The Whisper Man

By: Alex North

Narrated by: Christopher Eccleston

Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's Summary

2019 Amazon.com Best Books of the Year

"Listeners looking for creepy will find it in full force in Alex North's dark thriller, narrated by British actor Christopher Eccleston." (AudioFile magazine)

"Reader Eccleston...adds flavor to the tale. He reads with a fervor that gives the story a strong sense of suspense." (Booklist)

This program is read by acclaimed British actor Christopher Eccleston.

In this psychological thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of suspense, as a father and son are caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son, Jake, heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank. But the town has a dark past. 

Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man", for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man. 

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window....

©2019 Alex North (P)2019 Penguin Books Ltd

Critic Reviews

"The Whisper Man is the most unsettling thriller I have read since Jo Nesbo’s The Snowman. Much more than the sum of its parts, it is nightmarish and disturbing and, at the same time, a moving and life-affirming novel about fathers and sons, and grief, loss, and recovery." (Alex Michaelides, author of the number one New York Times best seller The Silent Patient)

"Narrator Christopher Eccleston builds suspense while leaving much to the imagination of the listener." (Library Journal)

"Reader Eccleston has a strong but easily understood English accent that adds flavor to the tale. He reads with a fervor that gives the story a strong sense of suspense. Interestingly, he varies his tone only slightly as he reads the characters' dialogue, but so much of the tale is the finely scripted narrative hovering around Willis and Kennedy that it still succeeds in keeping the listeners rapt." (Booklist)

monotone

I loved Christopher as Dr. Who, but he is seriously out of his element as an audio book narrator. His reading was very flat, and he made no effort to differentiate character voices. The story was just okay. overall I was disappointed.

amazing

I had been waiting for what seems like forever for this book to release on Audible!!! OH and finally Tuesday came! I was completely wrapped in this book!!! An amazing work from Alex North! The story kept you completely interested. The Narrator perfect! I won't give away the story, but I HIGHLY recommend this!

Monotone narration

Although the narrator had clear diction and a pleasant British accent, his reading was....well, just that, as if he were reading straight from a page with almost no inflection. In a book that wants to be suspenseful, that monotone sucked all the energy and momentum from the story. The final third was ultimately rather intense, but by then, I just wanted to finish and move on to another book.

I'm not whispering it, I'm shouting it, Great Book

I love this book. It usually takes me 5 chapters in before I'm hooked. Not this one, I was hooked right away. Right until the very end. I'm usually ready for a story to end, not this one. I missed it when it was done. I will be listening again.

Relentlessly dark, subject matter disturbing

Just a short note. The book is very dark. Almost everyone is self loathing. I did listen through to the end for some sort of redemption. Didn’t really happen. A writer with writer’s block, a depressed alcoholic policeman, several very mentally sick suspects and a creepy old house. The story was quite unbelievable. Twists for twists sake. I felt overly manipulated.

But if you like dark twisty tales this is for you. I just found it very bleak. Christopher Eccleston is a fine actor but as a reader he was a bit monotonous. Won’t be listening to this one again.

Spooky and Suspensful!

I couldn't stop listening. North delivered a great story without spoiling the ending. "The Whisper Man" kept me guessing, and the finale was better than I imagined.

So good!

I don't normally enjoy a mystery or thriller, but after reading such wonderful reviews of Whisper Man I had to give it a try (and I'm glad I did). The suspense runs throughout the story and is told wonderfully from several characters points of view. While it leaves room for a sequel, I don't expect that we will see one.

Excellent Author

And Excellent Reader. Sometimes we don’t need ‘other’ voices but straight ones like Christopher’s. I hope we get another story soon w same reader.

Re-review :)

Okay, so at first i gave this book a bad review because it was SO BORING!! However, it gets so much bettter towards the end!! Just keep going and you will end up on the edge of your seat. Glad i didnt give up half way through. ;)

Fantastic Book!

I absolutely loved this book! I couldn’t stop listening to it. The narrator was awesome. Definitely one that keeps you on your toes and keeps you guessing.