**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** “WORKS BEAUTIFULLY… If you like being terrified, The Whisper Man has your name on it.” –The New York Times, Editor’s Pick “SUPERB” –Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review “BRILLIANT… will satisfy readers of Thomas Harris and Stephen King.” –Booklist, Starred Review “POIGNANT AND TERRIFYING” –Entertainment Weekly In this dark, suspenseful … Starred Review
“POIGNANT AND TERRIFYING”
—Entertainment Weekly
In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.
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…
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Told from multiple POV’s, The Whisper Man is an attention grabber that makes for a quick read!
When Jake’s mom Rebecca passes away suddenly, everything in his young life changes. His dad Tom, a writer, decides to make a clean break and move to a new house so they both can get a fresh start. Jake has always been the creative type and a bit introverted. When Tom discovers him talking to an imaginary friend and then reciting some creepy poetry lines about the Whisper Man, he begins to worry. To make matters worse, the kids at school tell Jake he has taken the seat of a boy who went missing and is presumed dead. Strange things begin to happen in their new home and Tom fears for their safety. Who is the Whisper Man and what does he want?
I really liked the structure of this book. Told in short chapters by multiple narrators, the story quickly pulls the reader into the story. From early on, the reader gets the sense that Jake is going to be kidnapped, so one reads on wondering if, when, and how such an event is going to take place.
This book had a few genuinely creepy moments and two unexpected twists which I liked.
Very well done and looking forward to reading this author’s next release soon!
Creeeepy, atmospheric, and a page-turner for sure.
Tom Kennedy and his son Jake move to Featherbank hoping for a fresh start. Tom is now a single dad, and Jake is learning to adjust to life without his mum. But for Jake, the adjustment doesn’t come as easy. He’s having difficulty at his new school, he’s often seen talking to “imaginary friends”, and often suffers from nightmares.
Meanwhile, a local boy goes missing, and inspectors Amanda Beck and Pete Willis are desperately looking for him and his abductor before another boy goes missing. Pete visits Frank Carter, aka, “The Whisper Man” a serial killer currently serving time in prison for abducting and killing small boys. Pete can’t help but wonder if they’re connected, perhaps a copy-cat, or maybe someone continuing on Carter’s work.
Okay, so funny story… I actually purchased two different copies of this book, the Kindle version, and the hardcover version. All the while, I completely forget I had placed the audiobook on hold through my local digital library when it was first released. Hey, don’t laugh, we’ve all been there right? So, I had every intention of reading this novel as one of my 2020 Must-Read books for the year, so, when my audiobook hold became available through Libby, I thought, what the heck, I’ll just go ahead and listen to it. Bear with me… I’m getting to the point. Now, I will often listen to a book while simultaneously reading the novel. That is, if I own a copy of the novel. I often do this because I suffer from dry eye and for some reason this puts less of a strain on my eyes. When doing this with this particular novel, well, let me tell you, it was completely jarring. The audiobook differs greatly from both the Kindle and the Hardcover version. Now, my hardcover version and Kindle version are the same. The audio version I found would completely omit sentences or phrases altogether, or often words would be changed. For example, the use of “amber” in the audio, verses “yellow” in the Kindle and Hardcover versions. The reason I feel compelled to mention this is because I feel this had a great impact on my view of the novel. I was so distracted. I think if I had just read the novel myself, then perhaps I would have truly enjoyed it for what it was.
In addition, the narrator of the audiobook was so dry. He lacked inflection, there was no tone change when speaking between various characters. The dialogue was delivered just very matter-of-fact. It’s as if he was simply reading a story verses telling a story. So for that, I cannot recommend the audio version.
I guess, in the end, I enjoyed this one, but I wanted to enjoy it more.
One of the most meticulously crafted mysteries I’ve read–finely drawn characters and lovely writing.
After losing his wife, Tom Kennedy and his young son, move to a new town to start a fresh chapter in their life. But to truly move forward, Tom must reconcile his past loss along with the strange coincidences that arise. When a local boy’s disappearance bears the tell-tale signs of the Whisper Man, all indications point toward a certain direction, yet the answers aren’t easy to find.
“The truth of something can be in the feeling of it as much as the fact.”
