Alex North is the pseudonym of an established crime novel whose work I have always admired greatly. With a change of name, publisher and style, North has produced a thriller that will very much appeal to a wider crime reading audience, and is definitely a chilling read to temper the summer heat. With shades of the great James Herbert combined with an interesting exploration of life beyond bereavement and the bond of father and son in the wake of the loss of their mutual anchor, North has produced a sinister and intriguing story with supernatural overtones. I will be a little bit of a party pooper and say that I did find parts of it a little slow and slightly lacking the darker, quirky finesse of the author’s previous books, but for the most part it worked well, and would definitely recommend.

Tom, who has recently been widowed and is struggling to come to terms with his loss, and wants to make a fresh start, moves with his young son (who is sensitive, vulnerable and also suffering from the death of the person he loved most in life) to Featherbank. However, Featherbank is a town with a past, as it had been the place where 5 young boys had been kidnapped and murdered some years previously. Although the murderer is in prison another boy goes missing and Tom finds that the move is not what he had anticipated! His interaction with the Detectives and his way of dealing with everything that is going on around him is really well dealt with.
This novel is so much more than just another thriller, the relationship between Father and Son, their shared grief, love and needing to bond/understand each other is an important part of the book.
I think Alex North has a bright future as an author and look forward to reading more!

Much has been made of The Chain (and rightly so) but the other book highlight of the summer for me is The Whisper Man. In some ways they are similar – an abducted child and a struggling parent who will do anything to get their child back – but the pace is very different. The Chain is fast and furious while The Whisper Man beats out a slightly more even tone as the drama is spread out over months rather than weeks.

The main storyline concerns the abduction of a young boy but so many more threads are weaved in through the lives of the main protagonists – Tom Kennedy and his son, Jake, and the two police officers charged with solving the abduction. Tom Kennedy is mourning the loss of his wife after her sudden death and is struggling to raise his son, Jake. I don’t think I’ve ever read grief portrayed so well in a Crime novel before. Alex North has balanced reality with sensitivity and my heart went out to Tom. There’s a wonderful line ‘grief is a stew with a thousand ingredients, and not all of them are palatable.’ Just as Tom is struggling, so is Jake. He turns to imaginary friends to help him get through the school day and life in general. DI Pete Willis has to fight the lure of alcohol on a daily basis. And with a child missing, the craving is stronger than ever.

There are some wonderful twists in this book. Some I saw coming, some I didn’t. Creepiness hangs over the whole story like early morning mist. I don’t want to give too much away but there’s a section towards the end that made me cry. It’s exquisitely written and trust me, you’ll know it when you get there.

Apart from the traditional elements of a crime thriller – tension, discomfort and a mysterious plot – this book is also infused with regret and hope. It’s one of the most moving Crime books I’ve ever read.

I requested this book did to some reviews is heard about it, however I did not find it as amazing as other readers have unfortunately. I felt it was a little over the top and tried too hard.
It was not a book I particularly enjoyed.

What a chilling read. Its a very believable but also a sad story. I really enjoyed this book and felt that Tom and his son Jake were well portrayed as the single parent and difficult child to understand. Its a very gripping read and hard to put down.

A fantastic and atmospheric debut novel from this author. The Whisper Man is a legend in the area immortalised in children’s lore and rhyme but he is currently in jail for the murder of 5 boys. Another body is found mirroring the Whisper Man ones.
Tom Kennedy enters town with his troubled son Jake trying to start a new life after the tragic death of his wife. They have moved into a house with a past and so become embroiled in the Whisper Man case. The storyline entwines father son relationships and dealing with grief into its spell binding tale

I wasn't sure if this was supposed to be a police procedural or a creepy thriller. It was a bit of both. I found some of the police part a bit dragged out, but the creepy goings on in the house that Tom and Jake move into was very atmospheric.

An accomplished debut that had me completely caught up in the events described.
A small child with an imaginary friend who begins to talk about the boy under the floor. An unknown man believing he’s doing the right thing by the children he’s taking. A police officer intent on making up for what they see as the mistakes of the past. A terrifying set of circumstances that draw a group of people together. This book had so many elements that combined to form a compelling read.
In the small town of Featherbank everyone has heard the rumours of The Whisper Man. All small children know not to leave their doors open, and stories of children hearing whispers outside their windows are common. Yet the man behind these rumours was caught and imprisoned, having admitted to the murders of five children.
When we learn that widowed Tom Kennedy has decided to move to Featherbank with his son, Jake, it’s pretty obvious that things are not going to be quite what he’d hoped. And opening with the description of a young child being abducted sets us up for the idea that, perhaps, The Whisper Man had an accomplice. The moment when Jake starts to talk about hearing voices there was an awful sense of inevitability to this story.
Thankfully, the details of the crimes against the children were not recounted in graphic detail. However, there was a fair amount of graphic violence, and the psychological focus was intense.
Early on in the story I had my doubts as to well this mood could be sustained. I needn’t have been. Throughout I was double-checking details and trying to test theories.
A huge thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication, and it’s already been recommended to a number of friends.

