You never forget the day you meet a serial killer.

Dan was just a teenager when he had a chance encounter with the elusive killer known only as “the man made of smoke”. Nobody could blame him for being too scared to intervene, for being too scared to save the latest victim, for letting the killer vanish again.

Nobody except Dan himself.

Years later, Dan has a successful career as a criminal psychiatrist, unpicking the very darkest of human behaviour. Because, despite what he saw that day, Dan knows there's no such thing as a monster.

But now his father, John, has gone missing. And, when Dan returns to the small island where he grew up, he finds out that not long before his disappearance, John had stumbled across a body.

As Dan begins to dig, he finds unsettling links, stretching all the way back to the man made of smoke.

Which means this might just be a chance to not only save his dad, but to finally find redemption.
But what if he's been wrong about that day for all these years.

What if he was right to be scared?

ARE YOU READY TO ENTER THE HALF BURNT HOUSE?

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...

A serial killer, a mysterious lost book, and a woman with one last chance to save her family- the chilling new thriller from the author of The Whisper Man Katie always prided herself on being a responsible big sister - until she left her brother Chris alone for one selfish afternoon, and everything fell apart. Although he survived the attack, the scars ran deep - physical, and emotional. Now they're adults, and they haven't spoken in years. Then she gets a call - from a detective. A body has been found in a sprawling mansion - one that remains half-ruined by a decades-old fire. Chris is the prime suspect. Katie knows this might be her last, best chance to save her brother. But she doesn't realise that this isn't the first murder - and so she doesn't know how much danger she's in...

THE GRIPPING NEW PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK THE WHISPER MAN 'Hugely atmospheric and deliciously creepy' Alex Michaelides, bestselling author of The Silent Patient 'A surprising and moving finale that will live long in the memory' Daily Express _______ THE VICTIM WAS YOUR FRIEND It was just a silly game to start with. Paul never really believed in it. He never dreamed Charlie would take it so far. SO WAS THE MURDERER For twenty years, Paul's tried to put his past behind him, but now his mother is dying, and he can't run any longer. But home isn't just full of bad memories. It's also the last place anyone saw Charlie alive. And Paul starts to wonder if Charlie might come back to finish what he started . . . _______ 'Alex North has outdone himself. The Shadow Friend is the work of a writer who is an absolute master of his craft' Jane Casey 'Absorbing, headlong reading . . . As with all the best illusions, you are left feeling not tricked, but full of wonder' New York Times 'Echoes of the chilling Slender Man myth' Crime Monthly Praise for Alex North 'The best crime novel of the decade' Steve Cavanagh, bestselling author of Thirteen 'First it's spooky. Then it's scary. Then it's terrifying. And then... well, dear reader, proceed at your own risk. An ambitious, deeply satisfying thriller - a seamless blend of Harlan Coben, Stephen King, and Thomas Harris. My flesh is still crawling' A. J. Finn, no.1 bestselling author of The Woman in the Window 'Alex North has achieved the seemingly impossible. The Whisper Man is a thriller that is both terrifying and utterly heartbreaking. Mesmerising and masterful' Mark Billingham 'A dark, creepy, thriller with a huge amount of heart. Damn, but Alex North can write!' Stuart MacBride

A RICHARD & JUDY PICK SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 'The best crime novel of the decade' Steve Cavanagh 'Both terrifying and utterly heartbreaking' Mark Billingham 'Superbly creepy . . . it might just break your heart a little, too' Heat 'A dark, creepy, thriller with a huge amount of heart' Stuart MacBride 'Beautifully crafted, heart-rending and spine-tinglingly chilling' Sarah Pinborough 'Shades of Thomas Harris and Stephen King but brilliant in its own right' C. J. Tudor ______________ 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? ___________ 'A true skin-crawler' Guardian 'This flawlessly plotted thriller absolutely deserves to be shouted about' Sunday Mirror