arrangement of windows reminded me of a beaten face, with an eye pushed up over a badly bruised cheek, the skull injured and lopsided. I shook my head and the image disappeared. But an ominous feeling remained.

Uh oh. Makes one wonder if maybe, just maybe, there might be something special about the house, and/or its prior(?) residents and not in a happy way.

One manifestation of Jake’s post-mom trauma is a special friend, which causes him no end of grief, at school in particular, but Jake is not the most social. He will take his friendships where he finds them, and the girl in the blue-and-white-checked dress is the only one who wants to play with him.

Do you remember?”
“I guess.”
“Say it, then.”
He sighed, put the pencil down, and looked at her. As always, she was wearing a blue-and-white-checked dress, and he could see the hash of a graze on her right knee that never seemed to heal. While the other girls here had neat hair, cut level at the shoulders or tied back in a tight ponytail, the little girl’s was spread out messily to one side and looked like she hadn’t brushed it in a long time.
From the expression on her face now, it was obvious she wasn’t going to give up, so he repeated what she’d told him.
“If you leave a door half open . . .”
It should have been surprising that he did remember it all, really, because he hadn’t made any special effort to make the words stick. But for some reason, they had.

One day, when Tom overhears Jake talking in two distinct voices, he becomes alarmed, as Jake’s imaginary friend has always been a silent partner, one whom Tom has come to accept. When Jake tells him that the other voice was “the boy in the floor” we are well into creepytown, and when Jake starts hearing whispering, the sort of whispering reported by abductees two decades back, it goes from weird to threatening.

The idea for the story, or at least one element of it, originated in an experience the author had with his son:

When we moved into our new house, there was a day when my son, who was about four at the time, talked about playing with “the boy in the floor.” That stuck with me, and I eventually decided that Jake in the book would have imaginary friends and some of them would be quite frightening. The story developed from there. - from the Celadon interview

Another is the notion of fathers and sons

I wanted to write about fathers and sons. Very specifically, I wanted to write about a widowed father struggling to connect with his grieving son. - from the Celadon interview

Father-son relationships permeate the story. Tom and Jake’s relationship is where our focus lies. Tom is a well-realized character, and I am sure there are many of us fathers who can appreciate the struggles Tom goes through trying to connect with and be the best father he can to his young son, even without sharing Tom and Jake’s particular trauma. Tom and Jake both recovering from the death of Rebeca Kennedy does not make it any easier.

Not only does Tom struggle with his relationship with his son, his relationship with his own father ended the day he witnessed at least a part of a terrifying parental fight. Raging Dad left, never to return. DI Willis has demons of his own, among them his guilt at not being able to stop Frank Carter sooner all those years ago, and not being able to get Carter to give him the burial site for the last of the children he had murdered, despite Carter luring him in from time to time. And one must, of course, wonder what sort of parenting Carter had gotten.

One creepy motif that pops up from time to time is that of a Corpse Moth. You can imagine where it might be found. It shows up in some other places as well. Another dark and wonderful element is a collector of the unspeakable, or is there more to him?

The story is told from alternating perspectives. Primary among these is Tom Kennedy’s. We get his take in a first-person voice. We also see some things from Jake’s perspective. The emotional progress of the story flows through them. Pete’s chapters give us, in addition to the personal angst which defines his existence, the gumshoe progress of the investigation, the field visits, interrogations, analysis of evidence, appended by a handful of chapters from the perspective of DI Amanda Peck, the primary on the investigation. There is a smattering of other chapters from other perspectives, among about seventy chapters in the book.

The short chapters help keep the pace fast. While you will be able to knock out a bunch at a dedicated reading session, you can also get through a few chapters on a bus or train ride, or in some short reading at bed time. I warn you, though, depending on what parts of the book you are on, you might find it difficult to fall asleep. It takes a fair bit for a book to get a rise of the scary sort out of me. There were several instances, while reading this book, in which the hair on my arms stood up at attention, and it had nothing to do with a breeze or a change in temperature. Seriously, seriously creepy, in the best possible way.

Gripes? Not really, except the frustration of not knowing Alex North’s real name.

I wouldn’t want to say this too softly. THE WHISPER MAN IS A FIRST-RATE, ENGAGING, SCARY THRILLER THAT WILL MAKE YOU CARE ABOUT THE CHARACTERS, MAKE YOU WANT TO FIGURE OUT THE MYSTERY ALONG WITH THEM, AND MAY VERY WELL SCARE THE BEJESUS OUT OF YOU. IT MIXES KIDS, COPS AND HORRORS FOR AN UNBEATABLE READING EXPERIENCE. CAN YOU HEAR ME IN THE BACK?

My skin tingled as I remembered what had happened last night—the figure I’d imagined standing at the base of my bed, its hair splayed out like the little girl that Jake had drawn. The sensation of my foot being shaken.
Wake up, Tom.