The Whisper Man by Alex North is one of those books that sucks you in from the very first page, taking you on an exhilarating and terrifying journey that leaves you feeling awestruck by the time you get to the end. It is so deliciously creepy that you’re too scared to read it late at night after darkness falls, but is so utterly addictive you can’t stop turning the pages, even though you’re so on edge you jump at the slightest sound.

This book is more than just a psychological crime thriller, it’s a book that gets under your skin, making you care about these characters and feeling utterly terrified at the thought of what is going to happen next. It tells the story of a grieving husband and father who feels completely out of his depth, trying to do the best he can as he struggles to move forward with his life, not knowing that life is about to throw its most difficult challenge at him yet.

After the devastating loss of his wife, Tom Kennedy and his young son, Jake, move to the quiet village of Featherbank, hoping to put the past behind them and make a new start. But unknown to Tom, the village has a dark past. Fifteen years ago five young boys were abducted and killed by a serial killer known as ‘The Whisper Man’, a horrifying killing spree that only came to an end when the murderer was finally caught.

As Tom and Jake try to settle into their new home, they have no idea of the secrets held within its walls. But then another boy goes missing. And Jake begins to act strangely, telling his father that he can hear whispering at his window.

What follows is a gripping and heartstoppingly terrifying thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, leaving me feeling breathless with fear. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough as the story unfolded, with the tension ratcheting up to breaking point as we raced towards the final denouement.

This is a book you need to read without knowing too much about what’s going to happen and I would hate to give anything away, but suffice to say I was completely blown away by it. It has jumped to the top of my must read books of the year list and is easily one of my favourite thriller reads, not only of 2019, but of all time. A stunning, emotional, heartbreaking and terrifying read that I would highly recommend. Just wow!

‘The Whisper Man’ is being marketed as a crime novel (because every book that even remotely hints of crime is at the moment), but really it’s horror. It feels like author Alex North’s primary intention is to creep the reader the hell out, and manages it in the book time and time again. Throw in some pretty significant supernatural elements and you’ve got something much more like Stephen King than James Paterson. In my book, that can only be a good thing, as the crime fiction market is frankly bloated at the moment. ‘The Whisper Man’ is refreshingly different. It’s creatively and memorably chilling, with convincing characters and some excellent set pieces.
The plot is quite intricately structured, but essentially straightforward. A widowed author Tom and his young son Alex move to a small town where a serial killer murdered five boys two decades previously. Another child has just gone missing, and detective Pete, who investigated the original crimes, is desperate to find him. As the story develops, hidden connections between past and present events and characters are revealed and tensions build to a gripping climax.
The book relies on coincidences a little more than I’d like, and North uses “lots of short chapters that end with a revelation” method of keeping the reader interested. It’s a technique that works, but once you spot it, it’s hard not to feel a little manipulated. Those are minor quibbles though, and certainly ones that are forgivable in a first novel. When ‘The Whisper Man’ is good, it’s bloody great. It’s arguably not hard to make a book about child murder disturbing, but North impresses by doing this with subtle details rather than gratuitous ones. One scene in particular, with a mysterious figure whispering to a child through a letter box and worming his fingers through it, is really haunting.
The book plays effectively on two common parental fears: the dread of losing a child, and the sense that you never really know what your children are thinking. Much of the tension and mystery in the book revolves around things the son, Alex, may or may not have seen. As an unreliable witness he is both convincing and well-handled plot device.
For a first novel, ‘The Whisper Man’ is quite an achievement. It’s believable, unsettling and gripping from first page to last. If you’re feeling brave, give it a try.

#TheWhisperMan #NetGalley.
The story this portrays is somewhat uncomfortable due to the subject matter, but don't let that put you off. Alex North manages to get you immersed and captivated by his narrative. You feel for many of the characters within the story and in parts you feel your skin crawl and you are right there with them. A great read. Highly recommend. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

The first offering from 'Alex North' offers the beautiful writing and exquisite plotting that crimelovers have found in the author's prior work (several very fine crime novels), meshed with a dark and chilling storyline that strikes at the heart of family and may (should) catapult the author to greater attention and a wider readership.

