Review: The Whisper Man by Alex North

Title: The Whisper Man

Author: Alex North

Published: August 2019, Celadon Books

Format: ARC Paperback, 368 pages

Source: Publisher

Summary: 

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…

My thoughts:  It’s no surprise that I was drawn to this book. I love dark, creepy books and as soon as I heard about this book, I knew I wanted to read it. I was lucky to snag a copy while I was at BookExpo this past Spring and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to read it. 

Let me just say…this is probably not the best book to read just before bed. While it’s not outright scary, it does having it’s chilling, creepy moments and to me, that is almost more intense sometimes – that’s what gets more under my skin.

This book is brilliantly plotted and it’s really hard to write this review without giving anything away, so forgive me for being vague, but I certainly do not want to ruin anyone’s reading experience at all. I loved how this was not only a mystery to solve, but the book takes a hard look at the challenging relationships that occur between fathers and sons, and also at the grieving process and how it is different for everyone. This book is not only creepy and haunting at times, but will play on your emotions! The characters are so richly developed that you will end up having feelings about them – good or bad, you will feel something about them. 

I loved that the book is told from multiple points of view. I love when we get into different characters’ heads, especially the killer – these are always the most chilling chapters and this time was no exception. What is exceptional about this book is that there is no indication at the beginning of each chapter to let you know who is going to be narrating it, but you quickly realize who it is…this is just brilliant and it is so mind-boggling how distinctive each of the different voices we are privy to. 

There is a lot of hype about this book and all I can say is that I think it definitely lives up to it. Go into the book with your own expectations, but know that it’s a fantastically creepy yet emotional read with just the right amount of suspense and tension to keep you hooked from start to finish.  I can’t recommend this book enough and know that I will definitely be pushing this on all my thriller-loving friends!