Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Whisper Man, I’m thrilled to be sharing my review for the best crime book of the year – that’s right, I’m calling it, we’re only half way through the year but, jeez, it’s going to being difficult to top this one!
Book Description
If you leave a door half-open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken . . .
Until he was finally caught, the killer was known as ‘The Whisper Man’.
Of course, an old crime need not trouble Tom and Jake as they try to settle in to their new home.
Except that now another boy has gone missing. And then Jake begins acting strangely.
He says he hears a whispering at his window . . .
My Thoughts
The Whisper Man is so good, brilliant in fact! This is one of those reviews where I doubt I’ll be able to convey just how good it is! So trust me when I say you need to read this book, my favourite crime novel of the year!
By page two, I was impressed; by page seven, I knew I was reading something special. I connected with North’s writing instantly – powerful, meaningful, written with the intent to engage the reader. This novel taps into something deep inside you, it’s hard to put it into words, but if you’ve ever read a book and just knew you were experiencing something special, then you know exactly what I mean, that feeling when you know you’re reading something great.
This novel is a psychological thriller, with a heavy dose of police procedural, sitting on the border of horror. Creepy and unsettling, this plot is crafted in a fantastic level of suspense and intrigue. As creepy as it gets, it also creates an exciting feeling, because it’s so good, you just need to read on, I think that’s the true definition of thrilling!
But what really brought this novel to life was how emotive it was, much more than readers will be used to in this genre. Some great narrative choices were made when penning this novel; using the third person for the investigative aspects against using the first person perspective for Tom brought you closer to the action, closer to the thrills. It really allowed you to connect with Tom as a character and experience his emotions alongside him. Psychological thrillers tend to have a central female character, and while this novel did have the presence of an absent female, Tom really brought this novel home – a complex character, a realistic character, he doesn’t have all the answers but he’s doing his best, and that’s something you can’t help but support.
I’ve purposely avoided any specifics in this review because I want you all to fall in love with this novel the way I did. With the great writing, the suspense, the surprises, the thrills and the chills. North mastered his craft when he wrote this novel, if you only read one book I’ve recommended this year, make it The Whisper Man.
This book is available to buy from: Amazon UK / Book Depository
*My thanks to the publisher (Penguin / Michael Joseph) for providing me with a copy of this title and inviting me to participate in the tour*
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FOLLOW THE THE WHISPER MAN BLOG TOUR
So, you liked it then?
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I think so 🤔
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I have been hearing such good things about this book.. I bought it yesterday. Fantastic review w
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Woohoo, I hope you love it too!!
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So many positive thoughts about this book…
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And it’s worth every positive comment, I cannot recommend it enough!!
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‘By page two, I was impressed; by page seven, I knew I was reading something special’ Yep, I need to read this! Brilliant review!
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You absolutely need to read this one, everyone needs to read it, it’s THAT good!! And thank you x
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Excellent review, Janel💜 I’ve not seen this title before and will check it out.
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You must, it’s incredible!!!
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Whoo hoo…so glad you loved it!! I just requested it on NetGalley this morning and within an hour I was approved! I wish it were always that easy 🙂
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And have started it already, I hope 😅😂
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I wish! Sadly, vacation has really put me behind on ARC’s. I’ve got some serious catching up to do!
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Awesome review! I have a copy of this myself that I’m excited to get to!
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Thank you! I can’t wait to see what you make of it!!
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Ugh I hate when you make me excited about thrillers 😂 Fantastic review as always!
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This one is a thriller but its so well written with a real emotive strand, I think you should give it a go!!!
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I will definitely add it to my wishlist!
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Awesome review, Janel! I’m about to just buy this from Book Depository and be done with it because I know I’m going to love it since it’s my kind of thriller! I’ve been waiting 3 weeks now for NetGalley to approve me, and I have no idea what’s up with that since I’m at a 98% rating haha!
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Tbh you want a finished copy of this one anyway so buying it is definitely the right move, I can’t wait to read your review, I hope you love it as much as I did!!
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I think I’m just going to do that anyway since I’m sure that I will love it. If they approve me on NG, then they do-if not, even better because then I don’t have it sitting on my shelf, haha!
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I can’t believe I missed this review! I’m dying to get my hands on a copy… Everyone is raving about The Whisper Man! It sounds absolutely fantastic.
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It really is, easily the best crime novel I’ve read this year!
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Oh you are not the first to say that! I definitely need to get a copy very soon.
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