Webinar: Alex North in conversation

Join us at 19:00 BST on Thursday 8 June for a conversation with the bestselling crime writer.

Photo Credit: Charlotte Graham

Award-winning crime writer Alex North will be joining Suw on Thursday 8 June at 19:00 BST to talk about the craft of writing, his rollercoaster career, and what happens when he gets the wobbles halfway through writing a book. 

Alex’s most recent book, The Half Burnt House, has been described as “breath-taking and terrifying” by Helen Fields and “dark, gripping, and twisty” by Claire McGowan. But what was it like to write? How does Alex balance plot and character? And how does he build that dark, suspenseful atmosphere that he’s known for? 

About Alex North

Alex’s first novel, The Whisper Man, was a Sunday Times, New York Times and international bestseller, a Richard and Judy pick, and is currently being adapted for film. It was followed by The Shadow Friend (The Shadows in the US). His most recent thriller is The Half Burnt House (The Angel Maker in the US). Alex is the pseudonym for an award-winning crime novelist, and he lives in Leeds with his wife and son.

How to attend

The live webinar will be open to everyone, so for reminders and to get the Zoom link, which will only go out to subscribers, please sign up to either of my newsletters: 

• Word Count: A newsletter full of writing tips, podcast recommendations, great articles, book/TV reviews and pictures of cats. 

• Why Aren’t I Writing?: A newsletter for people who aren’t writing as much as they want to.

The recording and transcript will be available for paying members only, so upgrade your subscription now – it’s just £5 a month, which is just a smidge over 16p per day, or you can save a tenner with the annual subscription at £50.

If you have any questions, you can ask via the Q&A tab during the webinar, or you can ask ahead of time by leaving a comment below. 

Alex’s books

The Whisper Man

A multi-generational tale of suspense, as a father and son are caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man", for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumours that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window.

The Shadow Friend/The Shadows

The gripping new psychological thriller from the Richard & Judy bestselling author of The Whisper Man.

Paul Adams returns home after a 25-year absence and must confront his memories of a horrific murder committed by his childhood friend, a crime so shocking that it’s attracted a strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet. Unfortunately, the crime might not be as distant as it seems.

You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile–always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it’s attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet–and inspired more than one copycat.

Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree–and his victim–were Paul’s friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his mother, old and suffering from dementia, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every inch of him resists, it is time to come home.

It's not long before things start to go wrong. Paul learns that Detective Amanda Beck is investigating another copycat that has struck in the nearby town of Featherbank. His mother is distressed, insistent that there's something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago.

It wasn't just the murder.

It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again.

The Half Burnt House/The Angel Maker

A dark, suspenseful thriller about the mysteries of fate, the unbreakable bond of siblings, and a notorious serial killer who was said to know the future.

Growing up in a beautiful house in the English countryside, Katie Shaw lived a charmed life. At the cusp of graduation, she had big dreams, a devoted boyfriend, and a little brother she protected fiercely. Until the day a violent stranger changed the fate of her family forever.

Years later, still unable to live down the guilt surrounding what happened to her brother, Chris, and now with a child of her own to protect, Katie struggles to separate the real threats from the imagined. Then she gets the phone call: Chris has gone missing and needs his big sister once more.

Meanwhile, Detective Laurence Page is facing a particularly gruesome crime. A distinguished professor of fate and free will has been brutally murdered just hours after firing his staff. All the leads point back to two old cases: the gruesome attack on teenager Christopher Shaw, and the despicable crimes of a notorious serial killer who, legend had it, could see the future.