The Whisper Man by Alex North

‘Shades of Thomas Harris and Stephen King but brilliant in its own right’ C. J. Tudor, bestselling author of The Chalk Man.

When I first started reading this book, I had a feeling it would be good, so I texted a friend who I knew enjoyed getting the occasional book recommendation from me. What ensued next was a week-long rally of Whatsapps, that mainly looked like this…

“CHAPTER 18!”

“Mate, I’m on 128 — message me after you’ve read that bit!”

“OH MY GOD”

“I know, right? I can’t sleep at night. Where are you up to?”

Both my friend and I had agreed only to read the book in daylight, as it was creeping us out so much. And that’s coming from two people who can fall asleep listening to murder podcasts (my favourite is currently Criminal by Phoebe Judge, and My Favorite Murder by Karen Killgariff and Georgia Hardstark) and regular readers of crime fiction.

On the front of this book is a recommendation from Steve Cavanagh, author of Twisted, that notes the book is ‘the best crime novel of the decade’ and I would have to say this is what drew me in. I read books for a living; quite a lot of them crime fiction, so in the search for something fresh, I picked up this book — The Whisper Man by Alex North.

If you leave the door half-open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken.

The above is a creepy sentence in itself, but then reframe it in your mind because it’s a child whispering this to you, then — my god, it’s terrifying. And we’re talking, I was having to run downstairs really quickly because I’d turned the light off and I didn’t want to be left alone, upstairs in the dark. This book had me creeping around my own house like a child.

Fifteen years ago, a serial killer known only as ‘The Whisper Man’ wreaked havoc on the sleepy village of Featherbank.
But with the killer behind bars, the village is now a safe haven for Tom and his young son Jake to make a fresh start.
Until another boy goes missing. It feels like history is repeating itself.
Could the killer still be out there — and can Tom protect his son from becoming the next victim?

With various perspectives and storylines running concurrently, the book is a twisty-turny, jumpy rollercoaster with flawed characters that could be real-life breathing people, and a house with as big a character as any, this book is a must-read.

Whilst the crime itself is something similar to what we’ve learned to expect from crime fiction today, what makes this book absolutely stand out is the way it’s written and the way that the crimes are framed. I haven’t read a book in a long time that excelled in backstory, in history and in setting an atmosphere like this one.

A definite recommendation from me.

For fans of Stephen King, Harlan Coben, Thomas Harris — for fans of crime fiction with real bite.