{paperback / 389 pages | publisher: celadon Books}
"If you leave the 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 the glass
If you're lonely, sad, and blue, the whisper man will come for you"
"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..."- Good Reads
I picked this book up because a few of my fave book-tubers, raved about Alex North's books and as soon as I was able to pick this book up from The Works in the 3 for £5 book deal, I grabbed the chance. The Whisper Man is North's debut novel and wow, is it a debut novel.
The Whisper Man hits you with creepy vibes throughout and I loved it. It kick started my little reading slump throughout October. From the spine tingling nursery rhymes to the shocking revelations, this book had me gripped.
North tells the story by jumping from Tom's point of view to the view of Pete Willis, who is the Detective on the Whisper Man case. We hear of the struggles Tom has raising Jake after his mother dies as well as Pete's struggles with his demons to overcome the urge to pick up a bottle and end his sobriety. We read about Collins, a collector of macabre serial killer memorabilia, which sets off all the creep alarms since he is completely obsessed with The Whisper Man and even secondary character Amanda gets to shine.
The novel deals with themes of grief & loss from multiple characters on various levels and the relationships between Father and Son. Showing us that as Tom gets to know his son more and more throughout this new chapter in his life, he becomes more aware of how Jake is very much like Tom and also seeing he shares some traits with the Detective on the case.
I did love the way North gave us a slight hint at maybes something supernatural had been going on with Jake. Throughout the novel, Jake was the only one to see a mysterious girl, who would talk to him. It's revealed as to whom she is at the end but it also asks more questions then answered and I found this aspect of the book quite intriguing, maybes North could have touched up on this a bit more.
It is possible to guess who is behind the murders if you are reading closely but this book is sprinkled with twists throughout. The Whisper Man is an easy read and is quite perfect if your are new to horror/thrillers and want to dip those toes into the waters.
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