Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of The Whisper Man.

I'm a big fan of police procedurals starring a serial killer so The Whisper Man was right up my alley.

The premise is straight forward; a young boy is kidnapped and the disappearance bears a disturbing similarity to a spate of disappearances from two decades ago that a famous serial killer named Frank Carter is now serving time in prison for.

When detective Pete Willis is brought into the current investigation, he is brought face to face with his past and the need to make amends.

At the same time, a father and author, Tom Kennedy, has moved with his young son, Jake, to a new town, hoping for a fresh start after the untimely death of his beloved wife, Rebecca.

Jake is emotionally sensitive, creative and introspective and father and son have a difficult time adjusting to their new life without Rebecca.

When Tom and Jake are pulled into the case, it will take Tom's courage to protect his son and a shocking sacrifice some readers won't see coming.

The Whisper Man isn't really a mystery or a thriller, per se.

Yes, it's about a serial killer and his horrific crimes but it's really about the relationships between fathers and sons; the relationships between Tom and Jake, Peter and his newly discovered son, and Frank and his twisted offspring. There are lots of Freudian daddy issues here.

My main issue is that the story wasn't suspenseful or thrilling; the writing was good but not exciting.

The identity of the bad guy isn't a shock and I hated how the serial killer, Frank Carter, was portrayed. I find it extremely difficult to believe scum like him would be revered in prison. Child killers are notoriously reviled in prison, right next to pedophiles.

There's not enough backstory for Pete Willis, a cliche, troubled detective who lost his family due to alcoholism but has completely changed his life.

Still, he is haunted by the terrible things he has done to the only woman he has ever loved.

I liked Jake's portrayal of a very sensitive young boy whose father is struggling to understand him, protect him, yet wish he was just normal so he could make friends and get along with people; thoughts we could all empathize with.

I did like Jake's interactions with his imaginary friend and who the identity of this friend turns out to be.

Overall, I liked the main characters, Pete and Tom and Jake, but I was hoping for more of a mystery, police procedural type of story.

Review#42. THE WHISPER MAN by Alex North,debut novel, reviewing for Netgalley. If you leave a door open, soon you'll hear the whispers spoken.
After the death of his wife, author Tom and his 7 year old son Jake decide to move to make a fresh start. Unfortunately the village of Featherbank has a shady past with little boys disappearing and later turning up dead....and ghosts? Excellent book and hands down the best Ive read lately. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Five stars

Creepy and just enough off-kilter to keep me turning pages until I finished at 4 a.m.

What I loved... the questions that kept arising to push me on for the answers. Who is the new Whisper Man? What connection does he have to the original serial killer? How are the grieving widower and his young son involved?

I could feel the loneliness and frustrations of the father as he tries to adjust to this new life months after the death of his wife. His floundering and inadequacies dealing with a young son and his grief were heartwrenching.

The parallel story of the recently kidnapped boy and the PD's efforts to find him made me wonder how the two stories would connect. Eventually... Oh, how they connected!

The element of a hint of supernatural added to the creep factor. Delicious.

What I didn't love... The father's angst over his parental inadequacies compared to that of the now-dead mother, and his continual anguish/anger while trying to communicate with his son, just made me tired after a while. It began to feel like a constant headbanging against the wall. Too drawn out and overwrought. The man was fairly intelligent; take some action, for crying out loud! Then I had to take a step back and understand that coping with life during a period of deep grief causes one to sometimes take faulty missteps. Or several of them. Nevertheless, I had to end up skipping over these parts, which brought my rating down to 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4.

If not for the "What I didn't love..." this would have been an incredible read for me. Kudos to the author for keeping me up until the wee hours because I had to finish it. Had. To. Finish.

Bottom line: a story with heart and heartbreak that spanned generations and wove them together intricately. Highly recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Gotta love a book that I can envision as a movie or made for tv. The Whisper Man is an ARC I received from NetGalley for a free review. I must say that it was scary enough for me to put down at night but intriguing enough for me to rush to read during daylight hours. Twenty years ago a serial child killer was captured and placed behind bars. All of the bodies were found except one. That one missing body has hounded Pete a police detective who continues searching for the body. Cut to Jake, a young boy who sees and hears things that worries his father immensely. The lives of Pete, Jake and his father Tom intertwine as a result oh these whispers and imaginary friends. The writing style was good, and the story flowed smoothlessly. The author had me rooting for the three main characters. Even though the ending for one of the characters was disappointing, I loved the ending. You need to read to the very end. Highly recommended this book.

OMG, this has got to be one of the creepiest books that I have read in a very long time! I suggest you read it during the day with all the lights on!

My thanks to Netgalley and Celadon Books for this advanced readers copy. This book is set to release in August 2019.

So, normally I’m not a huge fan of books that involve crimes against children, but the blurb for this one grabbed my attention and I had to give it a shot. This one kept my nerves on edge until the very last page, and was a nail biter at times.

