Alex North

Some people are scared of the dark. But it’s the light that exposes the secrets. A young boy with nightmares faces up to his demons. A deathbed confession turns the world on its axis. A five-year-old watches his parents bury a body in the garden. A soldier returns from the war to find the horror isn’t yet over. Afraid Of The Light brings the imagination of fourteen bestselling crime writers together in a collection that will keep you up all night. From a deadly campfire game to a holiday gone wrong, to an AI assistant with a motive and a love affair that can only end in murder, this is a gripping, twisty set of stories to send a shiver down your spine.

Nog kapot van de dood van zijn vrouw besluit Tom Kennedy met zijn zoon Jake te verhuizen naar het kleine stadje Featherbank om een nieuwe start te maken. Maar Featherbank heeft een duister verleden. Twintig jaar geleden ontvoerde een seriemoordenaar vijf jongens, die hij vermoordde. Tot hij uiteindelijk werd gepakt vreesde iedereen de Fluisterman. Dat was al lang geleden, en een oud misdrijf hoeft natuurlijk niet van invloed te zijn op het leven van Tom en Jake. Maar dan verdwijnt er weer een jongen. En begint Jake zich vreemd te gedragen. Hij zegt dat hij gefluister bij zijn raam hoort…

Nach dem plötzlichen Tod seiner geliebten Frau will Tom Kennedy mit seinem kleinen Sohn Jake neu anfangen. Ein neuer Start, ein neues Haus, eine neue Stadt – Featherbank. Doch der beschauliche Ort hat eine düstere Vergangenheit. Vor zwanzig Jahren wurden in Featherbank fünf Kinder entführt und getötet. Der Mörder wurde unter dem Namen »Kinderflüsterer« bekannt und schließlich gefasst.Die alten Geschichten interessieren Tom und Jake nicht. Als jedoch ein kleiner Junge verschwindet, machen Gerüchte die Runde, dass der Täter von damals einen Komplizen gehabt habe. Und Jake beginnt, sich merkwürdig zu benehmen. Er sagt, er höre ein Flüstern an seinem Fenster …

De schaduwvriend is de nieuwe thriller van Alex North, die eerder de bestseller De Fluisterman schreef. In De schaduwvriend herinnert Paul Adams zich nog goed die vreselijke dag waarop de jonge Charlie Crabtree een van zijn klasgenoten vermoordde. Paul was zowel bevriend met Charlie als met het slachtoffer. Diezelfde dag verdween Charlie spoorloos en de wildste complottheorieën doen nog steeds de ronde op internet. Vijfentwintig later verwerkt Paul stukje bij beetje zijn jeugd. Maar wanneer zijn dementerende moeder een terugval krijgt, kan hij er niet meer omheen: hij moet terug naar zijn ouderlijk huis. Het duurt niet lang voordat alles uit de hand begint te lopen: zijn moeder is ervan overtuigd dat er een indringer in huis is, en Paul realiseert zich dat hij wordt gevolgd. Het zet hem aan het denken: wat is er daadwerkelijk gebeurd op de dag van de moord? Waar zou Charlie nu zijn? De schaduwvriend is een spannende en duistere thriller, waarmee North de hooggespannen verwachtingen na De Fluisterman inlost.

Após a morte da mulher, Tom Kennedy muda-se com o seu filho, Jake, de 7 anos, para uma pacata povoação chamada Featherbank em busca de um recomeço de vida. Mas Featherbank tem um passado sombrio. Há 20 anos, Frank Carter, um perverso assassino em série, raptou e assassinou cinco rapazes. Ficou conhecido como «o Homem dos Sussurros», pois atraía as suas vítimas à noite sussurrando-lhes da janela. Logo após o seu quinto homicídio, Frank acabou por ser detido. Estando o assassino atrás de grades, Tom e Jake não deveriam ter motivos de preocupação. Só que agora um novo rapaz desapareceu, e as semelhanças entre este acontecimento e os crimes de há 20 anos são desconcertantes. É então que Jake começa a comportar-se de modo estranho… Diz escutar sussurros vindos do lado de fora da janela do seu quarto…

Se a porta aberta você deixar, o sussurro por ela vai entrar. Ainda arrasado após a perda da esposa, Tom Kennedy se muda com o filho Jake para o pacato vilarejo de Featherbank, em busca de um recomeço mais do que necessário. Mas Featherbank tem um passado tenebroso. Vinte anos antes, um pervertido assassino em série sequestrou e matou cinco meninos. Até finalmente ser pego. O assassino era conhecido como “O Homem-Sussurro”. Claro, um crime antigo não deveria incomodar Tom e Jake, que pretendem tão somente se estabelecer na nova casa. Só que agora outro garoto desapareceu. E, depois, Jake começa a agir de modo estranho. Ele diz que ouve um sussurro na janela...

