#BookReview THE WHISPER MAN by ALEX NORTH #RIPXIV

ABOUT THE BOOK

If you leave a door half-open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken…

Still devastated after the loss of his wife, Tom Kennedy and his young son Jake move to the sleepy village of Featherbank, looking for a fresh start.

But Featherbank has a dark past. Fifteen years ago a twisted serial killer abducted and murdered five young boys. Until he was finally caught, the killer was known as ‘The Whisper Man’.

Of course, an old crime need not trouble Tom and Jake as they try to settle in to their new home. Except that now another boy has gone missing. And then Jake begins acting strangely.

He says he hears a whispering at his window…

PUBLISHED BY MICHAEL JOSEPH

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon UK 

hive.co.uk

whsmith

MY REVIEW

If you’re lonely, sad or blue, The Whisper Man will come for you….

And that phrase just about sets the tone perfectly for this brilliantly creepy and gripping thriller, that centres around missing children and the relationship between a father and son struggling to deal with grief and how it affects them living day to day.
A little boy has gone missing in Featherbank. The police know that the longer it takes to find him, the more the possibility of a body being found and it mirrors the happenings of a case involving Frank Carter 20 years ago. He’s still in jail but the investigating officer, Pete, who caught Frank at the time is still troubled by the thought that he had an accomplice all those years ago, and a body is still missing which haunts him as he can’t give closure to that poor boys’ family. He still goes to visit Frank in the hope that he’ll slip up and reveal something but he just seems to enjoy taunting Pete and getting under his skin. And with the disappearance of boys happening again, it looks like Pete’s hunch was right.

Tom and Jake move into the area after the death of Tom’s wife. Young Jake is a sweet little boy who was the first to see his mum after her death and that has played on his mind so he retreats into his own little world and talks to his imaginary friends. Tom just wants his boy to be normal and their relationship is often strained as he tries to do the best for him but often doesn’t know the best way to get through to him.

Their new home unsettles Tom from the start – and me too!! Hearing noises upstairs and hearing whispering outside the window would be enough to have me running for the hills!! The more he finds out about the past of the house, the more shocked he becomes and a discovery soon leads the police to his door which means more unsettling times for him and Jake.

This was such an intense read! With the different viewpoints there was always something going on – from the family viewpoint side, to the thoughts of the police and their investigations and even the occasional soundbite from the ‘killer’ and what the boys mean to him – it was just all such compounding stuff that I was often afraid to read on, scared of what else might be lurking round the corner! I’m glad I did though as it was full of the right amount of tension and chills and a great backstory playing alongside which made for a terrifying but engrossing story! 

★★★★★

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#BookReview This Census-Taker by China Mieville #ripxiv

ABOUT THE BOOK

For readers of George Saunders, Kelly Link, and Karen Russell, This Census Taker is the poignant and uncanny new novella from award-winning and bestselling author China Miéville. After witnessing a profoundly traumatic event, a boy is left alone in a remote house on a hilltop with his increasingly deranged parent. When a stranger knocks on his door, the boy senses that his days of isolation are over—but by what authority does this man keep the meticulous records he carries? Is he the boy’s friend? His enemy? Or something altogether other?

published by Del Ray Books

MY REVIEW

A strange and unsettling reading experience, but one that is pretty absorbing and shocking in equal measures! I’m still a little unsure as to what happened at certain points and think it may be one of those that is left open for interpretation!

At the heart of the story is a young boy who grows up witnessing brutality at home on a daily basis. The family are very insular and live out of the village, but he often sits and watches them play and wishes to join in. He also witnesses his father carrying out savage acts of brutality. AT one point this gets too much for the boy who runs into town telling everyone he’s just seen a murder at his home – when they investigate there is no trace of blood so did he imagine it?

The father is a very manipulative man and watching his way of life was terrifying. The young boy tries to run away with the help of some local children he befriends but there’s always something getting in his way. The only person who seems to want to listen is a man who shows up at the house one day to ask his father questions, but while he wasn’t there the boy opened up instead and the story then takes on a new focus as to what is this man after.

With so much left open for you to interpret whatever way you wish, there was still enough to keep me absorbed in this bizarre little book and eager to read more from this author to see if this way of writing is normal for him!

