The Whisper Man by Alex North

So I can be really bad about reading my Book of the Month books as they come in, but I was really excited for The Whisper Man. I had not heard anything about it previous to seeing it pop up on the August books, but it spoke to me, so I decided to read it right away. This would also be the book that would get me to my Goodreads goal of 40 books for the year. Obviously, I won't stop reading for the rest of 2019, but this was a good book to end my goal on!

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Twenty years ago, The Whisper Man tormented the town of Featherbank until Pete Willis finally catches Frank Carter and locks him away. Sadly, Frank's last victim is never found and this continues to haunt Pete. In the present, Tom and Jake Kennedy move to Featherbank after the sudden death of their wife and mother. Tom hopes this will be a fresh start for them, but shortly after the move, Jake begins acting weird and hearing whispering. When a young boy is found with the same signatures as Frank's victims, Pete is pulled back into the fray to try and figure out this copycat scenario, along with the new lead detective Amanda Beck. When Jake is taken, the stakes are raised and Pete and Amanda need to find him before Tom loses what is left of his family.

I try to be mindful of spoilers with newer books, but this one has so many twists and turns, I cannot help but discuss some of them in my review, so read with caution. If you do not want any spoilers and still want my opinion, I will leave this here: I highly recommend this book. It is highly thought provoking and has an ending you do not see coming.

There are a few different points of view in the book: Tom, Pete, Jake, Amanda, and him. This makes for some chapter ending cliffhangers that I have a love-hate relationship with. They made the book hard to put down, which was really hard for me because I was reading this as I was moving, which is when you really do need to put a book down. I enjoyed all of the POV's, but especially Jake's. I wish I had been as precocious as he was when I was that age. He was very in tune with what others around him thought and felt. Tom has a hard time understanding this about his son; it is a trait Rebecca, Tom's wife, loved in her son though. He has an imaginary friend that walks him through his abduction and keeps him safe, and while his imaginary friend ends up being a child version of Rebecca whose spirit is keeping him safe, logically, it also means that Jake has the ability to read a situation and know how to get out of it safely. Although, she also teaches him a very creepy schoolyard rhyme that I secretly love.

"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." (p. 304)

(Source: Giphy)

When you read the synopsis, it actually gives away some of the twists, but I did not pick up on it. "In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son...." I completely overlooked that first statement and was completely blown away by the fact that Tom is Pete's son. In the chapter when they see each other for the first time since Tom was a child, it ends without revealing a connection and so the reader is left trying to figure out what is going on because there is a lot of tension there. Even though their time together is short, it is interesting to watch them re-learn each other as they are both going through tumultuous times.

Here is a huge spoiler, so spot reading if you do not want the ending given away!

(Source: Giphy)

There is a second father-son relationship in the book. Frank Carter and son Francis Carter, the new Whisper Man. Through Francis's chapters, you learn that Frank made his son watch what he would do to the little boys and would tell Francis he wished he could do it to him. Because of this toxic relationship, Francis begins to abduct boys he feels are not being cared for by their parents. But like his father, Francis has anger issues, which spells trouble for the boys he takes.

What I love about the book is the mixture of thriller and supernatural. You know that everything has a logical explanation, but you also see it through the eyes of a child and begin to believe that his imaginary friend might be something more than just imaginary. When all of the pieces are put together, you get a warm fuzzy feeling about the people we have lost never really leaving us.

(Source: Giphy)

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the characters. This is North's first book and I think he did a brilliant job and would definitely read anything else he publishes. The Whisper Man would make a perfect October read if you're looking for a good thought provoking scare with an emotional ending.

Rating: 9/10

Author: Alex North

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Crime

Dates Read: August 22-26, 2019