I love a good suspense book. Let me tell you this went beyond what I expected. Do not read this alone! You may start hearing things if you do. I loved how creepy this book was. I enjoyed how the author tied in a little family drama too. I thought that it was done in such a way that you could feel something for both parties (I don't want to give this away so no name). I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a scary book with a dash of mystery. It was a great fast read for me.

Hovering my fingers over the keyboard wondering where to even begin. It's only July but I think this is going to be my favorite read this year. Holy wow, I devoured it!!

20 years ago, Pete captures the infamous serial killer/kidnapper, the Whisper Man. Fast forward to today, and boys are starting to hear the whispering in the dark once again. It's creepy and suspenseful and unpredictable!

This book was so incredibly well written, It jumped around perspectives and time and still remained engaging and not at all confusing. I started it before bed and that was a terrible mistake because I had to force myself to turn off my kindle and go to bed, only to wake up early before work the next morning to finish it.

thank you so much to netgalley for providing me with this advanced copy! EVERYONE GO PREORDER IT NOW!!

WOW! This book was suspenseful, nail-biting and creepy and I absolutely loved it. I couldn't put it down and read it within two days of starting it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. They story kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through.

Rating this one was a bit more challenging than I expected. I often find that I have this issue when other reviews are full of praise and I find myself shrugging my shoulders with a meh kind of feeling. So I have this rating turmoil with myself. Was the book just average? Or do I have just average taste? I put a ridiculous amount of thought into the final verdict and usually give in to the 4 with the imaginary peer pressure I receive. But this time, I reasoned and decided that I will take my 3.5 star rating and round it down for a few reasons.

So my least favorite part of review writing is the summary. Like the author gets paid the big bucks to write a synopsis. So I will be sparing you my half ass re-cap. You’re welcome.

The Whisper Man was a fairly enjoyable novel. First, I would like to give North some praise. The author actually did quite a nice job of setting an eerie tone. When Jake is talking to his imaginary friend, I was legitimately a little freaked out. I got little goose bumps and everything. An author has to move mountains to freak me out via reading. But North actually did shake me up a bit. Which was an enjoyable surprise. Additionally, I loved the imaginary friend aspect. While it was a cryptic, creepy build the payoff was better than I expected. Now onto the reasoning for the 3 stars.

The Whisper Man had all the makings of a good thriller, but that was also an issue for me. Since it had ALL the makings of every thriller I’ve read. Why it an issue? Because it was a little too familiar. Meaning I correctly guessed the plot twists and plot line. This isn’t because Alex North isn’t a talented writer. It is because I’ve gobbled up too many of these type of crime thrillers. I’m getting incredibly good at seeking out foreshadowing and making accurate guesses. There are also a lot of thriller clichés throughout the novel. For example, a visit with the wise cracking psychopath serial killer who will only speak to said detective. I can easily name a handful of stories in this genre with the same exact scenario and scene. This was one of the reason I leaned towards the average 3 star rating. Another reason that I rated down was because I found myself having to get myself re-emerged into the novel. This isn’t necessarily the authors bad.

A few other things that didn’t quite sit well with me were the point of views. Amanda’s point of view seemed really unnecessary until the last small bit of the book. At which it simply became a point of convenience. And that is one of my biggest pet peeves from a novel. Do not add something or someone to a novel to make a convenient ending or easy wrap up. It is honestly the worst. And that was exactly how Amanda fit into the novel.

My other big issue had to do with a hole in the story. Tom Kennedy is having this repetitive dream. He continues to dream about his drunken father throwing a glass bottle (or something glass) at his mother. This is a re-occurring dream and thought from Tom. Well as he re-unites with dear old Dad he learns that this event never truly happened. And that is basically it. We don’t learn if Dad was lying. We don’t know if Tom made this up to fit the narrative of his drunk father. We don’t figure out if it was another man entirely. We just don’t know. Maybe I missed the explanation. If so, please shoot me a message and let me know. No follow up on this declaration really bothered me. Especially since it was a re-occurring dream and thought.

