Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for a copy provided for an honest review.

This story follows a widow and her son Charlie as they move to a small town in upstate New York for a change of scenery. Annie is a children’s book author and one of her recent publications was the center of a major tragedy and scandal.

Upon arrival at their new temporary home, Charlie finds a train set on the property and Annie becomes inspired by a disturbing new character that is a bit scary for her traditional children’s book genre. Add in the strange happenings in the new house, the sounds of trains but no trainline, and neighbors that act both welcoming and hostile, made for a great suspenseful atmosphere I look for in a supernatural thriller.

Recommended to thriller readers that don’t mind a side of horror with their thrills and chills.

Wow! I binge read this so quickly! I just had to find out what was going on and while I thought I knew there was just so much more going on that at the end I closed the book and sat and stared for a bit!

I was a bit confused in the beginning when you are hopping around to different POV’s but then things made sense and I realized you need these other stories to put it all together in the end!

So good!

Wow, this book was gripping and creepy all at the same time. It really pulled me into the story from the beginning, and was so good!!

I loved it!!

Wonderful idea and loved how it all came together at the end! Reminds me of needful things by Stephen King yet also different in its own way. Only negative thing is had a lot of repeating moments about characters that could possibly have been cut shorter

Well this was different! It was good as a Stephen King-ish book, it was just a surprise as I was expecting more of a Linwood Barclay-ish book. It's always interesting when an author does a bit of a switch from his usual type of writing and in that way, this is a fairly good one. I actually prefer Barclay's previous books but this was a likeable read.

After tragically losing her husband in a hit-and-run accident, Annie Blunt, a popular Children's author, is looking to escape from NYC in order to get a fresh start for herself and her young son, Charlie. Through her editor, she's able to secure a lovely rental house in a small town in upstate New York, close to the Vermont border, or as Charlie calls it, 'in the country'. It will definitely be a big change of pace for them.

Looking for things to do at their new place, Charlie ends up discovering an old train set locked in a storage shed in the yard. Annie helps him bring it in the house and set it up, but there's something nagging her about it; an unsettling feeling she cannot explain. Strange noises, strange occurrences throughout the neighborhood, and a strange feeling haunting Annie's every moment. She's determined to get to the bottom of what is happening in their new place. Is it her? Is the stress finally taking over, or is there something more sinister at play?

Interspersed throughout Annie's story, we also get a past perspective that may provide the answers to what is happening to her and Charlie. It might not be a train journey, but this novel is certainly a journey. Wow!

Whistle was a very fun read. While it won't go down in history as the most memorable Horror novel I've ever read, I appreciate the classic feel of the storytelling. Barclay definitely succeeded in captivating my attention. It actually heavily reminded me of a less diabolical version of Needful Things. There were a lot of aspects of this story that reminded me of that one, and I wasn't mad about it.

I appreciated that Barclay didn't try to throw in a bunch of narrative tricks, or gimmicks. It's just a straight-forward story that manages to be creepy as heck. Also, I found the characters compelling enough to care for their outcome, which is always a plus. Additionally, I'll never look at a toy train set in the same way again...

Overall, I was really impressed with this. I would definitely recommend it to any Horror Reader, or even people who maybe don't read Horror as much, but want to dip their toe into an unsettling Supernatural Thriller once Spooky season comes along. Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had never read from this author before, but I'm excited to look into his backlist!

Whistle was unique, I wasn't sure what to expect when going into this and what the horror aspect with trains was going to necessarily include, but I enjoyed the route it took. Now while I thought this book was mainly going to be in Annie's POV, I enjoyed the arrival of a new POV Harry the police chief. His sections gave more insight on what was going on and actually helped me kind of unravel the mystery of what was going on.
I loved Annie's character I felt she had a ton of depth to her and her struggle with her grief was understandable and almost relatable. I had no idea where any of this story was going to go for her and Charlie. Every part, every chapter things got darker and I enjoyed it.
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Hmm I didn’t love this one but also didn’t hate it. I’m usually more of a thriller gal but figured I’d give this a try. To me, I could see this as a better movie or show rather than a book

I’ve read other books by Linwood Barclay and this one was so amazingly disturbing I read it looking between my fingers grinding my teeth; it was that terrifying to me. Dark, twisty and enraging at how much I wanted to face punch the villain. I expected thriller and I got skin crawling amazement. I hated it and loved it at the same time. What a gift that an author can transport you so thoroughly into feeling these intense emotions as you read letters on a page. Great and disturbing book.

