**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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Having heard so much hype around this book, with both good reviews and bad ones, I had to read it for myself. I generally like forming my own opinions on books, and not only go into a book based off of a review.
So, this is the story of a man, Tom and his son Jake. Tom decides that moving to a new town is the best thing for him and his son, after the death of his wife ten months before. He hopes Featherbank is going to be the perfect place to start their life over, unaware of the history of the town.
Twenty years ago, there was a series of child murders. The man behind them, known as The Whisper Man, because his signature of whispering to the kids through their window, before he kidnaps and murders them. The man behind those murders is behind bars. But now, a new boy has been kidnapped, with the same signature, the whispering. And soon Jake begins to hear it, and sees a face in his bedroom window.
Is also follows the lead detective on the case twenty years ago Pete Willis, and the detective on this new disappearance, Amanda Beck. Willis, still haunted from the past case, and the body that he was never able to find.
Overall, I felt that this story was very well written, and the characters were very realistic, and believable. You felt what they felt. You could feel their struggles and heartaches.
While I don’t believe that this book is as scary or frightening as it was hyped up to be, it was a very good story that had a lot of moments that gave you goosebumps. It kept me guessing, and and wondering who the new Whisper Man, really was. It had a lot of new twists at every turn. It was one of those that you don’t want to put down once you start it, because their is always something happening.
This author really knows how to tell a story that keeps you interested. I am usually pretty good at figuring out who the bad guy a story is, and what is going to happen in the end. But that was not the case with this story. I would get an idea on who the bad guy was, only to be proved wrong. I would definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of stories that keep you guessing, and have some mystery to them. But do not go into it thinking that it is ‘keep you up at night scary’ because that wasn’t my take on it. It was scary in the fact that it was realistic, that some of the things in this book could really happen.
There has been a lot of hype about this book, and maybe I let that build up my expectations, maybe I’ve just read too many similar stories, or maybe it’s just that this one wasn’t for me, but The Whisper Man left me thoroughly underwhelmed. The premise is sufficiently creepy, but the story is dreadfully slow and repetitive. It does pick up a bit in the second half but all too soon, it slows back down. On top of the slow pace, it’s also rather predictable. Again, that may be because I’ve read so many thrillers. There is an interesting touch of the supernatural that I would’ve liked to have seen explored, but we’re just left with hints of that angle. I did finish the book but sat it aside several times, and it was a lot easier to set aside than to pick back up. In the end, I was bored more often than not and found this one severely lacking in the building tension of a good thriller. My opinion of this one is certainly far from the average, but it is what it is. I certainly liked the idea of this book much better than the reality of it. With all the hype and hoopla, it’s darn near impossible to go into this one blind, but that would be my recommendation and hopefully you’ll fall into the large number of readers who enjoyed The Whisper Man more than I did.
5 plus plus
Everything you have heard about The Whisper Man is true !!
You will be looking over your shoulder, checking the doors and making sure all the windows are shut !
You will jump out of your skin if somebody happens to whisper !!!
I won’t give anything away other than to say don’t wait to read The Whisper Man!
This book will stay with me a long long time !
Couldn’t put it down….
I really enjoy creepy thrillers, and The Whisper Man fit the bill.
Pete Willis’s greatest professional triumph is also his personal failure, in that he could never get the serial killer he arrested to tell him where to find the remains of his final victim. Personally, he has come to terms with his past issues and is content. When another boy disappears in the same way, twenty years falls away, and Pete is called in to assist Chief Investigator, Amanda Beck.
Tom Kennedy and his son, Jake, have moved to Featherbank for a new start. Jake’s mother and Tom’s wife had unexpectedly died, and Jake was having a hard time adjusting, while Tom is barely hanging on. When things get stranger, Tom and Pete are on a collision course with their pasts.
Full of secrets, mystery, twists, and creepy and weird occurrences, this debut novel kept me turning the pages. It wasn’t scary enough to keep me up at night, but it definitely gave me the shivers. Told via multiple view points, the plot and storyline are engaging and suspenseful, with a touch of eeriness, perfect for a thriller.
