Alex North’s debut isn’t your typical serial killer thriller. He juggles multiple narratives with ease, and even Tom’s voice (which is the only first-person narrative) is written in a more lyrical style, befitting that of a successful author. Readers won’t just turn the pages (and boy will they turn them fast) to find out who the killer is, but becoming invested in what happens to Tom and Jake is very easy. Their story will resonate with any parent, and especially those that have experienced the loss of a partner or a parent. North’s smart, contemporary hunt-for-a-killer tale, populated with well-drawn characters, is threaded with some uber-creepy, well-placed scares that will appeal to readers who love ghost stories. This uniquely scary and disturbing novel will keep you up late, and you’ll want to keep all the lights on.
There are two threads here—the supernatural one and the police-procedural one2—and North does a fine job knitting them together. He switches narrators with each chapter, a technique that can be irritating when done badly but that works beautifully here; it keeps you off-balance and grasping for some footing as you hurtle from Amanda’s squad car to Jake’s lonely bedroom to the Whisper Man’s prison cell ... What North does best, though, is ratchet up the tension, imperceptibly at first, then with increasing urgency. If you like being terrified, The Whisper Man has your name on it. But if you get jumpy when you’re home alone, if you’re attuned to every floorboard creak and window-rattling gust, you might want to give this one a skip.
Imagine Stephen King and Alfred Hitchcock penning a tome of nightmarish menace and dread. This would be it. The Whisper Man is a powerful psychological suspense thriller, disturbingly creepy with genuine frights that make you glance over your shoulder, especially at night.
... a police procedural with supernatural overtones ... A gripping exploration of father-son relationships with a propulsive plot, The Whisper Man is a true skin-crawler.
...Alex North’s immense talent at creating atmosphere in this book takes off ... North crafts relationships and characters that are compelling and emotional and an atmosphere that creeped me out because, among other things ... My one problem with this book is the desire to push a romance that really didn’t go anywhere, and stuck out in what was otherwise an utterly engrossing read.
... chilling ... the novel picks up some depth in its treatment of difficult, sometimes toxic relationships between fathers and sons. Eventually, its mysterious elements do converge and slot together — though not without a good deal of assistance from coincidence and the paranormal. That, however, does not take away from the story’s galvanic suspense.
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 ... 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.
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 ... Fans of Thomas Harris or Kevin O’Brien will enjoy this dive with a new voice in suspense.
... superb ... Readers will have a tough time putting down this truly unnerving tale, with its seemingly unexplainable elements and glimpses of broken and dangerous minds.
North's novel pits nasty men submerged in evil against decent men struggling to do good; several father-son pairs reflect the challenges and darker possibilities of this relationship, though plotlines involving female characters are a bit undeveloped ... A terrifying page-turner with the complexities of fatherhood at its core.