Overall, I think North is a talented author. He could set a creepy scene quite well. I think the average rating or interest in this novel is more of a me thing verses the book actually being average.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the Advance Copy.

It all starts when Tom Kennedy suddenly loses his wife, and needing a fresh start, moves to Featherbank with his son Jake. But the town holds a dark secret—it’s the hunting ground of a serial killer known as the Whisper Man. And now another boy has gone missing....

Alex North’s The Whisper Man didn’t meet my expectations—and that is actually a really good thing.

I started out wanting to read it because I enjoy crime thrillers and the horror genre in general, but the subject matter of this one is tricky—a serial killer targeting little boys. I was worried that what I’d be reading would soon devolve into something beyond just the macabre and could take a turn for the worst into the exploitative.

But The Whisper Man proves that a reader’s imagination can still be the best part of making a book chills-inducing and creepy. North handles his subject matter with such a gentle hand; instead of being gratuitous, he writes only so much to give you an idea what’s going on, and then lets you fill in the rest. And never once did I feel short changed. There’s plenty opportunity for heart-stopping twists.

There’s also a lot of heart and emotional complexity, mostly owed to the interactions among Tom, Jake, and DI Pete Willis. And though North employs multiple POV’s over the course of the book, all feel satisfying and fleshed out. The writing here is excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing this review copy. I would definitely recommend this one—it didn’t meet my expectations, it exceeded them.

Alex North has written a stunning mystery that has the reader guessing what the plot reveals will be from the beginning. The book starts off as many do referring to past crimes and present tragedies. it veers quickly into very creepy, scary territory. Underlying it all is the build of the father-son relationship which makes The Whisper Man more than your standard thriller. A very satisfying read and one that benefits from long periods of immersive reading time. Let's hope for more stellar fiction from this author!

Still reeling from the sudden death of his wife 10 months earlier, writer Tom Kennedy moves with his 7-year-old son, Jake, to the small English village of Featherbank in search of a fresh start for both of them. Unbeknownst to him, however, Neil Spencer, a boy Jake’s age, was abducted there two months earlier and is still missing—and soon it seems that Jake himself is hearing voices, having nightmares and being targeted. Meanwhile, Neil’s abduction is causing Detective Pete Willis nightmares of his own, as it brings back his investigation twenty years earlier of The Whisper Man, a psychopath who abducted and murdered five boys, one of whom has never been found. Soon, DI Amanda Beck, who is in charge of the Neil Spencer investigation, begins to uncover connections between the two cases—but can she and Pete unravel the clues before Jake becomes the next victim?

Told in alternating chapters from the points of view of Tom, Pete, Amanda and Jake—as well as a few particularly chilling ones by the abductor—Alex North’s “The Whisper Man” is a creepy, fast-paced thriller with several twists and turns that I never saw coming. Not every loose end is completely tied up at the end of the novel, but it’s still a satisfying conclusion to a well-written and engrossing thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishers for providing me an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

I found it hard to believe that The Wisper Man is Alex North's debut novel because this book, in my opinion, reads as a seasoned writer wrote it. The Whisper Man is well written; the characters are all skillfully developed ranging from lovable to sinister. The story is eerie, disturbing, and at times downright terrifying. This is the book that will keep you up at night.

The Whisper Man is told from multiple points of views, with some visits into the character's pasts. The main focus of the story is on Tom Kennedy and his seven-year-old son Jake. Tom moves them to Featherbank, with the hope that the move will heal them after the abrupt death of his wife.

Twenty years ago Frank Carter abducted and murdered five young boys and was finally caught by DI Pete Willis. Unbeknownst to Tom and Jake, this small town has a dark past, and it seems that it is happening again. Is the Wisper Man back? That seems to be the question after a boy goes missing. The circumstances of his disappearance uncannily resemble the events of twenty years ago. DI Amanda Beck, the lead investigator, brings DI Willis into this case, in the hopes his experience will help her find the missing boy. I would love to tell you more about this book, but unfortunately, I am not willing to ruin all the twists, surprises, and sinister moments.

