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challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Whisper Man is an extremely dark story that follows the victims of an infamous serial k!ller.
Tom and his young son, Jake, just moved into a new house in a new town after the death of Tom's wife. The house is a little creepy, but they're hoping it will offer them a fresh start. What the pair did not realize is that their new town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, Frank Carter, nicknamed "the Whisper Man" for his creepy tactics to lure his victims, was arrested for abducting and murdering five people. Right as Tom and Jake are getting settled, a young boy vanishes, and the case is eerily similar to the ones twenty years ago. To make matters worse, Jake starts to hear whispering at his window.
There were parts where the plot dragged a bit and others where more tension and suspense would've been helpful, but overall, I thought the author told the story quite well. I was invested in the main characters and their connection to each other as well as their connection to the town and its dark history.
Tom and his young son, Jake, just moved into a new house in a new town after the death of Tom's wife. The house is a little creepy, but they're hoping it will offer them a fresh start. What the pair did not realize is that their new town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, Frank Carter, nicknamed "the Whisper Man" for his creepy tactics to lure his victims, was arrested for abducting and murdering five people. Right as Tom and Jake are getting settled, a young boy vanishes, and the case is eerily similar to the ones twenty years ago. To make matters worse, Jake starts to hear whispering at his window.
There were parts where the plot dragged a bit and others where more tension and suspense would've been helpful, but overall, I thought the author told the story quite well. I was invested in the main characters and their connection to each other as well as their connection to the town and its dark history.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Blood
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:
Complicated
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, Murder
Minor: Bullying
an adult male stalker towards young boys about 6-7
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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, Murder
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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, Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Kidnapping, Murder
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Abandonment
Minor: Stalking
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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, Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Murder
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not massively sure about Christopher Eccleston’s narration and the ending felt a bit underwritten but otherwise this is a pretty solid detective thriller.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Domestic abuse
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Kidnapping