This was a super dark, spooky thriller! At its core, it is a tale about the love between a father and his son following the death of the wife/mother. There are some elements of supernatural and a lot of ambiguity, especially in regards to the son. I read a lot of thrillers - very few of them stick with me like The Whisper Man did. I was terrified! It was not "realistic" but it was believable. I spoke about it continuously and it was one of those books where you want to stay up late reading it, but you really could not because it literally made my skin crawl. It was riveting, engaging, and, since it was a *debut* novel, a refreshing new voice on the crime thriller scene! Excited to see what else this author comes out with!