Widower Tom Kennedy and his young son Jake are both struggling with the loss of the woman at the centre of their world. Tom hopes a move to the village of Featherbank will give both of them a fresh start. He feels like he's struggling as a father and that he needs to do something to help his son.

When a young boy vanishes, the town’s dark past returns. Twenty years ago, ‘the Whisper Man’ prowled, killing five people before being caught. While Detective Amanda Beck is the lead on the new disappearance, its eerie similarities to the Whisper Man means that ageing Detective Pete Willis aboard too. For it was Willis that brought down the Whisper Man, and Willis with whom the Whisper Man still occasionally toys.

Is the new foe linked to the historic murders and a killer that's fallen into local folklore? Could this be a copycat, or did the Whisper Man have an accomplice, as some cops and others often wondered?

Meanwhile strange things start to happen at Tom’s new home, and Jake hears whispering outside.

North sets the hook early and crafts a compulsive tale that hurtles along (a one-sitting kind of book) while being textured with plenty of depth. THE WHISPER MAN is a compulsive tale with a dark heart - but that's a notable thing too; the book has real heart to it. It's a creepy page-turner that's also a story of fathers and sons, a story of families and nightmares, and of the price paid for past mistakes and the struggle to put things right.

For my money, this will be one of the top thrillers of the northern summer, which given all the great books coming out lately and soon, is high praise indeed. A terrific first bow from 'North', a top-notch dark thriller.

Really enjoyed this story, it was very twisted in it's thoughts and you did spend a lot of time wondering who did it... Hooked in and kept through to the end, what more can you ask for?!

This is a truly creepy book. A motherless young boy, a new house and a possibly supernatural presence? It lost a star from me for possibly being a little too slow burning but I look forward to the next.

A creepy almost horror like book with the connation of a voice in the dark. Its spine chillingly exciting, terrifyingly pacey and a fabulous read. The interaction of the main characters keeps you on the edge of your seat, The bond between families may stretch over the years and events that split them but his book shows they can be made whole again in the face of adversity. A brilliant book well worth 5 stars .

Oh my goodness this has to be one of the best books I’ve read for a long time. I found it incredibly hard to put down and tore through it in a few days, which is no mean feat when you’ve got three kids!

The thing I most enjoyed about this book was the fact it wasn’t a normal run of the mill crime thriller. Yes it was creepy and very unnerving at times but it was also touching and poignant which made for a fantastic read.

There were some great characters in the book who I quickly warmed to and cared about. Tom and Jake Kennedy, a father and son grieving the loss of their wife/ mother, were definitely my favourite. My heart just broke for them and everything they were going through. Their emotions were very raw and I wanted to just reach into the book to give them a hug.

This was a wonderfully paced book which had lots of twists to keep me firmly glued to the page. My love of Jake and Tom made me feel like I knew them personally and I had to keep reading to find out what happens to them.

Huge thanks to Jenny Platt for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. I thoroughly recommend this book and will be recommending it to everyone!

It probably wasn't a great idea to start reading this at night when I was alone in the house. Very creepy, scary and twisty but hugely enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this atmospheric thriller book. Good interlinking between families, victims and police.. I have not read this author before but I will now look out for other books.

Fantastic book. Grips you from the first to the last page. Psychological thriller mixed with the supernatural. Highly recommended

A curious medley of a creepy, suspenseful thriller and poignant sadness are my impressions of this complex, multi-layered story.

A little boy is missing, and the disapperance has echoes of serial killings years before, but ‘The Whisper Man was caught, so who has taken the little boy?

There are so many facets to this story, a crime to be investigated, a little boy who hears voices and talks to imaginary people. A troubled father and son relationship, in the wake of a family tragedy, and a policeman haunted by his past both personal and work.

The plot slips effortlessly between points of view and different genres. The police procedural is authentic and helps you keep past events and what is currently known in mind. The sadness experienced by Tom and Jake is profound and you empathise with their grief and loss. The killer is damaged and dangerous and the level of menace pervades the entire story. Finally, there is a supernatural element, hinted at, leaving the reader to decide if it is really there or not.

Everything is fused together cleverly, making this a suspenseful, shocking and often sad story. The ending is fast-paced and breathtaking and written packed with vivid imagery. You can see the events unfolding in your mind as you read.

A page-turning, absorbing read that makes this thriller stand out above the rest.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK Books - Michael Joseph Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.