Review Posted – August 9, 2019

Publication
-----USA – Celadon Books – August 20, 019
-----UK- Penguin Books UK – June 13, 2019

I really enjoyed this book. I found it somewhat terrifying and hard to put down. I love the twists and turns. Excellent read!

If you happen to follow any bookstagram accounts, you are sure to have seen The Whisper Man by Alex North taking social media by storm. Book of the Month currently has it as one of the August options and this detective crime thriller hits stores on August 20. I was lucky enough to receive a digital ARC from Net Galley and Celadon Books, in exchange for an honest review.

The Whisper Man is a chilling story based around a serial killer who targets young children and "grooms" them by whispering outside their windows at night, developing a relationship before he abducts and murders them. The book begins with the infamous "Whisper Man" behind bars, but a young boy goes missing on his way home one evening. The mom later tells authorities that she recalled her son telling her a couple weeks prior that he had heard whispering outside his window. Detectives are on the hunt for a copy cat, while also trying to tie up loose ends of an over 20 year old murder that was never solved. Detective Pete Willis worked on the "Whisper Man's" case and it has haunted him ever since. He becomes involved in the recent missing person case with the lead detective, Amanda Beck, and is transported back in time with flashbacks from his early detective days. Meanwhile, Tom Kennedy and his son, Jake, move to a new town to start their lives over following the death of Tom's wife, Jake's mother, in hopes to start fresh. They eventually find themselves wrapped up into the investigation.

The Whisper Man is written from multiple perspectives of Tom Kennedy, Jake Kennedy, Pete Willis, Amanda Beck, and the killer. Each chapter is written from a different characters perspective, which makes this book different from your typical detective novel. I enjoyed the multiple narrators and North's writing made them each flow well. I love a good character driven novel, but one that is also a thriller tops the cake for me. North does a great job with character development and intermingling the storylines. Tom and Jake are mourning the loss of Rebecca. Jake discovered her dead in their house and Tom has been reeling ever since, not fully grieving his loss. Tom is a writer and is working on his next novel, but cannot seem to focus enough to put words on paper. Jake is an introverted, creative child who has a wild imagination. Shortly after Tom and Jake move into their new home, things start to get strange. Tom overhears Jake whispering to someone, presumably his imaginative friend, but then hears someone whisper back in response.

This story is spine tingling creepy and the concept of the "Whisper Man" is the stuff nightmares are made of. This modern day boogeyman is like a fable shared on the playground between children. North's storyline is spectacular and chilling. While I read this, I imagined to myself that this could easily be a movie concept. (And I hope that one day it is!) I gave The Whisper Man by Alex North a solid ★★★★★. It is a well written, character driven thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The Whisper Man will be published on August 20 and I highly recommend you pick it up or add it to your next Book of the Month. Until then, keep your ears open for whispers outside your window. Shhhhh…the Whisper Man will come for you...

***Thank you to Celadon Books and Net Galley for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.***

This book pulled me in immediately and did not let go. It was so creepy and I was dying to know the identity of The Whisper Man. I wanted to know so much that I stayed up until after 2 am reading because I could not put it down.

This debut novel is a fast-paced thriller, but also packs so much relational punch with our main characters dealing with grief and learning how to relate to each other better. It centers around a serial killer from 20 years ago and new kidnappings/killings happening despite the fact that the serial killer is in jail.. Given the heaviness of kidnapping and killing children, the author does a great job of alluding to the violence but not going into graphic detail of the violence which creates a scary story but not one that gave me nightmares.

For a thriller, this had the perfect balance of heart, relatable characters, pacing and psychological thriller plotlines.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and give it 4.5 stars.

Wow, what an excellent read! The twists kept me guessing until the end! Such a thrill ride of novel! I love the cover design! I will definitely read more books by this author!

What an intense, compelling, dark read Alex North has given us in The Whisper Man!! Caution for readers who cannot tolerate reading about violence against children, you'll want to skip this book. For the rest of you, hang on to your seat because you are in for one heck of a read!!

Pete Willis, DI, 56, has been haunted for two decades because of his inability to find the body of the last victim, Tony Smith, of the serial killer known as The Whisper Man. The killer earned his name because he would target young boys, and whisper to them at night to get them to come with him. He was convicted and is currently in prison.

Now another young boy has disappeared in Featherbanks. Amanda Beck, DI, enlists the help of Pete Willis due to similarities with The Whisper Man case. Rumors fly through the town again that The Whisper Man had an accomplice, and that the killings have begun again.

Thomas Kennedy and his young son Jake have recently moved to Featherbanks, hoping to start life anew ten months after the sudden death of Rebecca, beloved wife and mother. They buy a house that Jake seems drawn to. Thomas finds it a bit creepy, but after viewing it a couple of times decides to buy it, hoping it will help Jake heal. Only after purchasing it, does he find out that there's a history to the house, and not a good one. It doesn't take long before strange things start occurring. He hears Jake whispering to someone, knowing things about the house that he couldn't possibly know. Is Jake at risk?