As I have mentioned this story was written from multiple POVs. One of the things that impressed me about Mr. North's writing was how he was able to capture Jake's character thoroughly. You felt you were in the mind of a very sensitive, creative seven-year-old. All the characters were well written and developed, but Jake was my favorite. I wanted to grab him up and give him a big momma hug.


The Whisper Man is a thrilling, suspenseful, terrifying book that you will not be able to put down. I read the entire book on the drive home from our summer vacation. Luckily most of the ride was in the daylight; I would not want to read this book after sunset. If you read one thriller this year, do not pass up The Wisper Man.

Remember,
"If you're lonely, sad, and blue the Wisper Man will come for you."


***I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion .***

This book started off fantastic- there was one part that was so creepy as I was reading it at night that I actually put the book down. I really liked all the characters and there was a reveal midway through that I did not see coming but, and this may make me sound terrible, it wasn't dark enough.
I will be writing a review for my website closer to publication and will update this with my link

Well this book is terrifyingly creepy. The Whisper Man will get into your nightmares. I did guess who the bad guy was early on but it was still interesting to get everyone's point of view on this. I didn't see one twist which I found interesting. I did like Jack's point of view the best though I do think he talked way older then he should be able to talk. Yes it does say that he can understand at an older level then his age but he talked more like an person who has been around for year instead of a 7 year old. You will enjoy this book if you like a great thriller.


*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

So, this was super creepy! If you want to heighten the creep-factor, I recommend not reading much about this one and just diving in. There were the things that I expected from reading the synopsis beforehand, but I was pleasantly surprised that there was also some depth in the portrayal of father/son relationships. I think North did a great job of writing a grieving father who isn't sure what he's doing in regards to his son. Also, bonus points for multiple POV in this one.

My only complaint was that the kid seemed a little too old for his age, but that also kind of adds to the creepiness, so meh.

Also, I am scared of mail slots now, so that's special.

Thank-you to the publisher and NetGalley for my free review copy!

I really enjoyed The Whisper Man. It started off a bit slow for me, but I was hooked about a third in. I loved the small reveals throughout the book. They really got me thinking as to why they were there and where the story was headed. As a frequent thriller reader I appreciated that I didn't know where it was going. There were a lot of possiblities and in the end I loved where it went.

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.

I loved this book! The writing was great and the characters and dialog were natural and believable. There is a little bit of everything in this book: Love, hate, happy, sad, suspense, mystery, horror. I could not stop reading and was even surprised by a few twists and turns! I read a lot of Stephen King books and actually had to remind myself several times that this was not a Stephen King book!!

I don't get spooked easily BUT while I was reading this book I had to take my dog outside in the middle of the night and standing in the garage and seeing the back door half open actually got me a little (or maybe a lot!) spooked and we definitely hurried up and came in the house much quicker than usual!!

I highly recommend this book!!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#TheWhisperMan #NetGalley

“I’ve told you that there’s no such thing as monsters. I’m sorry I lied.”

Twenty years ago, a string of children went missing in Featherbank and were ultimately murdered by The Whisper Man. Before their abduction, each child reported hearing whispers outside their window in the middle of the night. The Whisper Man was eventually caught and sentenced to life in prison. But now, having recently moved to Featherbank himself, Tom Kennedy’s own son begins to hear whispering outside his window.

All of the stars for The Whisper Man. All of them. This book is creepy, unsettling, unnerving, and chilling in all of the right ways. Filled with complex (and likable!) characters, a well-developed storyline, and truly unique twists and turns, The Whisper Man will keep even the most seasoned thriller readers on the edge of their seats.

