The Whisper Man is a brilliantly dark thriller. One sitting and I was done!
Tom Kennedy and his son Jake on moving on with their new lives in a new house after Jakes mom passes away. But is something wrong with the house? Or has the Whisper Man from years ago returned to claim more victims?

Twisty and quite creepy, this one kept me turning pages until late at night. The ending was a bit predictable hence the 4 stars instead of 5.

-Description-
A detective searching for a missing child, a writer's son who's "friends" teach him scary poems about The Whisper Man and the boy in the floor, a convicted murderer who knows something, and the detective who brought him down decades ago....sprinkle in the creep factor!

-Thoughts-
1. Loved the multiple points of view in this book. The characters behind these viewpoints were very realistic and multi-dimensional.
2. The creepy factor was high on this one. I didn't know if I would be into it that....but I totally was!!
3. This book will keep you guessing and turning the pages!!

-Rating-
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I recommend this book

-Similar Recommended Reads-
IT
Verity
I Know Who You Are

Part crime novel, part thriller, the Whisper Man takes readers on a topsy turvy roller coaster ride fraught with emotional suspense. A serial killer known as the whisper man for luring and killing young boys is in prison paying for his crimes when, 25 years later, the murder of another boy wreaks havoc and strikes terror on a small, normally quiet town. The police race to find the killer and his connection to the original whisper man before he kills again.

Alex North’s writing screams excellence in so many ways. This was fast-paced and had a plethora of twists interspersed throughout to make the breakneck speed even faster. There was a supernatural element, as well as the exploration of complicated family dynamics. Nothing is at all what it seems right up to the heart-pounding conclusion. Thriller fans around the world will be cheering for more from Alex North.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Celadon Books and Alex North for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

One of the better crime suspense thriller books that I have read this past year. The story is engrossing and there are a lot of layers. Just when you think you know what’s going on, a new layer is pulled back unveiling something unexpected.

I had high hopes and expectations of this novel after reading so many advance reviews. I am happy to say that they were met. I read this entire book in one day as it was one of the most engrossing thrillers I have read lately. As I was reading about the different characters and the history of The Whisper Man, I just couldn't wait to see how they tied together and how the story would come to a resolution.

The Whisper Man targets boys who seem neglected or unloved. Decades before, the town thought they put the man in prison, where he remains. So how do his crimes keep happening? Is it a copycat? An accomplice?

The veteran cop on the case is Pete. He has a complicated relationship with Tom, a writer who has just moved to town with his son. Tom finds a body related to the Whisper Man's crimes in the garage of the house he an his son live in, which forces he and Pete to interact.

This story was strong on the father/son relationship aspect, as well as the mystery. It even has a romance that is, thank goodness, not at all over-the-top.

If I were to recommend a book to someone who struggles to get into books, The Whisper Man would be top of the list. It would be impossible to not get hooked quickly on it.

Thank you to Celadon Books, NetGalley, and Alex North for allowing me an advanced ecopy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Gripping, frightening, and heartwarming all at the same time. These complex characters interconnect in unexpected ways. There are shocking twists to the story. The pacing is slow at first but necessary. Once the pace picks up it doesn't stop. This thriller is full of suspense and it keeps the reader guessing. This book will stay with you long after you reach the end.

I love when a book can take you into the story and have you holding your breath to see what happens next! The story is set in a small town with a very dark past that seems to be repeating. With young children at risk, the police find themselves working with a serial killer to capture a copycat killer.
Alex North's writing is so smooth, it's almost like he's reading to you. His characters struggle under the same restrictions and circumstances that our neighborhood police experience everyday. The tension is built slowly, layers of urgency keep readers reading well past the "just a few more minutes" until the ending rushes at us. A great read!

Thirllers are a hard genre for me. It’s hard for me to find one that I truly enjoy, and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is I don’t like about them. I think I generally feel like the writing is a little amateur and middle-grade…maybe?! They just don’t challenge me…and I like books that challenge me, make me think, give me a new perspective, etc. (Hello, Literary Fiction!)

So it’s with great trepidation that I ever pick up a thriller. Sometimes I need something lighter and easier to read. (Two things I love about thrillers is that they’re generally very fast reads for me, and they’re great palate cleansers)…anyway, The Whisper Man was a great read within the thriller genre!

While many reviews said this was one of the creepier books they’ve read recently, it wasn’t that scary to me. I kept waiting for that scare factor to come, but it never really did. Also, there were some parts of the story that were introduced but not fully developed and that sort of frustrated me.

Regardless, this was a fun break from some of the more emotionally invested reads I tend to go for.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Alex North for the opportunity to read and review this wonderfully creepy thriller! 5 stars for a great read.

After the death of his wife, Tom Kennedy and his son, Jake, need to start a new life. They move to Featherbank and into a somewhat creepy house that Jake was drawn to right away. Little did they know, 20 years ago a serial killer was loose in the town, kidnapping and murdering little boys, nicknamed The Whisper Man. Then another boy goes missing under similar circumstances and the police review their theory that the murderer who sits in jail may have had an accomplice. Meanwhile, Jake's talk with an imaginary friend have him reciting an old Whisper Man rhyme. Then Jake hears whispers at night. We hear from the police detectives - Amanda, who is investigating the current disappearance, and Pete, who investigated the killings 20 years ago and has been haunted ever since.

This is a fast-paced book - creepy but not gory with a little touch of the supernatural. I loved it - highly recommended!

Sometimes pre-publication hype sets expectations too high, and that's the case for me with this book. I did like it, but it wasn't the 'creepy, intense thriller' that I anticipated.

