Tag: ghosts

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Review: The Whisper Man

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Whisper Man by Alex North is a good thriller, but not as terrifying as everyone claims on the back cover. The story and the setting are chilling enough, and anything that involves children is always uncomfortable to read, but calling it thriller of the year is going a bit far.

After the death of his wife, Tom Kennedy is looking for a fresh start with his son, Jake. They move to Featherbank on Jake’s insistence, into a house considered scary by the local kids. Jake is a sensitive child who has difficulty making friends and his imaginary friends don’t help the situation either. In addition to this, Tom finds it hard to communicate with Jake.

The village looks sleepy and safe, but twenty years ago it was the scene of horrific serial killings. The killer dubbed as The Whisper Man abducted and killed five little boys before he was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment. This isn’t a cause of concern for Jake and Tom since it was all a long time back. But just before they move, another boy goes missing, and the police find startling similarities with the old case.

Then Jake starts acting weirdly, and claims that he hears whispers at his window. Tom is concerned about the mental health of his son. There are also other suspicious things happening around him making him rethink about moving to this sleepy little village.

The Whisper Man is a good thriller that also has a heart. The struggles of a father to understand his son, and of a man to overcome the loss of his wife are beautifully penned, and create real sympathy for both Tom and Jake. There is also the character of Pete who is a very lonely man, living in his past. It is easy to feel bad for this police detective too.

The only things I found lacking in this book were unpredictability and a feeling of fear and dread which generally comes with the way an author writes about the uncomfortable things. It sounds quite macabre, but it is hard for readers to feel actual fear unless they see the extent of a killer’s depravity. After reading Nordic crime fiction, it feels like British authors are a bit squeamish going into gory details. But reading a book is like watching a movie in your mind; you want a clear picture that you can understand. Some books need to be more graphic because of their plotlines.

Still, The Whisper Man manages to keep the reader interested. A good one-time read.

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Review: The Other People

Rating: 3 Stars

The Other People is a decent book, but it doesn’t match up to the earlier brilliance of The Chalk Man. It is unfortunate that C.J. Tudor set the bar so high for herself with The Chalk Man.

Gabe has spent the last 3 years looking for his daughter. Everyone says his wife and daughter are dead. But Gabe knows that he saw his daughter in a strange car the same day she was supposed to have been murdered. He is not willing to give up on his quest.

Katie is a waitress in a service station off the M1 highway. She is the quintessential dutiful daughter, the responsible mother, and the caring sister. Her life is a series of monotonous days. That is all about to change.

Fran has been on the run with her daughter Alice for the last 3 years. She is running away from The Other People who want to hurt her and her daughter. Because she knows the truth about Gabe’s wife and daughter.

Then there’s a girl in a white room, with machines all around her. She has been asleep for more than 20 years.

All these stories would have made for an interesting read, if it hadn’t been so predictable. There are no real twists and turns in this story. The biggest disappointment is the paranormal angle which Tudor hasn’t used to its potential. If elaborated, it could have been the saving grace for this book.

What The Other People lacks is the coldbloodedness of Tudor’s earlier works. There is just too much empathy with every character. So I fail to understand how other reputable authors have declared this book “chilling” and “spooky”?

For me, The Other People is a miss. It is nothing like C.J. Tudor’s earlier works, and the chill factor leaves a lot to be desired too.

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Review: The Sun Down Motel

Rating: 3.5 Stars

If The Broken Girls was creepy, The Sun Down Motel promises to be so much more! Simone St. James has outdone herself in chills and secrets. A mystery spanning 35 years, the story is full of intrigue and suspense; and it has a few ghosts thrown in for additional thrill! I had fun reading this book, especially late at night when you can actually feel the creepiness of the Sun Down Motel.

In 1982, Viv Delaney stumbles onto the Sun Down Motel on her way to New York. Circumstances make her stay back in the small, strange town of Fell. The owner practically hands her the night shift, and thus begins the spooky tale of the ghostly motel. The place is frightening, and haunted, yet Viv finds herself being drawn into this dark world. Then she stumbles upon an unsolved murder and things start spiraling downwards from there.

In 2017, Carly Kirk decides to visit the town where here aunt Viv disappeared mysteriously, before Carly was born. But fate has decided to play a joke and Carly ends up with the same job as her aunt at the Sun Down Motel. Before long, she too finds herself going down the same rabbit hole as her aunt. Nothing seems to have changed at the Sun Down in the last 35 years.

The story mostly takes place during the night when the Sun Down comes to life in a very creepy way. The parallels between the lives of Viv and Carly are startling, and their destinies seem intertwined. Many times I found myself wanting to tell them to stay away from the place and leave town.

Yet, not once did I feel like the two women acted stupidly. Normally, in such situations you feel like the protagonist made stupid choices by going it alone and not asking for help. No such thing in this book. Both women are smart, courageous, and not afraid to ask for help. Yes, there are a few instances where you feel like Viv is taking too many chances, but when you know you’re right and no one believes you, there are times when you don’t really have much of a choice.

The mystery part becomes a bit easy to work out as the story progresses but that is not really the main draw of the book in the first place. The climax could have been a bit more detailed. I could have read a few more pages if I had gotten all the answers, the most bothersome being the story of Callum MacRae. Other than that, I was happy with the whole story and would recommend it to all fans of supernatural thrillers.

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