★★★

#BookReview Mr Godley’s Phantom by Mal Peet #ripxiv

ABOUT THE BOOK

It’s 1945 and Martin Heath, like many men at that time, is struggling to settle, to find his place again after the horrors of war. Then an old comrade sends him a letter and tells him of a position that’s just come up in the remote wilds of Dartmoor – working for an elderly fellow called Mr Godley. “Are you a good driver, Mr Heath?” It’s a simple question and a simple task and the doorway to a dark mystery that may just turn out to be the escape he was hoping for – but at what cost?

published by David Fickling Books

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon UK

hive.co.uk

whsmith

MY REVIEW

The cover of this book caught my eye in the library, and I found it to be a little gem of a book! Really subtle, atmospheric and easy to read so praise be for covers luring me in to discover new favourites!

Set in 1945, Martin Heath is back from the war and is a broken man considering all he has seen and been through. In the days before counselling and times of ‘stiff upper lip’ you just had to get on with life. An old comrade tells Martin of a job that might suit him so he heads off to Devon where he’ll work for Mr Godley – a man who lives in a quiet spot and has very little human contact, and initally scares Martin with his appearance and behaviour.

Martin is in awe of Mr Godley’s car – a much loved Phantom that is his pride and joy and the pair of them take drives together which allows them time to chat and get to know more about one another – their pasts are never too far away from their thoughts.

The dark undertones are clear throughout in this book – there’s always something feeling not quite right about certain situations, and the flashbacks Martin suffers also add to the unsettling feeling. I loved how the author left certain things down to your interpretation, and with the ghostly character being introduced the story then takes on a whole new feel and the police investigation becomes the main feature.

A very clever and unsettling story which was beautifully staged and stays with you!

★★★★

#BookReview The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t With Her Mind by Jackson Ford #RIPXIV

ABOUT THE BOOK

For Teagan Frost, sh*t just got real.

Teagan Frost is having a hard time keeping it together. Sure, she’s got telekinetic powers—a skill that the government is all too happy to make use of, sending her on secret break-in missions that no ordinary human could carry out. But all she really wants to do is kick back, have a beer, and pretend she’s normal for once.

But then a body turns up at the site of her last job—murdered in a way that only someone like Teagan could have pulled off. She’s got 24 hours to clear her name—and it’s not just her life at stake. If she can’t unravel the conspiracy in time, her hometown of Los Angeles will be in the crosshairs of an underground battle that’s on the brink of exploding…

Full of imagination, wit and random sh*t flying through the air, this insane adventure from an irreverent new voice will blow your tiny mind.

Published by Orbit

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon UK

hive.co.uk

whsmith

MY REVIEW

What a fun read!! Full of feisty characters, sweary language and pulsating action, this is a book that keeps you glued to the action and wondering just where the story would take you next.

Teagan is the star of the show and has special abilities – she can move sh*t with her mind! Very useful if you’re the government and she’s being used to take part in a special task force who have to undertake certain missions but when things start spiralling out of control and she seems to be being set up, she and her team are forced to go a little off track and try and prove her innocence while avoiding those who want to take her down.

You often forget that Teagan is quite young but it does show through in certain aspects as she struggles to deal with her abilities at times and the pressure it puts on her, as well as dealing with the past and the fact that her parents made her in a lab but for what reason? Why would you give your child certain abilities?!

Alongside Teagan and her story we also see the world through the eyes of Jake – another youngster with powers and he seems to be using his for darker means but still seems quite afraid and is another person seeking answers and you just wonder what the connection is between them and whether there’s more of them out there all looking for the same thing.

This book had me laughing on so many occasions – Teagan is often very blunt and to the point which leads to some highly amusing confrontations! You also see her vunerable side though and that really helped me connect more with her as a character. The story was really well paced and left in a way that makes it perfect for a follow on which I hope will be soon as I want to see what happens next in this world!

★★★★

Readers Imbibing Peril XIV – I’m signing up! #readingchallenge #ripxiv #bookblogger

With 20 Books of Summer just finished I’ve been looking for another little reading challenge to see me through – and the lovely Nikki of The Secret Library Site reminded me that this reading challenge is back so here I am to sign myself up!

It’s the 14th year of the challenge, wonderfully hosted by https://readersimbibingperil.com/ and here’s a little bit more about it – maybe you’ll sign up too!