Super creepy! I enjoyed this book - it felt like an 80’s horror movie. I couldn’t read it at night. I will never think of toy trains the same way again.

I liked how everything came together in the end.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

I believe this is Linwood Barclay’s first foray into horror and he did a fabulous job. This book reminds me of Needful Things by Stephen King (the second book I’ve read recently to do so). It is a horror book for sure but also has great characters, even the side characters of the townspeople were fully realized. I liked the back and forth in time from 2001 in Lucknow to modern day NYC. I liked Harry and Annie.

If you like your horror well written, with interesting characters, a fast moving story, and not overly graphic, then I think you’ll enjoy this book. I highly recommend it. I think it will be one of my favs for 2025.

**Thanks to the author and William Morrowind for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early digital copy of Whistle by Linwood Barclay. Whistle has been out since May, but I am just now getting around to writing my review. When I saw the synopsis that involved a mysterious train set, I immediately was reminded of Murder of the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. I am surprised I haven't seen this one around social media more. Like Stephen King, I too thought it was terrific! It was haunting and eerie with its supernatural elements, and the grieving mother was such an authentic and well developed character that I was completely invested in the story from the beginning. There was a lot of tension and suspense that made me want to keep reading. It had me flipping and racing through the pages to find out what was going to happen next.

What can I say? It's Linwood Barclay. He is always a good read for me. Eerie, atmospheric setting, chilling and mysterious. Good read.

Whistle ended up surprising me. When I started reading it, it was immediately evident there was something wrong with the toy train set. Honestly, I was hesitant because I’m not really interested in trains and I thought it was going to be a lot of train-related details and talk. I’m a nerd but not for trains.

Anyways, I was pleasantly surprised. There’s a lot more to the story and I think most horror-loving readers would find it enjoyable: there’s grief horror, blood and guts, a murderous monster and a bit of supernatural horror going on and it all tied together pretty well. The pacing was good, I loved our main character and all in all I was pretty happy with it. Thanks to William Morrow for my eARC. Whistle is available now.

This book made me contemplate throwing away my son's trains...
This was my first Linwood Barclay novel, and I cannot believe what I have been missing. A brilliant storyteller! It's not often that I have the chills and feel like I need to peek what's happening in my peripherals... But this one got me.

(arc provided by netgalley!)

oh i ate this up

10/10 would recommend reading next to a train track, really adds to the atmosphere

Oh my goodness this was so good. Whistle was wonderfully written, creepy, eerie, and twisted. The characters were well crafted and the story just kept getting crazier as I turned the pages. This was my first novel by Barclay but since devouring this one I've acquired a few of his other books. If you've not read it please give it a try I promise you'll love it. I gave this one 5 stars and will recommend.

Who would have thought that a children's toy could make for such a spine-chilling story?! Linwood Barclay knows how to keep you on your toes while also making you hide behind your fingers.

When I was growing up, one of my favorite toys was an electric train set. It was a basic set with a half dozen cars, no accessories, and enough track for only one figure-eight layout. But I would run the train for hours at a time, and I got a kick out of arranging crashes by placing objects on the track. Author Linwood Barclay is also a model train fan, and he has made his hobby the centerpiece of his recent novel, “Whistle.” It’s a departure from his usual crime thrillers. The model trains in the book aren’t just harmless toys but distinctly evil. The result is one of the best horror stories I’ve read in a long time.

“Whistle” takes place along two timelines, told in alternating sections. In the present day, Annie Blunt is a children’s book author whose life has been shattered by two tragedies. First, a six-year-old boy jumped off a building to his death after reading one of her Pierce the Penguin books. The child thought that, like Pierce in the book, he could fly if he concentrated enough. Annie’s reputation and psyche were shattered (and book sales took a dive). While she was dealing with the fallout from the boy’s death, Annie suffered another shock when her husband was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on a New York City street. Annie takes her own pre-teen son, Charlie, to a small town in upstate New York so she can recuperate. There, Charlie discovers a model train set from Choo-Choo’s Trains in a locked garden shed.

