The whisper man : a novel / Alex North.

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  • Additional Information
    • Publication Information:
      First edition.
    • Abstract:
      Summary: "After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night. Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man. And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window." --Amazon.com.
    • ISBN:
      9781250317995
      1250317991
    • Accession Number:
      on1053581034
      1053581034
    • Accession Number:
      lcc.on1053581034

Reviews

Booklist Reviews 2019 June #1

*Starred Review* At its heart, this brilliant novel is an affirmation of the power of the father-son relationship, but it also charts a descent into darkness. Hoping to come to terms with his wife's tragic death, Tom Kennedy decides to leave his own regrets and young son Jake's grief behind and make a fresh start in the town of Featherbank. Jake has been finding consolation in an imaginary friend, so when Tom hears whispered voices in their new, somewhat unusual home, he is not unduly concerned, assuming that Jake is talking to his friend. However, when the town's dark past is revealed, fear is added to an already toxic blend of emotions. Twenty years ago, a serial killer nicknamed the Whisper Man lured away young boys by whispering at their windows. The Whisper Man was captured and is now in prison, but when another boy vanishes in a similar fashion, a copycat killer is thought to be on the loose. Detective Pete Willis must confront his self-destructive issues and visit the Whisper Man in prison, hoping for help in identifying the copycat. When Jake is also taken, the reader is swept right out the door with him into a skin-crawling, nightmarish captivity. With redemption for some and none for others, this thriller will satisfy readers of Thomas Harris and Stephen King. Under development as a major motion picture by the Russo brothers, of Marvel film fame. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

LJ Reviews 2019 June

DEBUT North's first novel explores the life of a father raising his young son after the tragic death of his wife mixed with a town in turmoil owing to kidnappings in the area. Frank Carter, known as the Whisper Man, was responsible for abducting five young men and was eventually captured and incarcerated. Tom Kennedy moves to a house to get a fresh start for him and son Jake, but their arrival coincides with the disappearance of a young boy in a manner eerily similar to those of Carter's previous crimes. Has the Whisper Man returned? Did Carter have an accomplice? Then Jake starts hearing whispering near his bedroom window. North has written a powerful and scary story that will haunt readers long after the final page is turned. The terrifying villain and characters who seem authentic only add to the horror. Lyrical writing also helps make the story truly haunting. VERDICT Fans of Thomas Harris or Kevin O'Brien will enjoy this dive with a new voice in suspense. [See Prepub Alert, 2/11/19.]—Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal.

PW Reviews 2019 June #3

In the pseudonymous North's superb thriller, a police procedural with supernatural overtones, Det. Insp. Amanda Beck heads the search for six-year-old Neil Spencer, who has gone missing from the English village of Featherbank. Neil may have been lured from his home by someone who whispered at his window at night, the same m.o. as incarcerated serial child killer Frank Carter (aka the Whisper Man), who was apprehended 20 years earlier by Det. Insp. Pete Willis. Beck brings in Willis to assist, specifically because he's the only person Carter will talk to. Meanwhile, author Tom Kennedy, still reeling from his wife's death, seeks a fresh start in Featherbank with his seven-year-old son, Jake. The sensitive Jake talks to a little girl who isn't there and fears "the boy under the floor" in their odd new house. A strange man snooping at the Kennedy house and an attempt to lure Jake away during the night become connected to Beck's investigation as she and Willis struggle to make a connection to Carter. Readers will have a tough time putting down this truly unnerving tale, with its seemingly unexplainable elements and glimpses of broken and dangerous minds. Agent: Sandra Sawicka, Marjacq (U.K.). (Aug.) This review has been updated to note the book's author is using a pseudonym.

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.