The purpose of the R.I.P. Challenge is to enjoy books that could be classified as:

Mystery.Suspense.Thriller.Dark Fantasy.Gothic.Horror.Supernatural.

The emphasis is never on the word challenge, instead it is about coming together as a community and embracing the autumnal mood, whether the weather is cooperative where you live or not.

The goals are simple. 

1. Have fun reading.

2. Share that fun with others.

I like a flexible and fun reading challenge so have been having a rummage through my bookshelves, and took a trip to the local library and have picked out a few possibilities that I’m hoping to get to over the next 2 months! And we all know what I’m like with lists so I’m sure different books may/will be chosen as and when! Will see how the mood grabs me!!

MEMENTO MORI by PAUL HOLBROOK

Whitechapel, London 1877
Sibelius Darke is a man rising to the top of his profession. He is a photographer by trade, but the subjects of his pictures are quite unusual, for they are dead. Darke offers a unique service; family portraits taken with the recently deceased.
The rich and the powerful wish to acquire his services and he is only too willing to do what he must to attain his dreams.
However after hearing a warning from the mouth of a dead child, a monster begins to stalk the streets, killing children. A beast from Darke’s own childhood nightmares.
Seen as a suspect in the eyes of the police, can he stop the killer himself? Or will it take and destroy everything that he holds dear?

Memento Mori is a Supernatural Murder Mystery Novel set in Late Victorian London. Mixing Finnish mythology with 19th century degradation and depravity, Memento Mori tells a story of murder, madness and corruption at the heart of Victorian high society.

WE by YEVGENY ZAMYATIN

We takes place in a distant future, where humans are forced to submit their wills to the requirements of the state, under the rule of the all-powerful Benefactor, and dreams are regarded as a sign of mental illness. In a city of straight lines, protected by green walls and a glass dome, a spaceship is being built in order to spearhead the conquest of new planets. Its chief engineer, a man called D-503, keeps a journal of his life and activities: to his mathematical mind everything seems to make sense and proceed as it should, until a chance encounter with a woman threatens to shatter the very foundations of the world he lives in.

Written in a highly charged, direct and concise style, Zamyatin’s 1921 seminal novel – here presented in Hugh Aplin’s crisp translation – is not only an indictment of the Soviet Russia of his time and a precursor of the works of Orwell and the dystopian genre, but also a prefiguration of much of twentieth-century history and a harbinger of the ominous future that may still lay ahead of us. 

THE SHINING by STEPHEN KING

Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote . . . and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

THIS CENSUS TAKER by CHINA MIEVILLE

For readers of George Saunders, Kelly Link, and Karen Russell, This Census Taker is the poignant and uncanny new novella from award-winning and bestselling author China Miéville. After witnessing a profoundly traumatic event, a boy is left alone in a remote house on a hilltop with his increasingly deranged parent. When a stranger knocks on his door, the boy senses that his days of isolation are over—but by what authority does this man keep the meticulous records he carries? Is he the boy’s friend? His enemy? Or something altogether other?

MR GODLEY’S PHANTOM by MAL PEET

A haunting masterpiece from storyteller Mal Peet. Part ghost story, part detective novel and part something else entirely, Mr Godley’s Phantom is something of an enigma, with its own distinctive fifties flavour of cigarettes, petrol and mystery.

THE GIRL WHO COULD MOVE SH*T WITH HER MIND by JACKSON FORD

For Teagan Frost, sh*t just got real.

Teagan Frost is having a hard time keeping it together. Sure, she’s got telekinetic powers—a skill that the government is all too happy to make use of, sending her on secret break-in missions that no ordinary human could carry out. But all she really wants to do is kick back, have a beer, and pretend she’s normal for once.

But then a body turns up at the site of her last job—murdered in a way that only someone like Teagan could have pulled off. She’s got 24 hours to clear her name—and it’s not just her life at stake. If she can’t unravel the conspiracy in time, her hometown of Los Angeles will be in the crosshairs of an underground battle that’s on the brink of exploding…

Full of imagination, wit and random sh*t flying through the air, this insane adventure from an irreverent new voice will blow your tiny mind.

👻👻👻👻👻

So I may to get all of these, or may just read 1!  I’m just looking forward to a few different reads over the next 8 weeks  Just hope they don’t scare me too much……..