In the book’s next section, readers learn the origin of the train set. The year is 2001, just after the 9/11 attacks. Edwin Nabler, aka Mr. Choo, has just opened his model train store in Lucknow, VT, population almost 5,000. Choo seems like a harmless eccentric, dressed in a railroad vest and cap. However, looks are deceiving. As train sales pick up, bizarre tragedies occur in or near houses where Choo’s trains have been sold. Eventually, the town’s police chief, Harry Cook, suspects there’s a connection.

The author takes his time building horror in “Whistle.” The book begins with a brief prologue at Christmas 2001, at the home of a family that’s just set up one of Choo’s trains. Readers learn just enough to realize there’s something strange about the train. From there, the author doesn’t mention the trains for several more chapters. Instead, he concentrates on Annie’s and Charlie’s backstories. This slow build, instead of immediate shock sequences or lengthy information dumps, makes the horror much more effective when it arrives. The author’s experience as a crime novelist works well for him here. He knows just how and when to dispense each bit of information to pique readers’ curiosity about finding out the secrets of Mr. Choo and his trains. When the author finally reveals to readers what goes on in Mr. Choo’s store after hours, the revelation is memorably horrifying.

“Whistle” has some graphic violence, but most of the horror is more subtle. Sound plays a significant part in the book’s mood. The author repeatedly emphasizes the “chuff-chuff-chuff” noise the trains make, and characters hear ghostly whistles at night. Mr. Choo also makes a creepy, memorable villain. Beneath his harmless-seeming outward appearance, he’s a psychopath. (I imagined Burgess Meredith in the “Printer’s Devil” episode of “The Twilight Zone.”) The author gleefully gives readers extended insights into Mr. Choo’s twisted thought processes. Choo reminded me of John Gacy dressing as a clown to entertain at children’s parties.

My one minor disappointment with “Whistle” was the ending. Eventually, Annie tracks down Mr. Choo, and the two have a final confrontation. However, the resolution was a major disappointment, relying on a loophole in the storyline. (This resolution also reminded me of “Printer’s Devil.”) I wish the author had worked a little more on the story’s conclusion. As it was, I felt a bit cheated by the resolution.

Despite the author’s failure to stick the landing perfectly, “Whistle” is a terrific horror novel, one that will remind many people of Stephen King’s work. (King is a big fan of Linwood Barclay.) It’s similar to genre classics like “Rosemary’s Baby,” where readers (and the protagonist) gradually piece together what’s going on and the danger the characters are in. Here, you’ve got a flawed but believable and likable protagonist, a spunky child, a deceptively sinister villain, and a type of paranormal horror I’ve never experienced before. “Whistle” is one of the best books (not just horror stories) I’ve read this year.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

Linwood Barclay takes a chilling detour into supernatural horror with a novel that starts with grief and ends in something much darker, stranger, and impossible to look away from. Evil has a one track mind—and once this book gets going, it does not stop.

This story is classic Barclay in its pacing and suspense, but the horror here feels elemental. What begins as a grounded tale of loss and fresh starts takes a beautifully unhinged turn the moment young Charlie finds the train set—one that, like all great horror objects, should not be touched.

Barclay weaponizes the innocence of childhood in genuinely unsettling ways, from Charlie’s eerie attachment to the mysterious train to Annie’s compulsive drawings of a character she doesn’t remember creating. The tension creeps in steadily, like smoke under a door, and soon becomes a full-blown blaze of paranoia, dread, and supernatural menace.

And while the premise may sound familiar—new town, haunted object, single parent trying to hold it together—Barclay’s execution is razor-sharp. The setting hums with the kind of quiet, creeping unease that fans of Pet Sematary or The House of Small Shadows will appreciate. The horror is as psychological as it is supernatural, with trauma and memory folding in on themselves until you're not sure what's real.

This isn’t just a haunted house story—it’s a haunted life story. And by the end, you’ll think twice about any toy left behind in a locked shed.