alex north – Pleasant Nights

Title: The Whisper Man

Author: Alex North

Genre: thriller

PopSugar Reading Challenge Prompt: book published anonymously

For the reading challenge, I needed to read a book published anonymously. After scrolling through several lists, none sounded all that interesting. So, I fudged a bit and went with a book that is technically published anonymously but has a pseudonym attached. Alex North’s real identity is unknown. So, good enough for me. I read The Shadows last year and thought it was pretty good, so I figured why not just use this one for the challenge. And I’m so glad I did. This one was excellent.

From Goodreads: 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 Featherbank 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.

This book was just great in every department: characters, plot, writing, etc. I fully understood character motivations, plot points made sense, and it was tightly written. Jake and Tom are struggling, but your heart goes out to them both. They are trying as best they can, but adjusting has been difficult. The story is told sometimes in 3rd person and sometimes 1st. It’s a bit tricky, but once you get the idea, it’s not too bad. But I definitely appreciated North’s ability to write both in the same book. Overall, this one was a lot better than The Shadows. But because both were really well done, I’ll be looking for more of North’s books.

The Shadows

Hooray for Book of the Month. I’ve only gotten 8 boxes, but I’m hooked. So far, each month I’ve had no trouble picked a book that I am excited to read. The new hardback is only $15 and if you want to add another book, either another monthly pick or an older selection, that’s only $10. Mostly, I pick whatever horror/thriller book is offered, but there are a few other genres that I’ll test out from time to time. This thriller was one that I enjoyed quite a bit.

From Goodreads: You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile–always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it’s attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet–and inspired more than one copycat.

Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree–and his victim–were Paul’s friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his mother, old and senile, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every inch of him resists, it is time to come home.

It’s not long before things start to go wrong. Reading the news, Paul learns another copycat has struck. His mother is distressed, insistent that there’s something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago.

It wasn’t just the murder.

It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again…

There were some definite plot holes and tropes that I could have done without, bur overall the book really comes together in the end. The urban legend presented in this book was really interesting, as was its origin story. I’ve heard of Alex North because of his first book, The Whisper Man, which I will be reading because I enjoyed this one so much.