The pace is a slow burn. We have quite a bit of emotional drama, though it's often repetitious and so I didn't feel a building of intensity. The characters felt stagnant and, consequently, so did I.

For me, this book feels more like a police procedural than a thriller. I figured out the whodunit early on. I kept hoping for something unexpected and chilling to happen, but for the most part it doesn't stray from the formulaic serial killer novel. Terrifying, yes, in the sense that any killer who preys on children is terrifying.

The supernatural aspect isn't fully developed or resolved, though I think this is an intentional tactic to shroud the story in mystery.

Maybe I'm jaded by too many thrillers and too much true crime. The writing is definitely engaging. It's a good story. It's just not the chilling thriller I expected.

I loved this book. It was exciting, interesting, well written and a great mystery. I very much look forward to reading more by Alex North.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You'll want to keep your windows and doors locked while reading this disturbingly creepy book.
It all starts with the disappearance of 6 year old Neil Spencer while walking from his dad's house to his mom's house in Featherbank. The circumstances are eerily like the abductions of several boys from 20 years ago but Frank Carter was caught and remains behind bars. Pete Willis was involved in that past investigation and finds himself drawn to this one, especially after not being able to find Carter's last victim and give his family the closure they needed.
Tom Kennedy and his son Jake are making the move to Featherbank to start a new life in a new town after the sudden death of his wife. He is hoping that a fresh start will help him and his son to heal and move forward. Little does he know that soon their lives will also be swept up by The Whisper Man.
This novel has a high creep factor that will have the hair on the back of your neck prickling. Great characters with believable emotions and connections to each other that you will never see coming.

Police procedurals are hit or miss for me, and this one was a definite hit. It’s so much more than that! The creepy Whisper Man aspect, a look into a father-son relationship, and wtf...is this sensitive child seeing ghosts?!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Although this appears to be a debut, I read that Alex North is a previously published British crime author writing under a pseudonym. Sooo now I’m dying to know who it is so I can read their books.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I found out on Tuesday that The Whisper Man was optioned for film and I can’t wait.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

WOW. This is an first-rate read for so many reasons. It's definitely a horror/suspense story, complete with serial killer, but it's proof you don't have to make it graphic or gory for it to be a great read. Content-wise, there's minimal profanity, no sexual content (not even a sexual element to the serial killer), and no graphic violence or dead-body descriptions. It's an expertly plotted mystery with plenty of twists and intriguing narration from multiple points of view.
The story is told by Tom Kennedy (dad), Jake (kid), killer, and multiple detectives. I love the addition of Jake's perspective, and the question of a supernatural element. In reading an interview with Alex North, he was inspired to write a story that incorporated things kids say some times that they have no business knowing or things that seem rather disturbing. Jake is a kid wise beyond his years, highly intelligent and comes across as a kid you might find in a Stephen King novel. North writes well from every perspective, with the ability to give each character a unique and realistic voice.
Through Tom and Jake, North explores the impact of loss and trauma on family ties, and things grief can do if we let it. North also delves into the complex relationships of fathers and sons, and overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles together. This struggle is worked beautifully into the suspense and mystery without being a distraction to the plot in any way.
I would automatically read anything else written by Alex North. I would HIGHLY recommend this read to fans of Alex Grecian's The Yard series. While this isn't historical fiction, it's the best murder mystery I've read since Grecian's series, and has a lot of the same elements with the multi-POV narration.

The Whisper Man by Alex North is one of the most frightening books I’ve read in awhile. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is original and I loved the characters. I especially loved Jake. Don’t miss this thriller! You will regret it ! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The hype is real people! Once I started, there was no putting this book down.
Its creepy, there’s supernatural vibes and a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.
Tom and his son Jake are grieving the loss of their wife and mother. They move to a new village and into a home that Jake helped pick out. The house is somewhat strange but Tom thinks the house has character.
Little do they know that people call this house “the scary house" and in this town there once was a child killer, currently in prison.
Now another child has been abducted and Jake is hearing whispers in the night...
I would have liked some more gory sinister boogey man info/background on the Whisper Man character.
I really hurt for Detective Pete Willis’ character. His life story was sad and his reason for staying away was selfless if you see the situation thru his point of view. He knew what the consequences would be and he accepted them nobly. I wanted more for him.
I adored Tom and Jake, their love ran deep but their grief blocked them from opening up yet they respected each others space.
Jake is a sensitive child who went through a traumatic experience so his father doesn’t worry too much about his imaginary friend though there is an eerie feel to it, after all, Tom also had an imaginary friend “Mr. Night” comfort him when he was a child or did he?
There’s an “edge of your seat’ palpitation throughout the whole book. You know something is coming, you don’t know what it is!
Now, that ending???
I think I wanted a little bit more but I guess thats the hidden element in these type of stories.
You have to read this book! I highly recommend it. It's a quick read, it goes by fast, probably because I didn't want to set it down.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the advanced ecopy of this book.

Wow! What a thrilling, creepy read. This one kept me at the edge of my seat. Suspenseful with a touch of horror. Really well written. I’ll be looking forward to reading more by Alex North.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

Excellent psychological thriller! It moved at a fast pace with twists and turns throughout! Well-developed characters and plot. Highly recommend!

The Whisper Man by Alex North is full of surprising twists and turns that kept me on my toes the whole time! It was such an enjoyable read! I really liked how this thriller was unpredictable to me. I liked the back and forth between characters and short suspenseful chapters. I read the second half of the book in one day as I just had to find out how it all ends! I can’t wait to read Alex North’s next thriller.