The Whisper Man by Alex North

Twenty years ago, a serial killer named Frank Carter kidnapped and killed seven young boys.  His nickname was The Whisper Man as he lured the boys outside by whispering outside their windows.  Detective Pete Willis caught Carter and was considered a hero by everyone except himself.  He has castigated himself and called himself a failure for twenty years because while he found the bodies of four of the boys, he never found the last victim although Carter confessed to the crime.

Tom Kennedy and his son, Jake, need a fresh start.  Jake's mother died recently and the two are grieving and trying to figure out how to live life together as a pair rather than a trio.  Tom is sure he is doing everything wrong; his own father walked out on his mother and he and he believes that only his wife was responsible for helping Jake grow up happily.  Jake is an introverted child who loves to draw and who has imaginary friends.  Tom worries about this and wants Jake to have lots of school friends instead of the ones he makes up to populate his life.

Determined to make a fresh start, Tom and Jake move to Featherbank to start over.  As soon as Jake saw the old house he was determined that nowhere else would do and Tom reluctantly purchases the house.  It is strange and older and he isn't sure it's the best place to start over.  But move in they do and things immediately start getting weird.  There are school worries as Jake doesn't get off to a good start and there are strange things happening around the house.  Most worrying, Jake is still busy with his imaginary friends and these friends now seem to be threatening rather than reassuring.  In the town itself, families are worried as another child has been abducted and when his body is found, the talk of Whisper Man starts up again.  Detective Willis is brought onto the case due to his expertise from twenty years ago but is sure he won't be able to help any more than he found the last boy then.  Can Pete and his partner Amanda find the Whisper Man before he takes another victim?

Alex North has written an engaging thriller.  It had one of the biggest surprises halfway through that I can remember in recent reading.  However, I couldn't help but wonder at Tom Kennedy and why he didn't get counseling for Jake and for himself after the traumatic loss of his wife.  The characters are compelling and the pace works for this type of mystery.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.