King excels at infusing his otherworldly tales with all-too-human realities. Themes of childhood trauma, aching memories, and being plagued by one’s past course through King classics like Carrie, Pet Sematary, or Doctor Sleep. Alex North explores similar territory in his dark thrillers. The bestselling author’s serial killer–focused book The Whisper Man is sure to delight King fans with its multigenerational tale of a predator haunting a small English village.
We also recommend North’s follow-up, The Shadows, for its deliciously eerie plot and King-esque examination of the lasting impact of childhood trauma. An “absorbing…play on classic horror with an inventiveness of its own” (New York Times Book Review), The Shadows follows Paul Adams as he returns home to care for his ailing mother. Paul left his hometown in a desperate attempt to flee the nightmares of his youth — among them, the memory of his childhood friend Charlie Crabtree murdering a classmate. But now Paul is back, and it isn’t long before the darkness of yesteryear returns to terrorize him anew.