Još shrvan iznenadnom smrću svoje supruge, Tom Kennedy vjeruje da će novi početak pomoći njemu i njegovu sinu Jakeu. Novi početak, nova kuća, novi grad. Featherbank. Ali to je gradić koji ima mračnu prošlost. Prije dvadeset godina serijski ubojica ondje je oteo i ubio pet dječaka. Sve dok ga nisu otkrili, ubojicu Franka Cartera nazivali su “Šaptač” jer je svoje žrtve mamio šapćući im noću na prozoru. Baš u vrijeme kad se Tom i Jake sele u svoj novi dom, u Featherbanku nestaje jedan dječak. Njegov nestanak ima mnogo poveznica sa zločinima Franka Cartera i ponovno potiče stare glasine da je Carter imao pomagača u zločinima. Detektivi Amanda Beck i Pete Willis, koji je nekad radio na slučaju, moraju pronaći nestala dječaka prije nego što bude prekasno, čak i ako to znači da Pete mora ponovno posjetiti starog neprijatelja u zatvoru: Šaptača. A tada se i Jake počne čudno ponašati. Jer i on čuje šaputanje i dozivanje na svom prozoru…

Jeśli drzwi nie zamkniesz w porę, szeptać zacznie ktoś wieczorem… Pisarz Tom Kennedy nie potrafi pogodzić się z nagłą śmiercią żony. Tęsknota za nią staje się szczególnie dotkliwa w momentach, gdy nie może znaleźć wspólnego języka ze swoim synem. Obaj mają nadzieję, że zmiana otoczenia pozwoli im uporać się z traumą. Senne Featherbank wydaje się idealne, by zacząć wszystko od nowa. Ale miejscowość ma swoją mroczną przeszłość. Dwadzieścia lat wcześniej seryjny morderca zamordował tu pięciu kilkuletnich chłopców. Prasa nadała mu przezwisko Szeptacz, ponieważ w nocy miał w zwyczaju szeptać pod oknami swych ofiar. Kiedy dochodzi do zaginięcia małego chłopca, koszmar sprzed lat powraca. Prowadzący śledztwo detektywi dostrzegają niepokojące podobieństwo do sprawy Szeptacza...

Growing up in a beautiful house in the English countryside, Katie Shaw lived a charmed life. At the cusp of graduation, she had big dreams, a devoted boyfriend, and a little brother she protected fiercely. Until the day a violent stranger changed the fate of her family forever. Years later, still unable to live down the guilt surrounding what happened to her brother, Chris, and now with a child of her own to protect, Katie struggles to separate the real threats from the imagined. Then she gets the phone call: Chris has gone missing and needs his big sister once more. Meanwhile, Detective Laurence Page is facing a particularly gruesome crime. A distinguished professor of fate and free will has been brutally murdered just hours after firing his staff. All the leads point back to two old cases: the gruesome attack on teenager Christopher Shaw, and the despicable crimes of a notorious serial killer who, legend had it, could see the future. A dark, suspenseful new thriller about the mysteries of fate, the unbreakable bond of siblings, and a notorious serial killer who was said to know the future.