#TheWhisperMan #CeladonBooks #AlexNorth
The scariest monsters are human beings and what we will do to each other. – Jared Harris
This chilling book takes place in Great Britain, the village of Featherbank.
DI Pete Willis was the one who caught the Whisper Man twenty years ago, a human monster who kidnapped and killed children. He never found his last victim and still obsesses over finding him or his remains.
Author Tom Kennedy and his son Jake buy an odd house in Featherbank. They are both still recovering from the death of their wife/mother. Tom is finding it difficult to write and unusual happenings occur around Jake.
Then children start disappearing again even though the Whisper Man is in prison.
This is one creepy book. There was a hint of the supernatural and some seriously sick human monsters.
There were a few surprises and I enjoyed this atmospheric story.
I received this book from MacMillan USA through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
-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
Creepy!
Beautifully crafted, heart-rending and spine-tinglingly chilling, The Whisper Man is a thrilling tour de force.
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.
I stumbled upon this book by accident and had the opportunity to read this story early and I was captivated from the beginning. This thriller is presented to us from different POV’s which I didn’t think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. This was a fast paced story that forever kept me on edge. Mr. North makes it hard for you to do anything else while you are reading/listening to this story. Absolutely a must read/listen for all those who enjoy a good thriller. I can not wait to read more from Mr. North.
The Whisper Man is a debut thriller by Alex North. It is a spine tingling and chilling story that will keep you up at night. The story revolves around a hauntingly twisted game between a Detective Chief Inspector and the psychopathic serial killer he brought to justice.
The Whisper Man has been in jail for twenty years when a boy disappears. Some of the details of the abduction are similar to the crimes of the Whisper Man – but he’s in jail, so the hunt begins again. Can the police find who is doing this? Will they save the boy? Can they stop the monster?
At the same time, Tom Kennedy, a recent widower, is having trouble connecting to his son, Jake. He is trying very hard, but Jake seems distant. Tom feels a move to a new town will give them a fresh start. They arrive in Featherbank just after another child has been abducted. How will this impact Tom and Jake?
I held held my breath at many points in the book. I was unnerved but I read on. I felt shock, fear, revulsion at the hunt for the psychopath. I also felt tenderness as father and son worked to find each other. The twists and turns are well planned and meant to shock, and there are many surprises.
I highly recommend this book. It is well written with very strong characters. There is both darkness and light in this story. It will chill you and at points it will warm you. Thank you you #Netgalley and #Celadonbooks for approving my request for an ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.
I absolutely LOVED this book. I love anything creepy and this book has some serious creep factor.
Ted and Jake move to a new house after a traumatic event and all the creepy menacing things start to happen. Bring in the police, one who has a surprising connection to Ted and Jake, and the horror of past serial killer comes to light.
This book kept me up for two reasons. 1. I didn’t want to stop reading and 2. It scared the bejeezus out of me.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to those who like to read creepy books with a lot of feeling.
I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book.
I’m Not Scared, You’re Scared!
Alex North’s debut is a multi faceted thriller that definitely is top shelf scary but not terrifying. That’s good news because I have Bookish friends that are afraid to read it!
The story is told in well executed alternating narration primarily by Tom and his son Jake who are grieving the loss of their wife and mother. Jake begins to have conversations with a little girl only he can see and she shares information with him that he wouldn’t have any way of obtaining. My only disappointment in this book was the under-development of this “paranormal” sub theme that is a bit lost in the story.
As The Whisper Man seems to have returned to perform his hideous acts on children the story ebbs and flows in all the right places to hold your interest without an overload on the horribly creepy, scary factor that would make it unbelievable.
While all the twists and turns are there to make this a well written thriller it also has a beautifully written element of the father-son relationship woven throughout that is quite touching and conveys a powerful message: The necessity that it be strong and positive as well as the struggle some men experience while trying to build and maintain one. It is rare to find such a strong moral message in a thriller as creepy as this and it added greatly to the story.
