Her best book yet, an astonishingly complex and moving literary detective story that made me sob but also snort with laughter. It's the sort of novel you have to start rereading the minute you've finished it

Sharp humour, together with a number of unexpected twists makes this a typically pacey and intelligent read

A greedy feast of a story by a masterful author...A profound, exciting and lingering read

Triumphant...Her best book yet...A tragi-comedy for our times

To read it is to enter a hall of mirrors...Part complex family drama, part mystery, it winds up having more depth and vividness than ordinary thrillers and more thrills than ordinary fiction...A wonderfully tricky book

As satisfying as anything dreamed up by Raymond Chandler, but the beauty of the novel lies in its spot-on characterizations, pitch perfect observations of contemporary culture and a sharp, wisecracking narrative voice

Shot through with sharp, black humour, and introducing a loveable hero in Brodie, this is storytelling that satisfies at every level

Atkinson is very good indeed... more satisfying than many detective novels. Everyone who picks it up will feel compelled to follow it through to the last page

Brilliantly playful, witty and original... massive and consistent talent for comedy

Intriguing and affecting... she has also created a compelling central chracter in world-weary private investigator Jackson Brodie, who is determined to bring justice to all the lives that lie fractured around him

Civilised, funny, life-affirming and hugely enjoyable

Brilliantly detailed and unexpectedly funny

Perceptive and engaging

Murder, mystery and Atkinson's skill make for an atmospheric and moving story

Funny, furious fourth novel rumbustiously drives a path through the genre of detective fiction, demolishing its careful, forensic summation of human behaviour and replacing them with bloody, believable, vigorous tales

Vivid, multifaceted... Case Histories manages to be such an ultimately joyful novel.. I found myself captivated throughout by the vivacity and big-hearted humour... skilled juxtaposition

Not just the best novel I have read this year...but the best mystery of the decade. There are actually four mysteries, nesting like Russian dolls, and when they begin to fit together, I defy any reader not to feel a combination of delight and amazement. Case Histories is the literary equivalent of a triple axel. I read it once for pleasure and then again just to see how it was done. This is the kind of book you shove in people's faces, saying 'You gotta read this!

Sometimes touching, sometimes shocking

A rollicking read that should not be picked up at bedtime, or you'll be done for in terms of a good night's sleep

Neill's characters are so cleverly depicted, you feel as if you've met at least one of them before

Neill's plotting is beyond compare . . . an utterly absorbing account of deception and desire

I thoroughly enjoyed this brilliantly observed novel about a family in meltdown

Cracking

Contemporary issues are tackled here with both humour and realism, making for an engrossing read

The Hot List

Wonderfully dark, gently creepy and completely bloody heartbreaking. Alex North is a fantastic writer. The Whisper Man left me in pieces

A nerve-shredding emotional rollercoaster that'll keep you up late at night, whether you're still reading it or not. A compulsive read that's sure to give you nightmares

A phenomenal read. Terrifying and heartbreaking in equal measure and if it wasn't so hot I'd definitely be sleeping with the windows shut tonight! The Whisper Man will be the book everyone's talking about next summer, mark my words

A riveting page turner! Dark and unsettling, this one creeps under your skin

One of the best crime novels I've read in ages. Alex North has crafted a book that manages to be thrilling, terrifying and genuinely moving.

There's a soft voice outside your window and it demands your attention. The Whisper Man is coming. In fact, he's already here. Get ready to be unnerved. This novel is thrilling

The Whisper Man is a tour de force, utterly absorbing and brilliantly realised

The Whisper Man is a chilling, gripping read but also deeply moving. It's a novel that succeeds on all kinds of levels and deserves all the success that is no doubt coming it's way

No one does Dark with a Heart like Alex North and The Whisper Man delivers a sucker punch that stays with you. Beautifully crafted, chilling & emotional, this's going to be topping Books of the Year lists as soon as it's out

I read The Whisper Man in one go, barely remembering to breathe. North writes brilliantly about the cruelties of life, great and small, and the terrors that afflict young children (not to mention their parents). Tender, terrifying and utterly compelling, The Whisper Man will haunt you to the final page and beyond.

A creepy, serial killer-inflected thriller

More than just superbly creepy, this beautifully written thriller might just break your heart a little, too

With a tender theme about the complexity of father son relationships at its heart, this thriller is immaculately plotted, superbly written, and so good it deserves to be shouted about

A psychological thriller that's both terrifying and heartbreaking - you won't want to miss this one

[A] superb thriller... Readers will have a tough time putting down this truly unnerving tale, with its seemingly unexplainable elements and glimpses of broken and dangerous minds

Extraordinarily well-written, deeply moving . . . The stories are deftly marshalled and interwoven by North with a mastery that would be astonishing were he a debut novelist

ALEX NORTH'S tightly plotted crime thriller presses all the right buttons for the genre

Summer Books of 2019

This exceptionally creepy thriller is also a touching portrait of a bereaved father and son learning to depend on each other

A debut that will disturb and intrigue in equal measure

A debut novel set to disturb and intrigue. Truly chilling

As much an exploration of grief and of the father-son bond as it is a nerve-shredder, this is a good choice for Stephen King fans

Hollywood has snapped up this psychological thriller - and no wonder

Standout thriller

Deliciously dark and twisty, this is a page-turner from start to finish

If you like a touch of Stephen King mixed with British crime, then this is for you . . . this is a spooky read, but also holds its own as a police procedural novel

This flawless thriller will touch your heart and live long in your memory

This flawless thriller lives long in the memory