The Whisper Man by Alex North

I usually save scary, or scary-type books, until Halloween time but I am only just slightly aware of the Instagram popularity of The Whisper Man by Alex North (*eye roll*) to snatch up a copy when it became available at my local library. And it's most likely because of this popularity that I read and stuck with the book, as I tend to avoid stories that in any way involve children. But The Whisper Man slowly sucks you in and gets under your skin; it's scary without being gory, and creepy without losing a strong theme of humanity.

Tom and his young son, Jake, move to quiet Featherbank in hopes of moving on after the sudden death of Tom's wife, Rebecca. Unaware of the town's unfortunate history - being home to serial abductor and murderer, Frank Carter - Tom and Jake's supposed fresh start is short lived. Right away, a little boy goes missing, igniting rumors that Carter had an accomplice, and then Jake starts hearing whispers at his window...

This book is definitely scary, and if children are one of your triggers, you might want to really think about if you want to read this story. It is very reminiscent of Stephen King in several ways - the element of alcohol abuse, the struggling writer character, the child who talks to invisible children and uses creepy phrases like, "the boy in the floor," and, most importantly, the delicate weaving of the childhood monsters under our bed and the unfortunate monsters of real life. But what it differs from King is probably what makes is such a great read. Though it is a blunt and often shocking portrayal of the tumultuous relationship between fathers and sons, what is at first scary becomes sweet and sentimental.

The Whisper Man is intense and gripping. It is creepy, mysterious, extremely well-written and intricately plotted, and makes your brain turn as fast as the pages. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 on goodreads.