Book Review: Three books that will definitely tingle your spine with their bogeyman elements: The Six by Luca Veste, The Whisper Man by Alex North and The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths

I don't know about you, but I love a good bogeyman story. I still remember the thrill of 'bogeyman' stories as a child - that tension, spine tingling fear  ... they scared the hell out of me, but were simultaneously deliciously addictive. The thrill of an uncanny supernatural, larger than life malevelant presence really grips me and in The Six by Luca Veste, The Whisper Man by Alex North and The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths, I was transported back to that thrilling, edgy, feeling from my childhood. The idea of an unseen , yet sinister threat hovering just out of sight. 

The Six by Luca Veste

Blurb

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Six friends trapped by one dark secret.

It was supposed to be our last weekend away as friends, before marriage and respectability beckoned. But what happened that Saturday changed everything.

In the middle of the night, someone died. The six of us promised each other we would not tell anyone about the body we buried. But now the pact has been broken. And the killing has started again …

Who knows what we did? And what price will we pay?

My Thoughts

Luca Veste is definately one of those authors with a flair for weaving the supernatural into crime fiction seamlessly. After reading The Bone Keeper  I was really anticipating The Six and was definately not disappointed. 

Veste takes us back to the six friends' childhood in a narrative punctuated by a soundtrack from the 90s which brought the flashbacks to light. Through various scenes we see how the friendships develop between the six and how irretrivably broken they became after the tragic event at the 90s music festival, when someone dies. The eerie brooding presence of an other worldy serial killer lurking in the woods that night, combined with the slow revelation of how events actually unfolded kept me on the edge of my seat. 

Then, with another pivotal event - the death of one of the six friends - shows the after effects of that tragic night on each of them and the state of their friendships. It explores how people cope with extreme trauma and how a single traumatic event can irrevocably change your life and expectations  for ever. 

The lurking presence of The Candleman  gave the novel a creepy edge which I found thrilling. Larger than life and constantly on the periphery of the friends' awareness I have to admit my spine was tingled on more than one occasion. 

A great supenseful book which shows an awareness of human nature, trauma and how our imagination and worse fears can haunt us. Loved it. 

The Whisper Man by Alex North 

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Blurb

If you leave a door half-open, soon you'll hear the whispers spoken . . .

Fifteen years ago, a serial killer known only as 'The Whisper Man' wreaked havoc on the sleepy village of Featherbank.

But with the killer behind bars, the village is now a safe haven for Tom and his young son Jake to make a fresh start.

Until another boy goes missing. It feels like history is repeating itself.

Could the killer still be out there - and can Tom protect his son from becoming the next victim?

My Thoughts 

Love, just love, the cover of this book. So beautifully haunting and I think, it reflects both the beauty and the tragedy of the father son relationship which forms the focus of The Whisper Man. 
Alex North (AKA Steve Mosby) has always been able to keep me on the edge of the seat with his writing and in The Whisper Man, it was no different. 

Apart from the creepy supernatral stuff and the eerie, but inspired rhymes ( I always find those really chilling) which kept me on the edge of my seat, I was engrossed in the development of Tom's relationship with his son. 

The whole idea of trying to keep your child safe against the presence of a serial killer who appears to have a copy cat fan is something that any parent can relate too.  Combined with the idea of a bogeyman called the Whisper man luring your child outside by whispering at his window, it's the sort of thing nightmares are made from. 

Beutifully written, suspenseful and with a few quite stunning twists, I highly recommend The Whisper Man

The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths

Blurb

Everything has changed for Dr Ruth Galloway.

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She has a new job, home and partner, and is no longer North Norfolk police's resident forensic archaeologist. That is, until convicted murderer Ivor March offers to make DCI Nelson a deal. Nelson was always sure that March killed more women than he was charged with. Now March confirms this, and offers to show Nelson where the other bodies are buried - but only if Ruth will do the digging.

Curious, but wary, Ruth agrees. March tells Ruth that he killed four more women and that their bodies are buried near a village bordering the fens, said to be haunted by the Lantern Men, mysterious figures holding lights that lure travellers to their deaths.

Is Ivor March himself a lantern man, luring Ruth back to Norfolk? What is his plan, and why is she so crucial to it? And are the killings really over?

My Thoughts

This is Dr Ruth Galloway's 12th outing and this series shows no signs of becoming predictable or tedious. I love the police procedural element combined with the expert archaelogicl contribution by Ruth. The characters are familiar and yet Griffiths keeps them fresh. 

As usual, part of the appeal of this series is the supernatural elements and folk tales that griffiths seamlessly weaves into the narrative. The Lantern Men, malevelant spirits luring folk to their deaths, is a chilling idea and combined with the creepy killer Ivor March, an unidentified real life Lantern Man and the almost cult like behaviour of March's associates, this is a mesmerising read. 

I love the way that Griffiths juxtaposes Nelson's down to earth dismissive attitude with the mystical druid, Cathbad's belief in other worldly things and Ruth's more open-minded, yet doubtful philosophy. 

A cracking series and a cracking addition to the series.