Mark my words this book is going to be a huge hit for this author. This is an exceptional thriller.

I really don't want to discuss the plot because I want everyone to discover this story on their own terms. It's intricate. It's breathtaking. It's heart-pumping. It's shiver inducing. It's everything I could ever ask for in this genre. I started this book yesterday morning and tore through 75% without even realizing it. I was completely riveted to the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishing company for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was disappointed when I couldn't get into this book. While the writing was good it was a little slow for me in parts and a little predictable. While parts creeped me out, for me it didnt live up to what I have heard about it. I felt the characters lacked any depth the plot was just ok.
3 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of book. All opinions are my own.

Alex’s North’s THE WHISPER MAN is a dark, emotional page-turner that captivated me from start to finish. It’s brilliantly written and perfectly plotted; atmospheric with an eerie setting that will give you the creeps.

After the sudden loss of his wife, Tom Kennedy and his seven-year-old son Jake are looking to make a fresh start. Jake has his sights set on an oddly shaped house in Featherbank and persuades his father to purchase it. Tom doesn’t mind because he longs to form a deeper connection with his son since his mother died. But this place has a dark history and Jake has an unhealthy attachment to his new home.

Twenty years ago in Featherbank, a small English town, a serial killer known as The Whisper Man abducted and murdered five children. Detective Inspector Pete Willis worked the case and put the notorious killer behind bars, but was not able to find the remains of his last victim. In present day, six-year-old Neil Spencer goes missing in the same MO as The Whisper Man (AKA Frank Carter), but there is only one problem…he has been in prison the entire time. Detective Amanda Beck calls on retired DI Pete Willis to assist in the investigation. Is it a copycat?

North writes a stellar crime fiction novel that will make your heart skip a beat. We read from multiple perspectives such as Tom, Jake, the detectives, and the killer, SEAMLESSLY. There are no chapter headings and it always blows me away when an author can write such distinct voices and make it look effortless. Whether or not you scare easily, the story will alarm you, but the standout for me is North’s writing and ability to weave so many elements together in a suspenseful tale!

I LOVE a good, creepy book, and yes that deserved all capital letters. This is a book that I read through in one sitting, because once I hopped on the rollercoaster, I could not get off the ride. I had read reviews that stated this book was creepy, but I was not prepared since not that much really scares or creeps me out any more. I would recommend that you read this book in the daylight, because after you read it you will want to keep all the lights on after time to go to bed. This is an excellent debut novel from Alex North, and I cannot wait to read more from this author. Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you love thrillers this is the book for you! Amazingly creepy and it keeps you guessing! Frank Carter, who was aptly named the Whisper man, because he would whisper to his kidnap victims through their windows. Makes me want to make sure my windows are closed at night. Excellent book!

The premise of this book is interesting and somewhat unique, but overall the book is predictable. The story dances along the edge of paranormal, but is a straightforward mystery for the most part. The actual writing is solid, but the characters lacked depth. It was a decent book, but ultimately pretty forgetable.

The Whisper Man by Alex North a mix of thriller and horror is one of those books that captures your attention ins and stays in your mind long after the last page. i Tom Kennedy and his seven-year-old son Jake move to the English small town of Featherbank to start a new life after the sudden death of Tom's wife. It was in Featherbank that, twenty years before, a psychopath had abducted and killed five young boys. Detective Pete Willis did not rest until Frank Carter was arrested and jailed forever for these horrible crimes. Carter was called the Whisper Man because the parents of the victims reported that their children had said that a man was whispering outside their bedroom window before the abductions. Now, after all this time, another boy disappears and his mother mentions that her son had said he heard a man whispering outside the window. Driven by a father/son theme, the story is well paced and the characters have depth I would recommend for those who prefer crime drama with a dash of horror.

This novel is full of twists and turns. It travels to the past and occurs in the present, which works well for the story.
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," because he lured his victims outside by whispering at their windows.

When Tom and Jake finally settle in their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance is just like those from the era of the Whisper Man.

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.

When Jake begins hearing whispers at his window and talking to people who aren't there, is he in danger, too?

I flew through this non stop thriller. Slept with the lights on. Checked on the children multiple times. The whole she-bang. Very creepy, dark, and atmospheric, I immediately texted my friend who loves horror to recommend it.

*audiobook review*
Overall this story was a bore. There was long drawn out areas with a lot of unnecessary added information. As a thriller I expect to be..thrilled.. left wanted to know where the story will lead. Sadly I find this book to be overhyped and not nearly "creepy". It had its potential to become that sinister, creepy novel where you're left keeping the lights on and looking around ever corner.

Unfortunately, this book did not meet my expectations. It was so slow. However, there were some parts that were creeping me out. Overall it was an okay read. I will read future books by this author.

A great mystery with a touch of the supernatural. I was hooked from the very start. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Was just okay and was hard to get into. The whisper man was on the creepy side though. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc.

Too predictable for me for a mystery/thriller. I like to be surprised at least once. It had a creepy vibe which was appreciated, but I overall felt that it wasn't a title I try to convince others to read.

Do Not Read in Bed but Definitely Read it!