I love how each of the characters is fleshed out - they are realistic, and relatable (well, except for the Whisper Man - it's hard to relate to him!). I also like the intricate intertwining of events from the past and current day, the way the author throws in unexpected twists, and the ever-increasing tension of the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

You might want to keep the lights on and the doors locked while reading this one!😳

Tom and his son Jake are looking to make a fresh start after the death of Toms’ wife.
And hopefully, Jake can finally find a place where he’ll fit in. After all, Jake he is not your typical, everyday boy. He has imaginary friends. One that he can be heard talking to at times.

But will a new town and a new school be enough to heal both of them?
Only, this town has a dark history of a serial killer targeting young boys. Is it happening again? Are any of the boys here safe?

This book was so deliciously spooky! I just loved the feel of it....curled up on my sofa shaking like a leaf stifling a scream!
The writing was clever and unpredictable. Midway the story-line took a slow turn but was quickly back on track to wrap things up.

This is a debut thriller for Alex North and I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next!

A fun and chilling buddy read with Susanne!👻

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books and Alex North for an ARC to read and review

Alex North’s debut, The Whisper Man is an outstanding thriller and one of the best crime novels I’ve read this year. In tones similar to Stephen King he ramps up compelling suspense with an air of supernatural menace.

Alex North structured his novel in a way that is extremely appealing to me, where one character narrates in the first person and the other threads are provided in the third person. This tends to create an opportunity for great story-telling with a personal view to draw you into a character. Tom Kennedy is an author still reeling from the death of his wife, and with a young son who is detached from other children, is finding life difficult. Every conversation he tries to have with his son, Jake, every attempt to understand his son’s feelings, or express his own pain and loneliness, just get inadvertently twisted to compound the problem. The jarring recognition that the harder you try, the more frustrated you get, and the further away from normality you slip. In an attempt to make a fresh start, away from the sad, heart-breaking and irrepressible memories, Tom and Jake, move home to the town of Featherbank.

His son, Jake, remains in his own space, an outsider, and is often seen talking openly to his imaginary friend, even while at school. These are the characteristics that align with the quest of a serial killer, known as The Whisper Man.

“If you leave a door half open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken.
If you play outside alone, soon you won’t be going home.
If your window’s left unlatched, you’ll hear him tapping at the glass.
If you’re lonely, sad, and blue, the Whisper Man will come for you.”

Featherbank has a dark sinister past were twenty years ago, the Whisper Man abducted and killed five young boys. All except young Tony Smith have been found and the killer, Frank Carter, was eventually caught by DI Pete Willis and is still serving time in prison.

Pete battles a screaming desire for alcohol and confronts psychological problems regarding the investigation into the Whisper Man. He has always felt that the unrecovered body of Tony, and events that didn’t align in the case, that there was an accomplice. Now 20 years later DI Amanda Beck is leading an investigation into a missing boy, that has all the hallmarks of The Whisper Man. Pete is brought back into the investigation and they must consider if it’s an accomplice resurfacing or a copy-cat killer, and why does Frank Carter appear to have an awareness of what is happening? All these uneasy questions and surprises churn throughout this fascinating plot.

The horror is just about to get real for Tom and Jake as a devilish figure seems to be conversing in whispers with Jake to open the front door. This thriller is tense and edgy with an evil phantom that lurks in dark corners and just outside windows and doors. The Whisper Man is a totally captivating and engrossing thriller, with marvellous characterisations and deep psychological interplay. The ghost-like threat from a killer is wonderfully developed and played at a pace that maintained an impressive plot momentum.

I would highly recommend this book and I’d like to thank Celadon Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

Take a bow Alex North - quite an awesome debut! This is a great thriller - dark, creepy, and very disturbing. It kept me up late reading and bothered me when I had to put it down to do something else. Pete was definitely a flawed character as a father, and I saw Tom as insecure and somewhat vulnerable. My heart went out to little Jake; never fitting in with the other children, missing his mother so much, his ambivalent feelings about his Dad, and the scary things that were happening around him.

Pete's struggle with his alcoholism was mentioned a little too much though - I did tire of reading about his everyday struggle with the bottle. I know that it is true that alcoholics face that struggle every day, but you get the point pretty quickly and don't want to go over it so much.

I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to any thriller lovers. Thanks to Celadon books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with a free digital copy of The Whisper Man in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis:

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...

My Review:

First of all, The Whisper Man gets major points for creepiness! So many unanswered questions, add in a pinch of supernatural, this book was unsettling all the way through. There were a few scenes in particular that had me gasping out loud!

Something else that sets this police procedural apart from the others is the inclusion of intense emotion. Tom Kennedy and his son were a big part of this novel: the reader gets to witness how they were putting the pieces of their lives back together after the death of their wife and mother. I actually felt that their story carried the plot of this book more than the police investigation which made for a nice change.

I am calling The Whisper Man a solid thriller, with a lot of moving parts to keep you guessing and a uniqueness to make it stand out against the rest. I rate this one 4 out of 5 stars.