coolreads# The Whisper Man @definitelybooks

The Whisper Man
Author: Alex North
Publisher: Celadon Books
ISBN: 9781250801685

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 British town.

After the sudden death of his wife, Rebecca, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son, Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, and a new town called Featherbank.

Unfortunately, the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five children. 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.

Jake is a bright but isolated child who has relied heavily on an imaginary friend and a ‘Packet of Special Things’ - his collection of personal items - for comfort since he came home from school one day to find his mother's lifeless body at the foot of the stairs.

This move to a new house is meant to be a much-needed change for the grieving and bewildered father and son, but from the start, nothing goes right.

Meanwhile, just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, another young boy disappears. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Carter’s crimes, reigniting old rumours that he’d preyed with an accomplice. 

And on Jake's first day at his new school, the other children draw him into discussion about the missing boy and The Whisper Man who took him and this gets Jake into trouble.

DI Amanda Beck heads the new investigation into the missing boy, but DI Pete Willis ( the investigator in the original Whisper Man case) is brought in to help. Beck and Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit the Whisper Man in prison. And then Jake begins to act strangely. He, too, hears whispers at his window.

The story is told through different character viewpoints, including that of the Whisper Man. His narrative, which pops up frequently, makes your skin crawl. The villains of this book are repulsive, menacing, and downright blood-curdling.

The Whisper Man is Alex North’s debut thriller and it is deftly crafted, offering readers a compelling and riveting read, where the author pits nasty men submerged in evil against decent men struggling to do good; where several father-son pairs reflect the challenges of their relationship. A terrifying page-turner with the complexities of fatherhood at its core.