Thank you to NetGalley for my digital arc of this standout novel. I have never read a book that has given me the creeps while I enjoy it as much as this has. The story has such a scare and spook factor Alex North is a genius with words. The story surrounds Tom and his son Jake. In the tale
Tom and his young son Jake, move into a sleepy village in search of a new start after the death of Tom's wife. But Tom moves into a place called Featherbank and he moves there because his son picked out a strange house from the internet. Featherbank has a dark past where, fifteen years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five young boys. The killer was finally caught and put behind bars. He is known locally as The Whisper Man. Shortly after Tom and Jake move in another boy goes missing and the whispers begin again. If you are thinking the original Whisper Man…. Frank Carter is the Whisper Man, incarcerated in prison, reveling in his notoriety and reputation, playing mind games with 56-year-old DI Pete Willis, the man who caught him. Despite the emotional cost, Pete has persevered through the years, visiting Carter in prison, in the hope of a clue to where the body of a victim, young Tony Smith, can be recovered so his grieving parents can at least achieve a small measure of peace. I loved that Tom is a struggling writer in this novel and that the fractured relationship with his seven-year-old son makes this even creeper. Tom’s wife Rebecca was the one that was close to Jake and while trying to navigate a new life in a new town just adds to the story.

While Alex North’s Goodreads page states that this is his debut novel his writing style will make fans quickly. Alex North's writing is addictive, hooking the reader immediately, with its themes of fathers and their challenging relationships with their sons, grief, and loss, amidst a background of a child killer running rampant in the town it is a perfect read. There are twists and turns and well-written characters that make this easily a one day read. Five Whispery Stars! I cannot wait to see what his 2020 project is going to be like.

Great book. It had me gripped from the start and I just wanted to know what was going to happen next. This will be a good seller

This book is creepy! It was such a page turner. The whole time we think we are getting closer and closer to finding out who is behind all of the murders, but really each new piece of information leads us into a new, unexpected direction. I truly did not see the twist coming, which is the sign of a great thriller!

Children made up a rhyme about the serial killer The Whisper Man. Though he’s in prison, a young boy’s abduction matches his MO. Young Jake Kennedy, whose father moved them into a new house after his wife’s death, has begun hearing whispers outside his window. Detective Amanda Beck joins original detective on The Whisper Man’s case, Pete Willis. The two storylines come together, but not seamlessly. The supernatural element in Jake’s storyline is not fully explored and somewhat confuses the issue. It feels like a crime thriller trying to be a paranormal horror. All in all, it’s still a good story. I was fortunate to receive this suspenseful tale from the publisher Celadon Books through NetGalley.

I got a sneak peek of the first chapter of this book and I knew I HAD to read it! I was gripped by the title and the cover and the idea of a creepy killer stalking and kidnapping children.

And for the first third of the book, I was totally onboard. But then I feel like the story got a bit off track, trying to weave too many different threads together. The development of the two different (well three really) family relationships was interesting, but didn't quite succeed for me.

I also felt like too much was revealed too soon. I love a thriller that keeps me guessing up until the end and then races around a hairpin turn to the finish. I felt like the story threw everything into the pot to cook then just slopped the mixture into a paper bowl and left the kitchen.

I liked the book ok, I would recommend it to folks who like a story with a little bit of creep factor but not too intense. The story had so much potential, some of the ideas really were great! It just didn't all come together for me. So I liked it, I just I didn't LOVE it.

'If you leave a door half open, you'll hear the whisper 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 your lonely, sad, and blue, the whisper man will come for you.”

The Whisper Man by Alex North is a creepy serial killer/ psychological thriller. Tom Kennedy is a widower with a young son. They move to the small town of Featherbank, hoping for a fresh start. But Featherbank is full of secrets, as Tom is about to find out.

This book switches between first and third person, depending on who the focus is. It made for an interesting difference. Tom is the only one in first person and it makes for a great dynamic with the other characters. Tom is a writer, though he's been stuck since his wife's unexpected death. And he feels inadequate to raising his son alone. Sadly, Jake feels he's a burden to his father. They just don't know how to communicate with one another, and each is still grieving.

Jake is an unusual boy. He talks to an 'imaginary friend', a young girl who often shows when he is stressed. Tom is concerned for his son. Jake tends to be withdrawn and shy. He likes to draw, but his drawings are often bizarre. Then he begins hearing a man's voice…

The initial 'Whisper Man' serial killer case was fascinating to read about. The reason behind the copycat murders of present day threw me for a loop. North has great insight into mechanisms of abnormal psychology. Everything made sense in the end, but the lead up to it was just 'wow'! Same applies with the girl Jake sees, and the revelation of her identity. That was touching, and it also left it open to the possibility of the truly supernatural. Not gonna lie, I thought she was a murder victim.

The family closure Tom found with his own father was touching, as was the redemption his father found for the transgressions of Tom's childhood. I also really loved Pete, the detective who caught the first Whisper Man, and is now assisting on the copycat case. He seems so sad, especially with his ritual with the alcohol. He tests himself, and passes those tests, no matter how hard it is. There was an unexpected death too, that left me asea. Not gonna spoil it, but it was my favourite character. I seem good at picking faves that end up dying… Whyyyyyyy??

***Many thanks to the Netgalley & Celadon Books for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for the Manhattan Book Review.