The Whisper Man by Alex North

A boy of six, Neil Spencer has been abducted in Featherbanks. The police led by Amanda Beck is investigating the case. Detective Pete Willis lived near the crime scene (the last place where Neil Spencer had been seen heading towards), so joined the search. Pete Willis had been responsible for catching Frank Carter also known as The Whisper man, who had murdered five children around twenty years ago. Frank Carter’s personality put a heavy toll on Pete, mentally; in that Pete had never been able to find the body of Frank’s last victim and Frank always teased him about it. The search goes on but to no fruition, until two months later when Neil Spencer’s body is found at the same place that he was taken from. The way the body had been arranged reminded the police of The Whisper Man.

Even the name of the village was warm and comforting. Featherbanks. It sounded like a place where we would be safe.

“Whispering,” Jake said quietly.

“what?”

“Whispering.”

“It was whispering at my window.”

In another Point of view, Tom Kennedy along with his son Jake move to a new house in Featherbanks. One morning Tom notices a person trying to force his way into his house, so notifies the authorities. Tom sees that the police in charge was his father, Pete Willis who he was not in talking terms with. The man is identified as Norman Collins who, on further inquisition was found interested in the house. Sifting through the garage one day, Tom finds a skeleton in there, so calls the police and the skeleton is believed to belong to Tony Smith, The Whisper Man’s last victim. The police inquire Norman Collins and finds that several other persons knew of the body hidden in the garage. The police conclude that the person who took Neil Spencer must be one of those people, one who was inspired by The Whisper Man.

One day, Jake is abducted when he was with Pete, who had been stabbed by the suspect. To find the suspect, they decide to question Frank Carter’s family and find nothing odd in their behavior. Jake’s father Tom sifts through Jake’s belongings and finds a butterfly that Jake could not have seen because it was seen near corpses. He questions the school and finds out that a school assistant, George Saunders might have given the picture of butterfly to Jake. Tom reaches George’s house and confronts him about the picture which he denies; but then Tom hears Jake’s muffled voice from the house and tackles George till the police takes over. The police find out that the George Saunders was an alias of Francis Carter, The whisper man’s son.

“I’m not sure.”

“I’ll look after you, I promise.”

I’m not sure.”

“Let me in Jake.”

He is sent to prison, where he thinks his father would welcome him, that he has somehow redeemed himself in his eyes, that he is not the timid Francis of childhood. But his father, the Whisper Man kills him the same way he had killed the children all the years ago; whispering his name before entering his cell and pulling his shirt over his face. 

Maybe because I have read a few thrillers now, but this book was urging me to come to conclusions, which were never right by the way. That’s the thing with thrillers, that If it’s engaging, you would wish to end it as soon as you can to know the thrill of the ending. This book was as engaging as the best thriller out there and overall makes for a good book to read and suggest. If you want an e-publication version, you can download it here or drop a comment and I will provide it.