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haileyhardcover's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy crap this book was CHILLING. A serial killer who goes after kids is always going to be especially horrific, but North did an incredible job building up the anxiety as you realize the real horror of the situation at the same time as the characters do. There’s a really interesting supernatural element to the story (or, is there?) but by and large it is, unfortunately, an entirely plausible story which makes it all the more terrifying. At the end of one chapter in particular, my heart was beating out of my chest! No book has ever scared me like this one did.
There are also several reveals throughout the course of the story. Though a couple seemed a little obvious to me, there was one specific one where my jaw very literally, almost comically, DROPPED.
There are also deeper tones to The Whisper Man. Beyond the thrills and the horror, the story examines the complexity of father-son relationships from multiple, vastly different angles. It also does a great job of portraying the on-going battle of addition recovery (specifically alcoholism, but I think the portrayal would translate well to any addiction) and what the daily struggle to remain sober can look like for many.
I am giving this book five stars because, at the end of the day, it has accomplished what no book ever REALLY has and legitimately scared me, so it feels deserved; but I don’t think I would say it’s perfect. Listen, I award my stars how I want to. Deal with it!
The story jumps between five different points of view, which can be a little confusing at times, especially when you’re not always immediately sure whose point of view you’re reading. One point of view is Jake’s, and it did occur to me as I was reading that I don’t think North accounted for how differently a child might think and process these situations. There was a point when it was acknowledged that Jake had a better grasp on vocabulary than most other kids his age, which I think was a way of addressing this disparity, but it felt a little off to me. I also felt like the book had a slower start. While the first chapter gets your blood pumping, it slows down pretty considerably and for quite a few chapters after that. It’s all important story building, but the first third of the book or so is a little slow. Still, the chapters are short (often 3-4 pages!) so it is an easy one to binge and get through pretty quick!
If you have children or kiddos that you love in your life, keep in mind that this one is going to be a tough and terrifying read, but it is still really good and I absolutely recommend it. It’s one that is going to sit with me… probably forever.
If you have children or kiddos that you love in your life, keep in mind that this one is going to be a tough and terrifying read, but it is still really good and I absolutely recommend it. It’s one that is going to sit with me… probably forever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Abandonment
nicoletiff's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
m06ax's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, and Kidnapping
e11iphant's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Bullying
an adult male stalker towards young boys about 6-7khowick24's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.75/5
This book had short chapters, quick pace, interesting characters and a good plot. I thought I had it figured out twice but I was wrong. I felt like there was something missing from it but I’m not sure what… I can’t place my finger on it exactly but something kept me from giving it a full 5 stars.
This book had short chapters, quick pace, interesting characters and a good plot. I thought I had it figured out twice but I was wrong. I felt like there was something missing from it but I’m not sure what… I can’t place my finger on it exactly but something kept me from giving it a full 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
maggies's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Whisper Man is a tough read; the topics and plot points are hard to digest, and everyone suffered quite a lot. That's not typically what I enjoy in my books. There was some hope, but these glimmers were far outweighed by the horrors the characters endured. The plot was easy to follow with a good trail of breadcrumbs to the final resolution. The audiobook narration was unconvincing but inoffensive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping and Injury/Injury detail
abbiwesner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Every chapter had something to offer and something that made you want to read more of the story. I liked how the book used every character to describe what was happening.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail
judassilver's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer and Abandonment
Minor: Stalking
rynkndllbrns's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Can’t really talk about this book without spoiling it so
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS AHEAD ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE ETC
This was a pretty fun little page turner! Not a masterpiece. Marred by some tired tropes and fairly easy to guess the identity of the killer, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.
Can we move beyond horror as grief/trauma p*rn? It’s done, guys. The introduction of Pete as a hardened, aging detective with a drinking problem made me roll my eyes so hard I almost DNF’d.
This didn’t introduce anything mind blowing about generational trauma, but it did a good job of painting a portrait of how parents pass on their abuse to their kids. By the end of it though, Pete’s entire story arc felt a bit hamstrung. I’m sure Alex North was going for tragedy by having him die before fully redeeming himself in his son’s eyes, but it just felt like an incomplete thought to me.
Also, Introducing DI Beck, mostly sidelining her, then making her the investigative focus again, gave the narrative a disjointed rhythm that overall hurt the flow. Coupling that with a final act that felt rushed and anticlimactic, I was let down by the end.
This all makes it sound like I hated this book. I didn’t! It’s a solid thriller. I liked most of the characters, especially sweet, shy little Jake and Karen.
The whisper man’s MO was legitimately b o n e chilling - both the whispering and the shirts being pulled over the victims’ faces, which evoked the death of the heaven’s gate cult for me. The final image of Francis in his jail cell, pulling his shirt up to cover his face, is haunting.
Overall, I would say the whisper man was worth my time and that I enjoyed it enough to recommend it.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS AHEAD ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE ETC
Can we move beyond horror as grief/trauma p*rn? It’s done, guys. The introduction of Pete as a hardened, aging detective with a drinking problem made me roll my eyes so hard I almost DNF’d.
This didn’t introduce anything mind blowing about generational trauma, but it did a good job of painting a portrait of how parents pass on their abuse to their kids. By the end of it though, Pete’s entire story arc felt a bit hamstrung. I’m sure Alex North was going for tragedy by having him die before fully redeeming himself in his son’s eyes, but it just felt like an incomplete thought to me.
Also, Introducing DI Beck, mostly sidelining her, then making her the investigative focus again, gave the narrative a disjointed rhythm that overall hurt the flow. Coupling that with a final act that felt rushed and anticlimactic, I was let down by the end.
This all makes it sound like I hated this book. I didn’t! It’s a solid thriller. I liked most of the characters, especially sweet, shy little Jake and Karen.
The whisper man’s MO was legitimately b o n e chilling - both the whispering and the shirts being pulled over the victims’ faces, which evoked the death of the heaven’s gate cult for me. The final image of Francis in his jail cell, pulling his shirt up to cover his face, is haunting.
Overall, I would say the whisper man was worth my time and that I enjoyed it enough to recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, and Murder
arianamadison's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Violence, and Kidnapping