“If you leave a door half-open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken.”
It’s been ten months since Tom Kennedy’s beloved wife Rebecca died. Devastated, Tom has been trying his best to process her loss, but he’s finding it hard to cope. His seven year old son Jake isn’t doing well either. Tom has always found it a bit hard to connect with the solitary little boy – it was Rebecca who had really understood him, and since she died, the gap between father and son seems to have widened even further.
Tom decides they need a fresh start, so they pack up their old life and move to the sleepy little village of Featherbank. Their new house in Featherbank isn’t what Tom himself would have picked – it’s old and unusually built, even a little creepy, but Jake loved it on sight, and Tom wants nothing more than for his son to be happy. And for a short while, they both are. Featherbank seems like the start of a brand new chapter.
But their new village has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a twisted serial killer kidnapped and murdered five young boys in the area, earning the nickname the Whisper Man for the way he lured his victims out of their homes by whispering at their bedroom windows. And while the Whisper Man has been behind bars for years, Tom soon learns that another local boy, Neil Spencer, has recently gone missing in a case chillingly similar to the original kidnappings. Then Jake begins behaving strangely – he says he sees a monster outside his window at night, a monster who whispers his name…
From Alex North, an anonymous author writing under a pseudonym, The Whisper Man is without question one of the best thrillers of the year. Film rights have already been snapped up in a major Hollywood deal, so you’ll be able to see it on the big screen soon, too. Told from the perspectives of Tom, Jake, and two of the key detectives assigned to the Neil Spencer case, each chapter of The Whisper Man is more gripping than the last, and every character has their own unique take on the chilling situation in Featherbank. In fact, you never quite know who to believe, with the uncertainty and tension building right to the heartbreaking, nail-biting final scenes.
North has a real knack for crafting compelling characters, and Tom, Jake, and detectives Pete and Amanda are multi-faceted and mesmerising. You’ll come to care deeply for Tom and Jake in particular, and their tender father-son relationship only serves to heighten the terror you’ll feel at the possibility of harm befalling them. The Whisper Man himself deserves a mention, too – with echoes of Hannibal Lecter, he is chillingly calculated and deeply evil, and you’ll find yourself holding your breath when the detectives visit him in prison.
Playing on some of our deepest fears, The Whisper Man is a dark, emotionally gripping and tautly paced thriller that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page. An utterly absorbing read for fans of Stephen King, Jo Nesbo and Val McDermid – just don’t read it late at night.
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