Sometimes I start reading a book and everything around me disappears and I am totally engrossed in the story. The Whisper Man by Alex North was one of these books.
After the sudden death of his wife, Tom and his seven year old son Jake buy a house and make a new start in the village of Featherbank. Everything is difficult from the start as Jake finds it hard to settle down at school and is frightened at home because he hears whispering outside his window.
This book was seriously creepy and I found the tension building in the story a little frightening, I just could put this book down.
This is a debut novel and I can't wait for the next book by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

A creepy read, definitely not for bedtime reading! The story unwinds at a perfect pace with lots of little twists and great characters.

This should have been released around Halloween because it was so creepy. Lots of layers and twists that i enjoyed and i loved the complex relationship between father and son. This deserves to be a huge success, it's so well written.

If it is possible to read a book through your fingers or whilst hiding behind the sofa, then this is the book that will drive you to it. A few times I did wonder if it was all too scary for me but I was brave and carried on! I don't want to disclose anything as that would spoil the story which is an edge of your seat, murder thriller. Great stuff!

I know this gets said a lot in reviews and it is a huge cliché but I couldn’t stop reading this book! I started reading at 6pm and it is now 6am so it kept me going right through the night so enraptured that I didn’t even notice the night slipping away. I don’t get spooked easily but tonight I was glad of the company of my massive hound dog and I’m pretty sure if I had heard my letterbox rattling I might well gained more grey hairs than I already have!

I’ve not read such a genuinely chilling book like this for a long time, there are so many elements its hard to know where to begin. There is definitely a touch of the supernatural added to the mix of sadistic serial killer but so real that it was those bits that had me reading with the lights on!

The only comparisons I can make are Silence of the Lambs crossed with The Sixth Sense and Nightmare on Elm Street all combined but so so much better!

‘If you leave a 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 at the glass. If you’re lonely, sad and blue, the Whisper Man will come for you.’

That was what brought back memories of my childhood, watching Nightmare on Elm Street for the first time and hearing that Freddy Krueger rhyme – ‘One Two Freddie’s coming for you’ and the chills that caused and this one did the same, except now I am considerably a lot older!

Jake is 100% the star of the show, his character is brilliantly portrayed and you cant help but feel for the poor lad, and then there is ‘The Whisper Man’ an abhorrent fascinating character that is all to real, as is the notoriety that these killers receive.

This is an outstanding debut novel of the highest order, a psychological thriller that is in a league of its own that will truly chill you to the bone.

A book that you seriously don’t want to miss this! #TheWhisperMan

The Whisper Man will be published on 13 June 2019

Huge thanks to the author Alex North, publishers Penguin UK – Michael Joseph and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and independent review.

https://debbiesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2019/01/16/the-whisper-man-by-alex-north/

Not many books scare me, but this one had me wanting to keep the light firmly on whilst reading before bed! I loved it!

The whole concept of ‘The Whisper Man’ and his notoriety both gripped me and disturbed me - who wouldn’t be freaked out by hearing someone whisper through your letterbox? The fact that his prey were children makes it even more chilling.

The characters were well-written - particularly Jake, who is completely endearing. I also think that the father/son relationship after bereavement was sensitively handled, but also reflected the difficulties that may arise from that situation.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the author’s next offering.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin UK for this advanced copy.

This book was a good one as a thriller. Good writing, suspense building, twists and the end. Overall a solid thriller.
But, if you're a sensitive reader like me, there are uncomfortable contents like child abuse. It wasn't an easy read. So, you can decide for yourself. If you're OK with reading any content, I'd recommend it.

Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for granting a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit it was very difficult to read as it's related to child abuse and if you're not comfortable better steer away. But if you like reading those sort of subjects, plot and writing is good, and the tension doesn't drop until the end.
As I say, if you're not a sensitive reader of crime thrillers, you will enjoy, but I find it very difficult to read and skimmed some parts of it as the subject made me very uncomfortable.

If you enjoy reading a book where a predator plans, watches and attacks/abuses children..well I don't and I found this an uncomfortable read from the start. I've read books about missing and abused adults and children but this one seemed to revel in it a bit too much for my liking. I read half way through and then stopped. I gave it a good attempt but this is so not my kind of read.

I realised this was going to be creepy and dark and those bits were good, but we kept coming back to the darker themes and lingering. Maybe the ending would have changed my opinion and if I'd read on. But sorry, I couldn't do it.

Very uncomfortable reading.

“The Whisper Man” by Alex North is a fantastic psychological thriller which I enjoyed immensely. The writing was clear, descriptive and very creepy!
The characters were well moulded and I liked seeing how fractured lives could be gradually reblended despite their issues. I adored the bright and bold butterfly on the cover too....
A fantastic first book for me to start 2019 off. Superb writer which I hope to read many more of.