Book Summary and Reviews of The Whisper Man by Alex North

The Whisper Man by Alex North

The Whisper Man

by Alex North

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Readers' Rating (4):
  • Published:
  • Aug 2019, 368 pages
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About this book

Book 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...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. Talk about the characters, both good and bad. Describe their personalities and motivations. Are they fully developed and emotionally complex? Or are they flat, one-dimensional heroes and villains?
  2. What do you know...and when do you know it? At what point in the book do you begin to piece together what happened?
  3. Good crime writers embed hidden clues in plain sight, slipping them in casually, almost in passing. Did you pick them out, or were you...clueless? Once you've finished the book, go back to locate the clues hidden in plain sight. How skillful was the author in burying them?
  4. Good crime writers also tease us with red-herrings—false clues—to purposely lead readers astray? Does your author try to ...
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Reviews

Media Reviews

"[A] superb thriller...Readers will have a tough time putting down this truly unnerving tale, with its seemingly unexplainable elements and glimpses of broken and dangerous minds." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"North's debut pits nasty men submerged in evil against decent men struggling to do good; several father-son pairs reflect the challenges and darker possibilities of this relationship...A terrifying page-turner with the complexities of fatherhood at its core." - Kirkus Reviews

"First it's spooky. Then it's scary. Then it's terrifying. And then… well, dear reader, proceed at your own risk. An ambitious, deeply satisfying thriller―a seamless blend of Harlan Coben, Stephen King, and Thomas Harris. My flesh is still crawling." - A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window

"The Whisper Man is the most unsettling thriller I have read since Jo Nesbo's The Snowman. Much more than the sum of its parts, it is nightmarish and disturbing and, at the same time, a moving and life-affirming novel about fathers and sons, and grief, loss, and recovery." - Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient

"Beautifully crafted, heart-rending and spine-tinglingly chilling, The Whisper Man is a thrilling tour de force." - Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her Eyes

This information about The Whisper Man was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Sandi

see this story unfold from a number of perspectives...
5 stars Thank you to Edelweiss and Celadon Books for allowing me to read and review this book. Published on August 20, 2019.

I don't often give a book over 4 stars - at the most. It takes an exceptional book to get more than that out of me. This was that book!

I have never read Alex North before - as far as I know. I know he publishes under another name - but not what that name is and all my research says that he wants to keep it that way!! Shoot!!

This book grabbed me early on. I came to understand that it is narrated by a multitude of people - Tom, Jake, Amanda, Pete, the villain. All major characters in the book. I usually don't like that, however it worked well in this book. North was able to guide me to the correct narrator within a few sentences and that allowed me to see this story unfold from a number of perspectives.

This book is a thriller. And as I expect in thrillers, it covers some unsavory issues. It delved just deep enough in it's subject matter, yet not overwhelmingly enough, to prevent me from turning pages. Not everything turned out as I would have liked by the ending. But the journey to get here was suburb!

techeditor

First half is too easy to put down
3 1/2 stars. The first half of THE WHISPER MAN rated 3 stars, the second half 4.

The mystery in this book is good. Tom Kennedy and his young son Jake are learning how best to live since Rebecca, Tom’s wife and Jake’s mother, died. So they decide to move to a house that will not remind them of Rebecca, especially Jake’s memory of his mother body at the bottom of the stairs. It is their move to that particular house that involves them in the mystery of the whisper man.

In the city where Tom and Jake have moved, the whisper man has taken the lives of several young boys. The body of one of the boys killed 20 years ago has never been found.

The whisper man of the 20-year-old crimes has been found and is now in prison. But he seems to have had an accomplice, although he will not say so or indicate who it is. Is this other whisper man now coming for Jake?

Even though this mystery is good, I did not find it spooky, and the first half of THE WHISPER MAN is not thrilling and too easy to put down. Mysteries and thrillers should be unputdownable books.

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Author Information

Alex North

Alex North was born in Leeds, England, where he now lives with his wife and son. He studied philosophy at Leeds University and, prior to becoming a writer, worked in their sociology department.

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