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A review by sheryl_macca
The Whisper Man by Alex North
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Only one author had ever made me feel genuinely scared while reading and that's Stephen King. Alex North has made it two authors. North was someone I knew nothing about but I was looking for books from the library with a Halloween flavour and The Whisper Man fit the bill, especially since missing persons is a favourite trope of mine.
It hits a number of typical fear factor notes, most with subtlety; the supernatural, unexplained events, haunted house, being alone in the dark, stranger danger, nightmares, creepy kids, psychopath prisoners etc. What truly disturbed me, and disturbed is the right word here, was the unknown predator. A deeply psychological fear where your mind creates a monster that is your very own brand of frightening. Alex North keeps that monster lurking constantly. The predator is everywhere and nowhere right up to the final chapters of the book. You never know who to trust.
What really makes this book a 5 star read, however, is the multilayered examination of parenthood. In particular, the fathers of the story have one thing in common: doubting themselves as a parent. This is a theme that usually applies to the mothers in our reads but for fathers to be open in a realistically honest way was refreshing. For there to be 3 key fathers in just one book is unusual even for one focused on parenthood for it's story. Here we have 3 key fathers in a disturbing crime novel.
I also particularly enjoyed that one of the multi POV's that narrate The Whisper Man was a very young but bright boy named Jake. He's an intelligent, inquisitive character but also so very clearly a frightened little boy. He's brave but vulnerable and I just wanted to protect him.
With a book that lives and breathes on the unknown I'm not sure it's one I'll reread which is usually my test of a 5 star review but I would 100% recommend The Whisper Man to others to read at any time of year. I'm definitely going to be looking for Alex North in the future.
It hits a number of typical fear factor notes, most with subtlety; the supernatural, unexplained events, haunted house, being alone in the dark, stranger danger, nightmares, creepy kids, psychopath prisoners etc. What truly disturbed me, and disturbed is the right word here, was the unknown predator. A deeply psychological fear where your mind creates a monster that is your very own brand of frightening. Alex North keeps that monster lurking constantly. The predator is everywhere and nowhere right up to the final chapters of the book. You never know who to trust.
What really makes this book a 5 star read, however, is the multilayered examination of parenthood. In particular, the fathers of the story have one thing in common: doubting themselves as a parent. This is a theme that usually applies to the mothers in our reads but for fathers to be open in a realistically honest way was refreshing. For there to be 3 key fathers in just one book is unusual even for one focused on parenthood for it's story. Here we have 3 key fathers in a disturbing crime novel.
I also particularly enjoyed that one of the multi POV's that narrate The Whisper Man was a very young but bright boy named Jake. He's an intelligent, inquisitive character but also so very clearly a frightened little boy. He's brave but vulnerable and I just wanted to protect him.
With a book that lives and breathes on the unknown I'm not sure it's one I'll reread which is usually my test of a 5 star review but I would 100% recommend The Whisper Man to others to read at any time of year. I'm definitely going to be looking for Alex North in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, and Blood