Whistle by Linwood Barclay

Title: Whistle

Series: n/a
Author: Linwood Barclay
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Horror; Paranormal
Publisher/Publication Date: William Morrow; May 20, 2025

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay enters new territory with a supernatural chiller in which a woman and her young son move to a small town looking for a fresh start, only to be haunted by disturbing events and strange visions when they find a mysterious train set in a storage shed.

Evil has a one track mind...

Annie Blunt has had an unimaginably terrible year. First, her husband was killed in a tragic hit-and-run accident, then one of the children’s books she’s built her writing and illustrating career on ignited a major scandal. Desperate for a fresh start, she moves with her son Charlie to a charming small town in upstate New York where they can begin to heal. But Annie’s year is about to get worse. Bored and lonely in their isolated new surroundings, Charlie is thrilled when he finds a forgotten train set in a locked shed on their property. Annie is glad to see Charlie happy, but there’s something unsettling about his new toy. Strange sounds wake Annie in the night—she could swear she hears a train, but there isn’t an active track for miles—and bizarre things begin happening in the neighborhood. Worse, Annie can’t seem to stop drawing a disturbing new character that has no place in a children’s book. Grief can do strange things to the mind, but Annie is beginning to think she’s walked out of one nightmare straight into another, only this one is far more terrifying…

After reading King’s The Shining, I was in the mood for another horror novel. Luckily for me, I had Linwood Barclay’s May 2025 novel, Whistle, for review.

Where to even begin with this book?

To start, I liked this one as much as The Shining. But, also like that book, Whistle dealt with some heavy topics, and it was horror through-and-through, but with a twist involving toy trains (which I never thought could be so creepy, but hey, I was proved wrong).

The basics are: Annie Blunt was having a hard time and, in looking for a break, heads out of New York City for what should’ve been a relaxing time so maybe—just maybe—she could work on her next book. Like King’s novel, Barclay’s set up Whistle’s opening really well. It was detailed and engrossing, and it did a lot of heavy lifting when it came to developing Annie, Charlie, and even her late husband. It was easy to be sympathetic in the wake of her grief, and understanding toward her troubles and how she tried to cope as well as keep going because her son needed her. And Charlie’s chapters, though brief by comparison, offered an insight into his perspective. But, the work on the backstory didn’t over stay its welcome, and there were plenty of clues peppered throughout the early narrative which pointed toward what would ultimately be the uncanny and creepy nature of the core of the story.

One of the standouts was Barclay’s treatment of the toy trains. I went in with an open mind. And, as I mentioned above, they weren’t portrayed as a gimmick but instead had a presence in the story that cast a long shadow. They also presented quite a mystery.

Annie, however, wasn’t the only character stuck in that mess. There was the present storyline, which followed her and her son. But, part of the story took place in the past as well; those sections were real foreboding. At times, I knew more than the characters did, but it worked out, because part of what made the novel thrilling, eerie, and a page turner was waiting to see how the different ends of the story would intersect. It was great!

Whistle was exactly what I was hoping it would be. It wasn’t necessarily fast paced, but it was the kind of horror novel that slowly unfolds and was driven by its characters as much as it was by the supernatural aspects that fueled its more frightening moments.

 

About the author....

Linwood Barclay, a New York Times bestselling author with twenty novels to his credit, spent three decades in newspapers before turning full time to writing thrillers. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages, sold millions of copies, and he counts Stephen King among his fans. Many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, a series has been made in France, and he wrote the screenplay for the film based on his novel Never Saw it Coming. Born in the US, his parents moved to Canada just as he was turning four, and he’s lived there ever since. He lives near Toronto with his wife, Neetha. They have two grown children.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (William Morrow) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!