From the beginning, the complex characters and eerie tone captured my attention. In addition to Tom and Jake, the narrative follows Detective Inspector Pete Willis as he tries to find the missing boy and close a longstanding case. With Pete’s personal struggles coupled with the occurrences Tom and Jake encounter, the plot unfolds with unexpected twists.
“How long does it take, and how much does a person have to change, before the person you hated is gone, replaced by someone new?”
For me, this book was the perfect combination of a creepy crime thriller with deep character development. By delving into the untold emotions of these characters, it only served to further strengthen my connection to them. Each has their own unique traits but all together they elevated and completed the plot. Lastly, I liked how the perspective shifts to allow character empathy but also view the investigation as an outsider.
The Whisper Man is page-turner of a police investigative thriller. Just remember to lock the doors and latch the windows while reading.
I just finished listening to the audiobook. Before I start my review and give my thoughts. I do know that this book has many mixed reviews. But I still wanted to try this book out. I also went in not knowing to much about it. All I knew it is a mystery/ thriller. The narrator does amazing job. The creepy little voices the narrator had me wandering if those voices were my kids. Alex does a good job with the characters and I enjoyed the writing. I do recommend this audiobook.
About Book-
Tom and his young son Jake moved into a new house and new area. Shorty after Tom wife has passed away. Tom and Jake have a not so good relationship since the death of wife and mother. Jake would always go to his mother if he needed anything. Now that it’s just the two of them. Jake now has a new imaginary friend that he talks to. Jake also hears whispers from a man. When they move into their new home Tom doesn’t realize the past this house holds. And the connection his son has with the house.
Mystery | Thriller | Suspense
The Whisper Man by Alex North is a fantastic debut from the author, and I cannot wait to read his next novel which releases in July. This book is dark, chilling, and has a hint of the paranormal. There were moments when I was getting nervous because some of the scenes in the book are very creepy, but also moments that I wanted the story to just “get on with it”. I think that’s the biggest drawback for this book: how slowly everything comes to fruition. No matter what though this is a solid read and is going to be the perfect book for those who like creepy thrillers!
The title is scary right? When I first saw this book, I thought to myself “woah, this is going to be a horror novel that will chill me to the bones.” However, it’s NOT horror, but is instead, an insidious murder mystery the involves a serial killer who goes after children by whispering to them through their bedroom windows **shivers**. This whisper man was caught and what ensues is a cat and mouse game between detectives, a local father whose son goes missing, and a copycat killer. This book is told in dual point of views through these characters, and (as I mentioned above) has a tiny bit of paranormal thrown throughout. While I wish the paranormal element was discussed more towards the end (I understood it but wanted a little bit more in terms of where it went after the final throwdown), I found it to add an element of surprise and satisfaction to an already creepy story. Ohhh it was just so good!
With a few minor issues (for me as a reader), this is a piece of fiction gold! I’m truly shocked that this is the authors debut novel because it’s written so well! One would think that the author had multiple books under his name because of how GOOD this one is written!
In any event, I truly enjoyed this one and am so excited to see what Alex North brings to his readers next! I have a feeling his books will be on my auto buy list in the coming future! Highly recommended!
Tom Kennedy and his son Jake needed to escape their tragic past. A move to a new town should have been the fresh start that could heal their souls. But when a new crime surfaced with an eerie resemblance of the work of a notorious killer from twenty years ago, the father and son inexplicably got pulled into the vortex. Now, they must learn to trust each other and their own senses to survive.
Pete had been held in orbit by this missing little boy for so long, his whole life circling the mystery of his whereabouts. But now that center of gravity was gone and his trajectory felt unaltered. You search for something, and you find it, and there you are still.
I love it when a book could surprise me and this one was one of the few that succeeded in focusing my attention elsewhere. I enjoyed the storyline with the ominous vibe and especially loved the characteristics of the villains and the dilemmas faced by both sides. The multi-generational family issue added depth into the storyline and emotional connections that tied it all up nicely.
The Whisper Man is a story of finding oneself. It would appeal to readers who enjoy a thriller with a tinge of horror.
One of, if not my top book of 2019! Absolutely fabulous, the writing is gripping and the story filled with tension and terror. So looking forward to more from Alex North. Can’t recommend this one enough!
Scary opening. Flat middle. Quick ending.