Depending on your fear factor The Whisper Man could definitely keep you awake at night, force you to close the windows in 90 degree heat, never leave a door partially open and develop an irrational fear of moths. It’s one of the creepiest thrillers I have read in quite some time and I did have a couple of complete freak out moments.
A big plus is this story is tastefully written with no gorey graphic scenes. Therefore I would recommend it to anyone looking for their next great thriller.
I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily chose to write this review.
I had heard alot about this book in the book clubs online and was really interested in reading it. I was not disapointed this was a really good book. The characters are very well defined and the story kept my attention reminded me of old folklore at the begining with the whisper man then the story progressed and you really got caught up in it. Plenty of twists in this kept me on edge while reading it.!
Twenty years after five young boys disappeared from the small town of Featherbank, another young boy, 6 year old Neil, is kidnapped and murdered. Could the two cases be related? If so, then who is the so-called “Whisper Man” who was convicted of the crimes and remains in jail? Was he innocent of the heinous crimes? Or, is there a copycat on the loose?
“If you leave a door half open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken… If you’re lonely, sad, and blue, the Whisper Man will come for you.”
I’ve seen other reviews call this book “terrifying” so I kept waiting to be scared. But, nope, it never happened. It was definitely creepy (like many other thrillers I’ve read), but it did not keep me awake at night. The short chapters, however, kept me turning the pages, and the small twists throughout kept me engaged. I also enjoyed the complex father/son relationships portrayed throughout the story. I thought the end was a bit cheesy, but overall, it kept me interested throughout, and I would recommend it for those who want a “lighter” horror story.
Location: Featherbank, England
I received an advance copy of this book from BookishFirst. All opinions are my own.
Alex North took me on a roller coaster ride in his debut thriller The Whisper Man! Author Tom Kennedy and his son, Jake, moved to a new house in a new town to help get over the sudden death of Jake’s mother. A young boy disappeared from Jake’s school and is found two months later. Jake has a horrible first day at school and his new teacher already has it out for Jake.
The case of this young boy has similarities to a case from 20 years ago. Frank Carter is in prison for being a serial killer of five boys;however, one of the boys was never found. The detective of the original case Pete Willis has been called in to help Amanda Willis find the boy who has disappeared. Frank Carter is known as The Whisper Man as he whispered at the windows of the boys he took.
Suspense, characters you want to know about, and short chapters kept this reader up at night to read what happened! Looking forward to the next Alex North novel. Thank you Bookishfirst and Celadon Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pete is a police officer who worked on The Whisper Man case 20 years ago. Tom and his son Jack have moved to start fresh after the loss of Jake’s mother.
Little did they know that their lives would be thrown together after another boy goes missing.
Alex North kept me guessing. Every time I thought I knew everything, there would be a total gamechanger. I am glad I got the opportunity to read this early. And when the movie comes through, it better do it does it justice.
This book is the scariest book I have read in a long time. I also have to say it kept me awake reading it until I finished it. I turned around and read it again. This is an amazing read and I hope there is more like this, from Alex North!
This book tells the story within a span of 20 years, from the Detective who worked on a case where a man killed 5 young boys, one never found, to the present day. A young boy has been kidnapped, yet the original killer is in prison. A new detective has been assigned to this kidnapping, however the original detective is still on the force, and he has a bad feeling.
I do not want to say to much, it is better if you approach not knowing too much. Get ready for plot twists, an abundance of angst, and a lot of shocking secrets and facts that are revealed throughout this book. I was surprised by these twists and secrets until the last page.
I gave this book 5 scary stars and can’t wait to read more by this author!
Wow! What an edge of your seat thriller this is. Not my usual go to kind of genre, but a friend recommended that I read it, and I’m so glad I did.
I was hooked right from the beginning with the mystery that unfolded and the intriguing characters that developed nicely on the following pages. I loved the switches from third person to first person, which I rarely find but have enjoyed in the past. To be clear, there was one character’s POV written in first while the others were in third.
The ending was absolutely perfect!