Author:Jeff Noon
'Noon's storytelling is assured and compelling ... it's a belter' Guardian
‘Constantly surprising’ Spectator
A viciously occult murder.
A curious clue left on the body.
The soundtrack to the murder still playing...
It is 1981 and Detective Inspector Henry Hobbes is still reeling in the aftermath of the fire and fury of the Brixton riots. The battle lines of society - and the police force - are being redrawn on a daily basis.
With the certainties of his life already sorely tested, a brutal murder will shake his beliefs to their very core once more. The manner of the death and its staged circumstances pose many questions to which there are no obvious answers.
To track the murderer, Hobbes must cross boundaries into a subculture hidden beneath the everyday world he thought he knew. His investigation takes him into a twisted reality, which is both seductive and devastating, and asks him the one question he has been dreading: How far will he go in pursuit of the truth?
Jeff Noon is the author of six acclaimed novels, Vurt, Pollen, Automated Alice, Nymphomation, Needle in the Groove and Falling Out of Cars, as well as two collections of short fictions, and is also the crime fiction reviewer for The Spectator. He lives in Brighton.
The obsessive world of pop culture becomes a dangerous, dark, bewitching place in Noon’s utterly brilliant crime fiction debut.
—— William ShawConstantly surprising, the novel takes the form of the police procedural and pushes it in a variety of unexpected directions
—— SpectatorNoon's storytelling is assured and compelling ... it's a belter
—— GuardianSlow Motion Ghosts is a triumph … an ingeniously-plotted and multi-layered tale
—— IndependentThe enjoyably convoluted plot encompasses a heartfelt and moving examination of the other-worldly appeal of glam rock for nerds and outsiders. If you weren't poleaxed by Bowie's death, this very absorbing novel will help to explain why others were.
—— The TelegraphFull of suspense, a gripping 'whodunnit' laced with psychological tension. Douglas-Home is an author who can pull the wool over the reader's eyes until the very end
—— Scottish FieldAn über-thriller in which things turn out just right...it provides a satisfying climax and leaves you breathless, glad to be alive in a wicked world.
—— Evening StandardDrifter hero Jack Reacher on trigger-happy form in an action adventure which ramps up the violence and body count.
—— Sunday MirrorReacher is nigh-invincible here (and certainly smarter than his thuggish opponents), and the body count is even more prodigious than in earlier books, which is saying something. Still, it is dispatched with the author’s customary panache.
—— Barry Forshaw , iThe most spellbinding book I've read this year!
—— Ingrid Alexander, author of The New GirlThe plot is superb. Even if you've read Rebecca . . . you're still going to be glued to the pages . . . a cracking good read
—— The BookbagA compelling twisty, feminist tale
—— Patricia Nicol , Sunday TimesThis evocative thriller really draws you in
—— Marie Warren , HeatIt’s as beautifully written as it is (re)plotted and the updating of characters is superb
—— Wendy Holden , Daily MailA brace of cutting-edge themes are threaded into the abrasive narrative . . . It is a combustible mix, but as in the earlier Blue Light Yokohama, the author has the full measure of his difficult material. With his vividly evoked Mexican and LA settings [he] delivers a pacey, page-turning thriller, but the underlying seriousness gives real texture. Iwata is a richly drawn, conflicted hero, and this is another savage journey into the dark heart of America
—— Barry Forshaw, Financial TimesObregón keeps the unpredictable plot of Sins As Scarlet churning with myriad surprises that are grounded in believability
Ostensibly a suspense novel involving the abduction and murder of children, The Whisper Man is also a study of fatherhood. Alex North's writing is impeccable as he spins out his plot . . . At once painful and moving, this story feels both real and important
—— Literary ReviewAlex North weaves a stunningly captivating narrative that's a nuanced and grounded exploration of father-son relationships. He strikes such a delicate balance that consistently elevates itself, he ultimately provides a master class in genre exploration. An incredible read
—— Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of the Avengers franchiseThe 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 Sunday Times bestselling The Silent PatientA novel about the dark places that are recognisably our own, The Whisper Man plays on our emotions as much as on our fears. A tremendous calling card for the brilliant Alex North.
—— Mick HerronFantastic. He writes beautifully, with a powerful understanding of the effects of loss and damage on the human psyche and a style that sweeps you into its grip and never lets go. I'm totally sold on Alex North
—— Alex Marwood, bestselling author of The Wicked GirlsA fine, chilling tale. Alex North paints a world that is so believable and at the same time utterly terrifying. The characters are beautifully rendered, and the tenderness of the central relationship between father and son deepened the sense of terror
—— James OswaldDeliciously creepy and kept me up long after I'd turned the last page
—— Jenny BlackhurstUtterly absorbing and intense, so deliciously creepy I think I held my breath for half the book. I couldn't walk away from this affecting story until it was done with me. Loved it!
—— Angela ClarkeGripping, disturbing, and creepy as hell - The Whisper Man deserves to be a huge hit. Absorbing writing, characters that will live with you long after finishing, and guaranteed to show up in a nightmare or three. Heartbreaking and unsettling in equal measure, it's destined to be the book that will readers won't be able to forget
—— Luca VesteWonderfully dark, gently creepy and completely bloody heartbreaking. Alex North is a fantastic writer. The Whisper Man left me in pieces
—— Susi HollidayA 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
—— Ed James, bestselling author of The Hope That KillsA 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
—— Michelle Davies, author of Gone AstrayA riveting page turner! Dark and unsettling, this one creeps under your skin
—— J.D. Barker, author of The Fourth MonkeyOne 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.
—— Mason Cross, bestselling author of The SamaritanThere'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
—— Brad MeltzerThe Whisper Man is a tour de force, utterly absorbing and brilliantly realised
—— Mel McGrath, bestselling author of Give Me The ChildThe 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
—— William RyanNo 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
—— Sarah HilaryI 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.
—— Jane CaseyA creepy, serial killer-inflected thriller
—— iMore than just superbly creepy, this beautifully written thriller might just break your heart a little, too
—— HeatWith 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
—— The PeopleA psychological thriller that's both terrifying and heartbreaking - you won't want to miss this one
—— Woman's Weekly[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
—— Publishers WeeklyExtraordinarily 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
—— Irish TimesALEX NORTH'S tightly plotted crime thriller presses all the right buttons for the genre
—— Press AssociationSummer Books of 2019
—— Barry Forshaw, Financial TimesThis exceptionally creepy thriller is also a touching portrait of a bereaved father and son learning to depend on each other
—— Morning StarA debut that will disturb and intrigue in equal measure
—— WomanA debut novel set to disturb and intrigue. Truly chilling
—— Woman's OwnAs 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
—— Meath ChronicleHollywood has snapped up this psychological thriller - and no wonder
—— SunStandout thriller
—— Daily ExpressDeliciously dark and twisty, this is a page-turner from start to finish
—— Connaught TelegraphIf 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
—— People's FriendThis flawless thriller will touch your heart and live long in your memory
—— Daily ExpressThis flawless thriller lives long in the memory
—— Daily Mirror