The Whisper Man - Alex North - Book Review

Mystery and Thriller genres are always a treasure trove for a good writer with imagination. Having been an ardent fan of both the genres, I have always look out for books in such a way that it gives me a catchy first impression - the one liner on the cover, the concise outline mentioned in the back of the book, the book cover, the book name etc. Here it was the mention of a whisper man. And that too from a debutante writer (Alex North)! I do not have to read with any preconceived notions and that interested me.
The story begins with a child abduction and the police are on high wire to track the criminal. Pete Willis is a policeman who headed similar abduction cases twenty years ago. Even after successfully closing the case, he was still heavily scarred by the case as he was unable to find the last abducted kid thereby damaging his marital life as well. The new abductions post a new challenge as it follows the same pattern and and he is drawn into the investigation which is headed by Amanda. Writer Tom Kennedy moves in with his young son Jake and they are trying to get back to normal life after the untimely death of the Tom's wife. There are some minor tensions between the father and son after the death of mother. As days pass by, Jake starts acting strangely and starts hearing a whisper by the window. Soon he is abducted and the police as well as father starts working on the case forming the remaining story.
One main factor that I liked in the book was how the emotions of the main cast were handled. The insecurities of Tom as a father and husband who is left to face the world and his son after the demise of his wife, the clouds rounding up in Jake's mind on his father and the new world he is exposed to, the scars that are deeply rooted in Pete's life are all striking original. The father-son emotional bond is well depicted throughout. There is a supernatural element that is present in the story and I really liked the way it was merged into the story. I expected a 'Hannibal' sort of scenario during the conversations between Frank Carter, the old convict and Pete Willis; but it was different and that was a smart move. The book is not an edge of the seat thriller throughout but then it has its own moments. The chemistry of Tom Kennedy and Pete Willis was extremely interesting to follow and well connected. The secondary characters like Amanda, the journalist friend, the little girl were etched well in the story.
As a reader, books of debutante authors are always a hit or miss. Couple of years ago; I remember trying out Lars Kepler after seeing the cover of The Hypnotist. The author did not disappoint me and easily grew to be one of my favorite writers. I can say the same with Alex North. I read the book without any expectation and the book also did not disappoint me.A definite read for whodunit and thriller fans.

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