I don’t actually know how to describe this without giving away spoilers, but will say that the characters and plot hold up, the whodunnit isn’t always who you think.

I’m hoping for more books about certain characters, there are definitely more adventures to be told, hopefully next time I won’t want to leave all the lights on...

If you like creepy dark serial killer novels then this one is for you! Wow this was a quick hard to put down read that I loved from cover to cover! One of the best I have read in a while. Alex North has really done an amazing job on his debut novel and I am so excited to have had the opportunity to read and review it. I can't wait for another book from this author. Thank you Netgalley and Celadon books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!😁

The Whisper Man is a first-rate multiple POV crime thriller. I was reading this novel over Father’s Day weekend which ended up being the perfect time as it touches on several child-father relationship issues (physical and emotional estrangement, alcoholic fathers, abusive fathers, fathers and sons dealing with bereavement, etc.) Most thrillers rely solely on twists and turns to keep readers engaged, but North’s dives into the deeper waters of father-son dynamics makes his debut a cut above the rest.

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for fair review.

Whew! What a page turner, and all from a debut author. I wish the publisher could push this book out sooner as it would be the hit of the summer. It is bound to grant the mesmerized reader a good deal of sleepless nights while glued to the pages. The pacing is spot on and the characters drawn perfectly. There were so many human emotions tied within the suspense novel, from grief, father love, anger, fear , feelings of worthlessness and the immense sadness of a little boy who is different from the others.
The Whisper man used to whisper to children outside their bedroom window and lure them away, with resultant deaths, but he is now in jail. However, 20 years later, it appears that it is happening again. How can that be? The police have their work cut out for them and a desperate father tries to protect his son.
Go for this wicked ride and enjoy!

The Whisper Man was a dark, creepy and suspenseful thriller that had me on edge the entire time I was reading. I was shocked that this was North's debut based on how well-written the book is. North excelled at creating suspenseful tension that gave me chills. While I thought I had the major twist figured out, I was pleasantly surprised when I had it all wrong. The twists and turns continued throughout the book and while they were shocking, they were also believable in the context of the story. The detective who can't let an old case go is somewhat cliche but Pete's character and storyline made him unique in comparison to similar characters in other thrillers I have read.

The characters in The Whisper Man were well-crafted and I would have enjoyed even more backstory. And the ending was understated, which made it even more chilling to read. I can't wait to see what Alex North will do next!

Fast paced and engaging police procedural. I binge read it in about 24 hours...it definitely qualifies as unputdownable. If you enjoyed The Silent Patient, I am pretty sure you will enjoy this one as well.

I tend to really like stories with flawed protagonists that are fighting their own personal demons and this theme definitely shows up in the lives of both Pete Willis and Tom Kennedy. It really made for characters I could identify and empathize with and made the book that much more engaging for me.

The plot moves fast and has several twists and non obvious twists, turns and surprising moments.

Highly recommended and I look forward to more books from Alex North in the future.

This book was freaky! It’s a parents worst nightmare to have their child taken and not know if you’ll ever see them again. As a police officer I’m sure it’s also one of the worst things they have to deal with. The sense of panic and fear in this book was palpable and it was neat to see the procedural side of things. The whisper man whispers to his victims and wins them to his side. When they’re found and the horrors inflicted on them come to light the city is relieved to have found the killer. Twenty years later, the killer still behind bars, the killings begin again... It becomes a race against time to save his latest victim and it’s the child’s sensitivity that gives them the biggest clue to who it is. The ending left me gasping. It did not end how I was expecting but it made total sense at the same time. That last scene was horrifying and yet gratifying at the same time. What an amazing debut. I’m looking forward to more down the line.

Fabulous debut! This book really covered the gamut of all the really good stuff: creepy vibe, grief, loss, heartbreak, family dynamics, police procedure, prison life, sick and disgusting "hobbies", murder, kidnapping - did I mention the creepy vibe?? Seriously. it's really, really creepy. And it was a page turner, not just because of the great story line, but also the quick chapters and changing narrators (which normally really bother me) kept the pace up and the different perspectives kept me on my toes. And while there is child harming the author never goes into details, which I really appreciated. So glad to have read this.

Eerie and suspenseful at times, this clever thriller gets to the heart of multi-generational abuse and the tragedy it can wreak on the future. Jake Kennedy and his widowed father Tom are the main characters of the story and I felt their pain at their loss of a mother and wife from an unexpected heart attack. Somehow the author is able to weave the deceased Rebecca into the story. At times, especially the beginning, the story seemed to drag but once you got past the first quarter of the book it seemed to get its own rhythm and the remainder flew by. The plot wants us to focus on the tragic kidnapping and murder of little boys by a nasty villain but there are so many characters the crimes seem secondary at times. Too many once dimensional characters that could have been left out of the book completely, in my opinion. however, I loved the creepiness and the way Alex North is able to make you feel very frightened indeed of the Whisper Man.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

A gripping psychological thriller that will make a scared to death to leave your door or window open and to be lonely!! The story doesn’t end until the very last page!