As a parent, I tend to shy away from books where children are victims in any sort of way. HOWEVER, if you are a parent and are worried that you might not like The Whisper Man for this same reason, I will still encourage you to try it. The Whisper Man has such a complex plot and well-written characters that it doesn’t need to use gore as a crutch.

The Whisper Man had me double-checking my locks, peeking around corners, and quickly flipping on light switches for days. There is no question that this was a 5/5 stars read for me and likely will be for you too! If you enjoy thrillers, mysteries, or police procedurals, I can’t recommend The Whisper Man enough.

The Whisper Man has captured another boy. Or so everyone thinks. He's in prison so who is copying his murders? Tom and his son have moved into a new house and it isn't long before Jake is talking about the boy in the floor...

Amazing book from start to finish. There were so many angles and side stories that you are kept anxious for an explanation. Some of the descriptions of the Whisper Man were horrifying and scary. A must read for every fan of the Thriller genre.

I really enjoyed this book though I will say I did not enjoy parts of the ending. That didn’t have to go that way. I also didn’t realize how many altering perspectives there would be which sometimes can irk me and be hard to follow but they were okay in this one though I didn’t enjoy some as much as others. I would read more from this author.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

The Whisper Man is already being hyped as the thriller of the summer - and I cannot disagree! It was gripping and exciting throughout the whole story, with great character dynamics and characters you could easily root for. It reminded me very much of a Criminal Minds episode. There were surprises throughout the story, but none were so absurd they were unbelievable. Any thriller fan will love this one!

Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book received a lot of hype from PW and other reviews. Compared to Thomas Harris. It didn't. There were too many questions left unanswered to tie things up in the end. There are some twists and the character of six year old Jake was interesting, especially his school scenes. The rest of the characters seemed unfinished. The author writes well, but there were too many holes.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

The Whisper Man is my first book by Alex North, but he is definitely an author I will keep an eye on in the future. The story is griping from the first page and offers plenty of twists and turns that kept me on my toes. I liked that the characters were multi-dimensional and didn't seem like caricatures (even if the alcoholic police detective was verging on cliche). The writing was taut and though I guessed the ending, I was never bored. Overall, a book deserving of the hype surrounding it and a debut the author should be really proud of!

What an enjoyable book for me. This book is about fathers and sons and what the love a father, or lack of love of a father, can do to a son. It's about fathers who never forget their failings even long after they've done all they can to change, to become the best person they can be, long after they are no longer the person they used to be. And it's about fathers who are so very good and love so very much but think they are failures and not good enough to be fathers.

I came to the book thinking there was horror here and there was but it's real life horror, the kind of horror that is worse than supernatural, scary, going ons. Twenty years ago, little boys went missing and were found brutally murdered in the town of Featherbank. DI Pete, found the boys but feels like a failure because he wasn't able to find the last one that was taken. That boy's body was never found and he's haunted by the crimes and by the man who commited the crimes.

In the present, Tom and his son Jake move to Featherbank to start over again. A year ago, Tom's wife, Jake's mom, died suddenly, leaving two heartbroken souls, two people so much alike, father and son, that they can't even communicate with each other, try as they might. Seven year old Jake is quiet, precocious, sensitive, smart, and thinks his dad may not love him. Tom is hurting and sometimes angry, at the loss of his wife and at being left along to raise a boy that he thinks he can't do justice.

Tom didn't know that when they had moved to this quiet town, that another little boy had been kidnapped in the same manner as the boys of twenty years ago. The kidnapper of old was called the Whisper Man and the police realize that the boy recently kidnapped had heard whispers also. Now Jake is hearing whispers and hearing voices that tell him things that seem linked to the crimes. And Pete is being drawn back into the world of the Whisper Man since he knows so much about the earlier crimes.

I loved the way we had the story told to us from the viewpoint of multiple people and especially loved the viewpoints of Tom, Pete, and Jake. Little Jake is so serious, so grown up, so solemn, a little man in a little boy's body. This book is about people and feelings and relationships, with a very real supernatural feel that stays grounded in reality.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for this ARC.