The whisper man

Title:

The whisper man

Author:

North, Alex, 1976- author.

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.

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

355 pages ; 25 cm

Genre:

Detective and mystery fiction.

Psychological fiction.

Thrillers (Fiction)

Subject Term:

Serial murderers -- Fiction.

Motherless families -- Fiction.

Fathers and sons -- Fiction.

Missing children -- Fiction.

Missing persons -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Celadon Books,

Publication Date:

2019

ISBN:

9781250317995

Publication Information:

New York : Celadon Books, 2019.

Call Number:

NORTH

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003433680	Adult Fiction	NORTH	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**

"WORKS BEAUTIFULLY... If you like being terrified, The Whisper Man has your name on it."
-- The New York Times , Editor's Pick

"SUPERB"
-- Publisher's Weekly , Starred Review

"BRILLIANT... will satisfy readers of Thomas Harris and Stephen King."
-- Booklist , Starred Review

"POIGNANT AND TERRIFYING"
-- Entertainment Weekly

In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

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. Featherbank.

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...

Author Notes

Alex North was born in Leeds, England, where he now lives with his wife and son. The Whisper Man was inspired by North's own little boy, who mentioned one day that he was playing with "the boy in the floor." Alex North is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

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.

Library Journal Review

Each thread in the fabric of this dark story includes the bite of abandonment, the bitterness of self-loathing, and the overwhelming desire to be loved. After the death of his wife Rebecca, Tom Kennedy and his son, Jake, search for a new beginning. Detective Pete Willis buries himself in work to escape the overwhelming guilt from his alcoholic binges that chased his family away. Francis reacts to the sting of his father's hatred by imitating his father. All threads converge in the small community of Featherbank, England, where 20 years earlier a serial killer, nicknamed The Whisper Man, stalked and murdered five young boys before he was captured and sent to prison. Soon after Tom and Jake move to Featherbank, another young boy disappears. Detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis recognize undisclosed similarities in the crimes. Narrator Christopher Eccleston builds suspense while leaving much to the imagination of the listener. VERDICT Though this is a tale that hinges on children being murdered, it is not gruesome. It might even be characterized as a tale of love between fathers and sons. Engaging on many levels.--Ann Weber, Bellarmine Coll. Prep., San Jose, CA