Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Aug 2019
368 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
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...
"[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.
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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