Psst…I have a secret to tell you. Come a little closer and I’ll tell you.

I first heard about Whisper Man back in January after reading The Silent Patient (a favorite of mine). It’s the type of book that gives you chills just reading the synopsis. I knew immediately that this was something I wanted to read. With a late August release, I was waiting as patiently as possible to read, and then darn Dennis and Jamie came along and threw everything out of whack with their dual 5-star recommendations. Darn you FOMO!!! I dropped everything in desperate need of a 5-star read. Immediately I was pulled into what is now one of my favorite reads of 2019.

This is a brilliant, chilling and edge-of-your seat debut, that will no doubt get under your skin. I know many of you are curious about scare factor and whether or not you can handle the story. Let’s just say that I think this is a book that will appeal to a very large audience. Take a deep breath and dive in. Just be sure to leave a nightlight on.

<b><I>ARC PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW</b></i>

Tom and his young son, Jake, have just moved to a new house in a small village, a place where, 20 years ago, five little boys were kidnapped and subsequently murdered. The murderer, nicknamed <i> The Whisper Man </i> for his penchant for whispering to his intended victims has since been caught, and is in jail.

But when a young boy named Neil disappears and is found murdered two months later, it is evident that there is a new Whisper Man lurking around.

DI Pete Willis has always been haunted by the case, and the fact that he has never been able to find the body of the last victim. When the latest victim is found, he is determined to find a way to stop him.

Shortly after Neil disappears, Jake begins hearing whispers. And when Tom discovers the body of the fifth victim from all those years ago, things take a sinister turn and the mystery begins to unravel.

This was both a mystery, as well as a story of redemption, forgiveness and reconcilitation. For this reason, I really ended up enjoying the book despite it having a slightly slow start in the beginning. I don't want to go into too much detail for fear of giving away too much, but I definitely recommend this book to mystery lovers.

Actual rating: A strong 4.5

Thanks very much to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for providing me with this eARC in an exchange for an honest review.

Finally, another great thriller! I’m extremely picky, and admittedly über critical when it comes to this genre, but this one really surprised me!

I very much liked the fact that it was a slow burn. Each little plot development and twist was teased along well, and nothing was given away too early. I find it refreshing when a mystery/thriller plays its cards close to the chest— it builds much needed suspense, and gives time to permit layers of story and an overall foreboding atmosphere.

While I had a main, running theory, it didn’t pan out (which I’m actually happy about), but one of my smaller theories did turn out to be true (Although, nearing the end, I had almost forgotten all about my suspicions). So, the twists and turns still had the desired effect on me.

I liked Jake as a character. To be honest, I usually find the children in these types of stories annoying as all hell, but Jake was a breath of fresh air— quietly intelligent, not overly-emotional, and pragmatic (except, maybe he sounded at times a bit too wise for his years). I shockingly enjoyed all the characters, in fact! DI Beck was fairly standard; she lacked the depth provided for the other POV’s, but was still a quality character. Tom’s type is the kind I find grating in most cases, but his position as a single father—a broken man, struggling with raising a child amidst all this trauma— was so well done. Karen, for her part, was pretty groovy. And Pete, though he had many of the familiar trappings of a detective in a crime story, managed to come off as super redeeming and interesting.

I was a little thrown off by the switching between third person and first person in the different POV’s. Even though I managed to get over it fairly quickly, I wish the author had stuck with one or the other, but for stylistic reasons, I can understand.

Some other various observations:
•Even though I knew 100% what was coming, the end of Part One still gave me chills (and that doesn’t really ever happen!). And while the chill factor dissipated a bit as the book went on, I still appreciated the building of an eerie tone.
•I was hoping for just a liiiiiiitle more action/developments halfway through.
•There was a particular description used to describe this feeling of unease that worked so well: “...like a bird that didn’t have anywhere to land.”

Police Detective Pete Willis had investigated and solved the case of the abduction and murders of five young boys twenty years ago. But now, another young boy is missing and the circumstances are similar to the old case.

The victims had all heard whisperings from the killer who was dubbed The Whisper Man. Now the police begin to wonder if there had been an accomplice.

A race against time begins before the gruesome case repeats itself and Pete Willis finds that this time his investigation is personal.

Alex North’s novel is a first rate thriller that that is impossible to put down! It’s disturbing, scary, and it will keep you guessing until the very end. Well written with characters that you care about, it is also a story about loss, grief, reconciliation, and the bonds between fathers and sons. If you enjoy suspense don’t pass this book up!

Thank you to author Alex North, Celadon Books, and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this outstanding thriller!

I enjoyed this book for the most part. I did find I the plot predictable and the characters shallow and often just irritating. The use of “cuddle” just made me cringe every time I read it. Overall a solid three star rating. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read for a fair review.