I can't help sometimes but be wary of a book that gets hyped up way head of release date. There's always the worry that you expect too much, and what is essentially a decent book can feel like it's under-delivered. Safe to say though that this was not the case here. Loved the hints of supernatural set against the backdrop of a crime-thriller. Some great characters that pop off the page, and genuinely was a page turner for me, so would absolutely recommend to any and all looking for their next read.

The Whisper Man is a fabulous crime thriller which scared me witless and has me in tears more than once. It's a fabulous read.

It focusses heavily on Fathers and their relationships with their sons and features a wonderful little lad called Jake, who with his Dad Tom has moved into a new house in a small town called Featherbank, ready for a fresh start, following the sudden death of Jake's Mum.

But it doesn't prove to be the tranquil place these guys have hoped for. The house looks and seems a little strange and Featherbank is a tight-knit community where years earlier a serial killer who targetted young children gained notoriety as The Whisper man. But he is still locked away paying for his heinous crimes, so when another little boy goes missing not long after Jake and Tom arrive, it obviously can't have anything to do with the earlier murders. Well that's what the investigating police, DI Pete Willis and DI Amanda Beck, assume.

Pete was heavily involved in the murder investigations 20 years earlier and has made it his lifes mission to try and uncover the resting place of one final victim whose body has never been found but this triumph has eluded him and shaped his personality. And when 6 year old local lad Neil disappears, he is adamant that with his colleague Amanda he will find this little boy alive.

As the investigation goes on, Jake begins to worry his Dad, he reports hearing whispers outside his bedroom and has gained an imaginary friend.

The story is deeply emotional and heartbreaking as the fates of murdered children and sick predators are revealed. But throughout it all runs the thread of love and hope that is the unbreakable bond between fathers and their sons, whatever their circumstances.

I galloped through this book which I received via Netgalley. I feel it may well be one of my favourite reads this year as I was so immersed in it and loved reading it. This book combines a haunting and eerie feel alongside the terrifying brutality described and the redemptive qualities of family ties. I was sucked deep into the storyline effortlessly and I can't help but recommend anyone who loves a dramatic thriller to read this and feel it would make a superb tv show.

Nothing quite like having a creepy childhood rhyme embedded in your head as you turn in for the night, is there?

“If you leave a door half-open, soon you'll hear the whispers spoken…”

Not ideal for a restful night’s sleep, that. Especially since "The Whisper Man’s" muted antics are the source of extreme nightmares for parent and child alike.

Why? Well, the unsettling concept of child abduction partners something inexplicable to haunt the pages of this book, lingering long enough to amplify the fear factor just that little bit more. Dive into this book and it’ll soon have you questioning whether "The Whisper Man" is a figment of an overactive imagination or a living, breathing creature without a soul.

A pacey read, and chillingly calculated too. A few scenes are written so convincingly my senses remained on high alert way longer than the chapter that caused it. Oh, that reminds me: you may want to pay careful attention to your letter boxes… that’s all I’m sayin’.

An absolute cracker of a book. Spine tingling menace, creepy goings on interspersed with truly terrifying moments, this story hooked me from the first page.

I loved it.

What a fantastic debut. A creepy psychological thriller , this book had me hooked from the start to the end . Great writing and a great storyline . I lol forward to reading more from this author . Easy 5 stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an advance copy of The Whisper Man, a stand alone thriller set in the fictional English village of Featherbank.

After the death of his wife Rebecca Tom Kennedy moves with Jake, his six year old son, to Featherbank for a fresh start but Featherbank is not as safe and secure as Tom imagines. Recently a young boy has gone missing in similar circumstances to events of twenty years ago when Frank Carter, aka The Whisper Man, was imprisoned for kidnapping and killing five young boys. Why does Jake seem to know so much about it?

I thoroughly enjoyed The Whisper Man which is an engrossing read, full of twists and turns and a hint of the supernatural. Initially I found the novel a complicated read and not particularly engaging but it soon warmed up. The novel is told from multiple points of view, mostly in the third person but with Tom’s narrative in the first person. He is mostly annoying as he dwells almost constantly on his insecurity as a parent and his perceived inability to communicate effectively with Jake. It gets old very quickly although the reasons for it become more apparent as the novel progresses. With so many angles to cover the multiple voices are a bit of a necessity to set up main part of the novel and while this approach rarely holds my full attention or gets me engaged I’m really glad I stuck with it because the novel is a cracker, full of intriguing questions, clever twists and neat ironies. It is also, as it continues, a tense and exciting read. Much of this comes from the writer’s ability to make the reader believe things, only to confound these beliefs later in the novel.

I can’t say that I really took to Tom Kennedy who seems self absorbed and rather whingy but, never having been in his position, it may be that I’m being over critical and it is actually a good description of a devastated man. His son Jake is a much more interesting character. In many ways he is much older than his years but he is deeply introverted so that may be normal given his personality. I don’t know but he’s definitely unusual. I loved the explanation of his knowledge which is one of the cleverest I have ever read.

The Whisper Man is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

This moved me a lot more than I would have guessed
I found my self tearfull twoeards the end and touched by the characters
I also had a sense that this book behind the thriller angle is ultimately a book about loss and grief and how we cope when these events happen in our lives
This was a good novel it did for some reason take me ages to get into it though and not so much a who done it as that sorts passsed me by weirdly ,I was more engaged with the son and his emotional plight .
Thanks netgalley and publishers for advanced copy

Certainly an interesting read, although I was disappointed that most of the novel wasn't as creepy as the opening chapters. Some nice characterisation - Jake in particular is painted with a great deal of sensitivity - and I enjoyed the contrasting father-son relationships. A few too many coincidences for my liking, but a page-turner all the same. I couldn't help thinking that this would make a great episode of Luther!

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.