🦋✋🏻 The Whisper Man ✋🏻🦋 (2019) - Book Review

MY REVIEW

Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: Celadon Books (August 20, 2019)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1250317991

ISBN-13: 978-1250317995

“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...”

Thank you to Celadon Books for providing me an ARC of this book to review. This review is not in any way influenced by the author or publisher. All words and thoughts are my own.

[The Whisper Man (ARC) by Alex North. Also some promotional goodies]

“The Whisper Man” is Alex North’s first suspense/thriller novel. There are some disturbing themes in it.

Set in the UK, “The Whisper Man”, has several alternating points of view (POV) – Tom Kennedy, his son Jake, Detective Inspector (DI) Pete Willis. It even takes a POV of the kidnapper and killer. The story is told over six parts.

The book gets its name from the nickname of a serial child kidnapper/killer called the “Whisper Man” due to the fact he would stalk his victims and whisper at their windows prior to their abduction.

The book begins with the abduction of a child – Neil Spencer, just like the ones some 20 years before. And, DI Willis has some experience there – he was the one who put “The Whisper Man” away, also known as Frank Carter. Spencer volunteers in the search for Neil, to no avail. Willis is also haunted by the fact that the body of one of Carter’s victims was never found. It cost him his marriage and his own child.

The man who haunts and taunts Pete is the one man who can assist the DI. Carter speaks more or less in riddles, but ones that Pete usually figures out or should.

As that is going on, Tom Kennedy (a recent widower) decides that he and his son Jake need a fresh start. Interestingly it is Jake who picks the house in Featherbank after seeing it online. And, Tom hopes that once they move, his son’s imaginary friend (a little girl) will go away. Jake starts off at the new school in the yellow zone with his behavior.

But, weird things begin to happen to Tom – his son talks about a boy in the floor, butterflies, and then there is the strange rhyme. Jakes claims to have learned the rhyme from his imaginary friend:

“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.”

Tom has no idea what it means or how Jake could’ve learned it.

After a near break-in, Tom investigates his garage and makes a gruesome discovery – one that connects with his own past and the past of DI Willis.

Jake starts hearing “whispers”. Tom already feels inadequate as a parent and wonders what, if anything, he can do to right the course. Tom will also have to come to grips with his relationship with his father.

At the heart of this novel, there is an underlying tone of the father-son dynamics and relationships.

I was surprised by Tom’s father as well as who Jake’s imaginary friend turns out to be. The new killer wasn’t much of a surprise. After reading it, it was almost a given as to who it was. It did make sense and kept the story connected.

I found the story line to be a cross between “Silence of the Lambs” with a hint of the Slender Man Urban Legend. This book is terrifying, riveting, and a page-turner. It was an interesting read and managed to keep my attention from beginning to end. It was hard not to want to skip ahead to see the outcome.

For those who enjoyed “Silence of the Lambs” or movies/books of that genre – I would recommend the book. For those triggered by child abductions, child murder, serial killers – I wouldn’t recommend this book.

4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex North. Alex North was born in Leeds, England, where he now lives with his wife and son. The Whisper Man was inspired by North's own little boy, who mentioned one day that he was playing with "the boy in the floor." Alex North is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name.