ARE YOU READY TO ENTER THE HALF BURNT HOUSE? The spine-tingling new thriller from the internationally bestselling author of THE WHISPER MAN, a Richard and Judy pick.*****Katie always looked after her beloved younger brother Chris - until she left him alone for one selfish afternoon, and their picture-perfect family fell apart. Although Chris survived the attack, the scars ran deeper than the ones left across his face. Now they're adults, and they haven't spoken in years. Then she gets a call, from Detective Laurence Page.Page is facing an unusually disturbing crime scene. Alan Hobbes, a distinguished and wealthy philosophy professor, has been brutally murdered. Hobbes was living in a sprawling mansion - but one that remains half-ruined by a decades-old fire, wind and rain howling through the gaping, creaking roof.Page only has one suspect: Chris, caught on CCTV at the house. But he has plenty of questions. What could cause a man as wealthy as Hobbes not to repair his home? Why did he seem to know his death was coming, yet do nothing to stop it? And why was he obsessed with a legendary local serial killer?But Katie only has one thing on her mind. She knows this is her last, best chance to finally save her brother, and make up for her negligence all those years ago. But she can't possibly imagine just how much danger he's in...

The latest gripping serial killer thriller from the New York Times bestselling author Alex North.Dan Garvie’s life has been haunted by the crime he witnessed as a child—narrowly escaping an encounter with a notorious serial killer. He has dedicated his life since to becoming a criminal profiler, eager to seek justice for innocent victims. So when his father passes away under suspicious circumstances, Dan revisits his small island community, determined to uncover the truth about his death. Is it possible that the monster he remembers from his childhood nightmares has returned after all these years?With his signature shock and suspense, Alex North brings us The Man Made of Smoke. In turn emotional, introspective, and utterly terrifying, this is a story of fathers and sons, shadows and secrets, and the fight we all face to escape the trauma of the past.

If it had happened to you, you would have run away too.Twenty-five years ago, Paul's friend Charlie Crabtree brutally killed their classmate - and then vanished without a trace.Paul's never forgiven himself for his part in what happened. He's never gone back home.Until his elderly mother has a fall. It's finally time to stop running.It's not long before things start to go wrong. His mother claims there's someone in the house. Paul realises someone is following him. And, in a town many miles away, a copycat killer has struck.Which makes him wonder - what really happened to Charlie the day of the murder?And can anyone stop it happening again?

You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile--always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it’s attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet--and inspired more than one copycat. Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree--and his victim--were Paul’s friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his mother, old and senile, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every inch of him resists, it is time to come home. It's not long before things start to go wrong. Reading the news, Paul learns another copycat has struck. His mother is distressed, insistent that there's something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago. It wasn't just the murder. It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again...

In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town. After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town: Featherbank. But Featherbank has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night. Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man. And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window.

Πριν από είκοσι πέντε χρόνια, ένα έφηβο αγόρι, ο Τσάρλι Κράμπτρι, διέπραξε ένα φόνο τόσο αποτροπιαστικό, που απέκτησε σχεδόν μυθικές διαστάσεις και αποτέλεσε πηγή έμπνευσης για περισσότερες από μία δολοφονίες απομίμησης. Ο Πολ Άνταμς θυμάται την υπόθεση πολύ καλά, αφού τόσο ο Κράμπτρι όσο και το θύμα του ήταν φίλοι του. Ο Πολ κατάφερε σιγά σιγά να ξαναμαζέψει τα κομμάτια της ζωής του και να κάνει μια νέα αρχή. Όμως τώρα η κατάσταση της ηλικιωμένης πια μητέρας του, που πάσχει από άνοια, έχει επιδεινωθεί. Και, αν και αντιδρά με κάθε κύτταρο της ύπαρξής του στο ενδεχόμενο της επιστροφής, ξέρει ότι έχει έρθει η ώρα να γυρίσει στο σπίτι του. Τα πράγματα σύντομα αρχίζουν να παίρνουν άσχημη τροπή. Ο Πολ μαθαίνει ότι έγινε άλλος ένας φόνος απομίμησης εκείνου του παλιού εγκλήματος. Η μητέρα του είναι αναστατωμένη και επιμένει ότι κάτι υπάρχει στο σπίτι. Και κάποιος τον παρακολουθεί. Θυμίζοντάς του το πιο ανησυχητικό πράγμα που συνέβη εκείνη τη φοβερή μέρα πριν από είκοσι πέντε χρόνια. Δεν ήταν μονάχα ο φόνος. Ήταν και το γεγονός ότι, αμέσως μετά, ο Τσάρλι Κράμπτρι εξαφανίστηκε και δεν τον ξανάδε ποτέ κανένας...