Review | The Whisper Man by Alex North

Twenty years ago, Detective Pete Willis caught the serial killer Frank Carter who murdered five young boys in Featherbank. He was nicknamed “The Whisper Man” because the boys heard whispers before they were taken. Now, a boy goes missing on his way home. Detective Amanda Beck realises the case may have a connection to Frank Carter. Willis has to face his old foe in in prison in order to prevent the same horrors from happening again.

Meanwhile, Jake and his father, Tom, move to Featherbank after the sudden death of Jake’s mother, Rebecca. While their relationship struggles in the midst of their grief, Jake starts to hear whispers. Whispers telling him things nobody else knows.

Over the years, I told you so many times that there was nothing to be afraid of. That there was no such thing as monsters.

I’m sorry that I lied.

The Whisper Man is hyped up to the heavens so I had high expectations! Here’s the deal: this book is Crime Thriller 101. Every trope you can think of is probably here; sad man with dead wife, smart child with imaginary friend, former alcoholic cop, tough female detective, serial murders. As a result, the story is painfully predictable. I could see the pieces moving into place and there is only one reveal that caught me by surprise. There’s a major issue involving Tom and Pete that is not resolved which is frustrating. The female characters are not fleshed out and merely there to serve the male characters. I also thought the mystery is solved in a simplistic manner that is almost laughable.

And yet. The predictability of the story, instead of being annoying, is comforting to me. The book deals with the theme of generational father-son relationships, and I found it really resonant. I was even affected in a couple of scenes, which doesn’t happen very often when I read! I liked how Tom tries his best to be a good father, despite his mistakes and misgivings. Jake is a great little boy character; in fact, his point of view chapters are my favourites. The shadow of Rebecca, Jake’s late mother, hangs over them in more ways than one. I thought Pete’s scenes with them are interesting and brings a new dimension to their relationship.

While I didn’t find the book particularly scary, the scene when Tom and Jake first moved into their new house is pretty creepy. A letterbox scene had me shook because a similar thing happened to me as a child! There’s a similar vibe to The Sixth Sense during moments when Jake hears things and speaks to his imaginary friend which I really enjoyed.

Ultimately, while The Whisper Man is not the most original thriller, I appreciate its take on fatherhood and how powerful memories can be.

About the author: Alex North

Photo by Jian Xhin