The Whisper Man | Alex North

From her side: There are simply not enough adjectives in the world to put this book into words that would do it justice!

It is a poignant exploration of the bond between a father and son, the tragedy of loss, the humour of parenting all folded up into a serial crime novel and I LOVED it.

The dark and deeply disturbing narrative is told between a number of main characters which adds real heart and soul to the story and allows you to connect deeply with each of them.

I raced through this book, but I did put it down several times to reflect on what I had just read and take in the significance, the horror and to collect my thoughts and take a deep breath before continuing. I love the relationship between Tom and Jake, and it has been a long time since I had an "oh my god I never in a million years saw that coming" moment. The story so delightfully weaves between generations and, without giving anything away I will say absolutely everything in this story has a purpose and meaning. I loved the exploration of grief and the heartbreaking beauty of "imaginary friends" and I even shed a tear, laughed out loud and felt my heart race at different times throughout the book. Such a rollercoaster!

The taunting of Pete by Frank Carter is reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs and people who enjoy the complexity of criminal psychology in modern thrillers will enjoy the way this is portrayed through this element of the story and as police procedurals go it was excellent.

I was so excited to read this much hyped up book and I am so thankful to Penguin Books for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! It certainly lived up to all expectations and I am actually a little sad I don't have it to look forward to reading anymore! I can't recommend it highly enough - A well deserved 5/5 rating from me, well done Mr North!