I don’t generally read crime fiction but I took a chance on The Whisper Man because it came highly recommended. Without giving away too much, it combines elements of The Sixth Sense and The Silence of the Lambs, throws in a young boy and his father, and then puts them dead centre of every parent’s worst nightmare.
Did I enjoy it?
Essentially, yes. The opening 25% (Yes, I read ebooks) was genuinely chilling, to the point that I wondered if I’d be better reading it at day rather than last thing at night.
The last 15% or so is also an incredibly quick read as everything comes to a head.
But the middle section felt flat. Maybe it was because the opening and ending were so good, but the story seemed to lose its way. There were too many points-of-view and one co-incidence too many. All of a sudden there were a host of characters and revelations. The big reveals about the parents (and grandparent) I found a little hard to accept e.g. who they are and where they lived. The identity of the son’s imaginary friend was a nice touch and his supernatural abilities were explained at the end. But, initially, I couldn’t work out if this book was a creepy crime thriller or whether there was something more unreal to it.
That said, the author gets a lot into a relatively short space and does it well. (Bear in mind I’m not a regular reader of this genre so am not aware of the tropes and cliches.) There are copycat killings, complex family relationships that have a myriad of consequences (both good and evil), regret and hopes, and some implied moments of horror that happen ‘off-screen’ that are gruesome to imagine. All in all – worth it.
Just make sure you lock your doors and windows at night while you read it. Especially if you have kids.
This story was so exceptionally creepy and FANTASTIC! This genre of books suspense/thrillers are my absolute favorite type, and I can’t get enough of them! This was the epitome of un-put-downable, page turner! This was the authors debut book, and you certainly couldn’t tell it from the amazing writing style, depth of characters and the way the story draws you in from page one. I stayed up way past my bedtime for this one, I just couldn’t get enough. My friends and I still talk about the much love we have for this and recommend to others all the time. If your looking for your next thriller do yourself a favor an look no further, grab this one today you won’t be sorry in the least. I wish I could give more than a 5 star rating.
What a debut book! This was a BOTM selection and I’m so glad I chose it.
Tom and his 7 year old son, Jake, move to Featherbank to escape the sadness of their previous house after Tom’s wife (Jake’s mom) passes away suddenly. Several years earlier, a young boy was kidnapped in Featherbank by the Whisper Man, who whispers outside the home of the victim to lure them out. The Whisper Man is caught and in jail serving his sentence.
Shortly after Tom and Jake move there, another young boy is abducted. Did The Whisper Man have an accomplice or is this a copycat? Detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis are investigating the newest abduction but Pete is still haunted by an earlier case involving The Whisper Man because one of the boys’ bodies has never been found.
And then Jake starts talking to an imaginary friend who tells him a poem about The Whisper Man and then Jake starts hearing whispering outside his window…..
I loved all the twist and turns of this book. It kept me shocked…. but the ending, the last 30 pages of the book were slows and lackluster.
Disjointed, confusing, underwhelming and disappointing. Detectives searching for a missing boy, a father whose young son has an imaginary friend and hears whispers. Just couldn’t appreciate this one.
What a story! I was terrified reading it. Hope he writes anther book
This was a great read! It was creepy, inventive and kept me turning the pages. Thoroughly enjoyable in a nerve-wracking way, and totally recommended if you enjoy Stephen King, Thomas Harris, Prime Suspect etc.
Excellent writing. Reminds me of Silence of the Lambs in intensity. Can’t read this one too close to bedtime, it’s that scary.
After the death of his wife, Tom Kennedy and his son Jake move to a new town. Unknowingly to Tom there was a serial killer 20 years ago the town coined The Whisper Man.
I enjoy a good psychological thriller and this book was it! I could not put this book down! Some parts creepy but so good, it is a page turner with well developed characters and has a big omg moment!
The rhyme is just as creepy and will stay with me as I look at my door!
‘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.’
Fizzles our half way through with too much fantasy. 700 pages – too long
This thriller is Alex North’s debut and what a debut it is! This is a book that will draw you in and hold you on the edge of your seat until the end! Featherbank is where Tom Kennedy moves with his son for a fresh start after the death of his wife. But Featherbank has a past- a past with a serial killer. Now a young boy has disappeared and the past is threatening the future. Beware of the Whisper Man!
Great read from down under………