The Shadow Friend: The gripping new psychological thriller from the Richard & Judy bestselling author of The Whisper Man

Description

One friend died. One friend disappeared. You can't run forever... The new irresistibly creepy thriller from the author of THE WHISPER MAN 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?

Alex North was born in Leeds, where he now lives with his wife and son. He studied Philosophy at Leeds University, and prior to becoming a writer he worked there in their sociology department. The Whisper Man was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, and is being published in more than 30 languages.

Alex North has outdone himself. As terrifying as a great horror novel, as unpredictable as the best type of crime novel and above all beautifully written, The Shadow Friend is the work of a writer who is an absolute master of his craft. I couldn't begin to guess how the story was going to end but I enjoyed every second of the journey -- Jane Casey If you liked The Whisper Man, you'll love this. Alex North has crafted a second novel which is just as gripping as his first and even scarier. Hugely atmospheric and deliciously creepy, it's about how the past encroaches on the present, and how dreaming influences reality, until in the frightening world of The Shadow Friend, it becomes harder and harder to tell one from the other... and the nightmare takes over -- Alex Michaelides * No.1 bestselling author of The Silent Patient * This is absorbing, headlong reading, a play on classic horror with an inventiveness of its own... As with all the best illusions, you are left feeling not tricked, but full of wonder -- New York Times North has returned with another creepy, atmospheric tale exploring the devastating effects of childhood traumas on communities . . . Builds to a surprising and moving finale that will live long in the memory * Daily Express * With echoes of the chilling Slender Man myth, this thriller ultimately feels like a ghost story conjured out of guilt and loss * Crime Monthly * North follows up his sensational debut, 2019's The Whisper Man, with another terrifying spine-tingler... The complex plot shifts smoothly between past and present with numerous unexpected twists. An overwhelming atmosphere of doom and disaster hovers over the perennial darkness of the nearby woods. This heart-pounding page-turner is impossible to put down * Publishers Weekly * The layers of deception make for a chilling read * Woman & Home * A chilling read * Woman's Weekly * Included in 'The Week's Best Books - The Creepy One' * Heat * A chilling and deeply psychological read * Woman & Home * Included in 'The Hot List' * Inside Soap *