This was a proper slow burn, spooky, creepy tale. There were twists and red herrings aplenty, kept me guessing right to the final reveal. An excellent ghost story for a dark night!

Having lost all that’s dear to her, Elspeth Swansome hopes to escape her troubled past with a fresh start as a nanny on a remote Scottish island. When she arrives at Iskar, the house she will now call home, it soon becomes clear that all is not well there. Her charge Mary is mute and has been since the untimely death of her brother William, though no one will speak of what happened to him. All that Elspeth is told is that their first nanny fled a few days before he died, which raises more questions than it answers. And as for Iskar, the house is old, the wind rattles the windows, and the stairs creak with every step, but is that enough to explain the strange noises Elspeth hears? Where is the whistling coming from? Who keeps stopping outside her door at night? And can she get Mary to talk before it’s too late?

This is a thoroughly chilling book! As I read I kept thinking what an excellent horror film this would make, which is definitely a compliment as I don’t find that many books would lend themselves so well.
Iskar and the island of Skelthsea are beautifully described and you can almost feel the sea breeze on your face and hear the waves crashing against the rocks. The setting is perfectly gothic and haunting, and Iskar is like a character in its own right. I loved Elspeth and really warmed to Mary too, although you do suspect her and pretty much every other character at some point during the book. There are red herrings aplenty and <spoiler> although I didn’t think Greer was going to be the culprit </spoiler>, the twist at the end was unexpected for me. <spoiler> I thought Bridget might be assisting Miss Gillies in some grand plan, not that she was the one who was actually behind it all! </spoiler>
Overall it’s an incredibly atmospheric read that it perfect for the upcoming autumn and winter months. It’s an excellent ghost story that you won’t want to read at night, or perhaps you will for Halloween?!

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. Rebecca Netley will now be going firmly on my list of favourite spooky authors - I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

The Whistling is a beautifully written gothic ghost story, not a horror , which is both atmospheric and enthralling.

It is sent on a remote Scottish. island and follows the story of Elsbeth who arrived to nanny an orphaned child ,Mary,who has become mute after the the successive deaths of patents nanny and brother and is now under the care of her emotionally distant aunt.
The themes of new ways versus old ways and the differences between life rural Scotland as compared to the bustle and familiarity of Edinburgh is explored through Elspeths eyes.
As a reader I was instantly drawn in and really cared about what would happen to the protagonists Elsbeth and Mary.
The story however ends quite abruptly with some unanswered questions.
Nevertheless I throughly enjoyed this book and devoured it over 2 days

Nanny going to a spooky old house to look after a small child with problems has been done before but nevertheless I really enjoyed this book. I engaged with Elspeth and was intrigued by the other characters in the book. Very atmospheric , you could really feel that you were on a remote Scottish island with the wind and rain. Ghostly goings on, why won't anyone talk about William? Why won't Mary speak? Many questions to be answered. It did slow down rather a lot in the middle which is why I dropped a star which was a shame really..
Not totally sure about the ending. I was left with a few questions although mothing major.
Very enjoyable and highly recommended

Elspeth Swansome starts to work as a nanny to a family on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea.
Her charge, Mary, is a secretive child, who became silent after the sudden death of her twin William. He died days after the previous nanny disappeared.
Elspeth tries to find out more about events and turns to the islanders. But no one will speak of what happened to William.
And no one can explain strange whistling in the night, nor little dolls that start to appear in rooms or the lullabie sung in the evening.
Elspeth, full of personal grief and used of total different lifestyle finds herself paranoid and isolated.

Is this house haunted by the ghosts, spells or just evil living?

The Whistling is twisty, gripping and dark. Elspeth's disunity between rationality and belief in a supernatural is so relatable and all the other characters are completely developed. The atmosphere is perfect, almost gothic.

Unputdownable reading.

This story reminded me in some ways of The Lost Ones by Anita Frank so if you’ve read that and enjoyed it you will probably love this equally.

It is certainly atmospheric especially with its period setting of mid 1800’s. There are so many vivid descriptions – of Iskar the old and crumbling house with its many empty rooms and corridors, the remote island of Skelthsea with mists that roll in off the sea and where Elspeth spends much of her time with mute Mary on the beaches and rocks that surround the island. Added to that are the strange noises that Elspeth hears in the old house. The singing of a lullaby out in the corridor by her room at night, the quiet whistling that she sometimes hears and generally things that tend to go bump in the night.

Perhaps just over mid-way I did feel it started to get a little slow. The story didn’t seem to be moving on. I don’t believe in ghosts but I do love the idea of there being something that brings spirits back, however I began thinking that perhaps it was all a bit too typical ghostly type things going on. I’m glad I have patience to push on with a book even if I think things are not moving along because it would have been an absolute travesty to have given up on it.

Push on, keep reading because the last third of the book is so worth it. Things really begin to pick up and it becomes quite chilling with revelations slowly coming to light. I was really glad I carried on because I loved it in the end, a really satisfying read which I very much enjoyed overall. There is so much more to this book than simply a ghost story, it’s emotional, full of mystery and many unanswered questions – until you get to the end, brilliant!

*I will post this review to my blog on or around publication date and post to Goodreads now*

Eerie, atmospheric, scary, can be said of many ghost stories. In this case the author catches all three plus added mystery. When Elspeth arrives at Iskar to look after Mary she knows that all is not well immediately and thence the story draws you in. The language used is an adjunct to this Victorian Gothic novel with a hint of the Turn of the Screw.

I loved The Whistling, it gave a brilliant feeling of being cut off living in the middle of nowhere, the isolation and paranoia. The story had witchcraft, ghosts, mystery and horror; I loved it and couldn’t put it down.; I fully recommend it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The remote setting is excellent and I loved the descriptions. There is a lot of suspense created and it has such a creepy atmosphere throughout. The characters and storyline are very intriguing and made me want to read on to find out what happened.
A brilliantly written ghost story which is perfect for the autumn nights! Would recommend to friends. Thank you for this copy.

Very atmospheric, perfect for Hallowe'en. "The Whistling" by Rebecca Netley is a perfectly crafted old-fashioned ghost story reminscent of M.R. James, The Woman in Black and Laura Purcell's "The Silent Companions". Atmospheric, creepy and chilling. Dare you read it with the lights down low?

Should appeal to keen readers of Susan Hill and Laura Purcell.

Rating: 3.3/5

With this, her debut novel, Rebecca Netley has produced a well-written and atmospheric ghost story. There is much about the feel of "The Whispering" that put me in mind of Laura Purcell's "The Silent Companions", though I have to say that I actually found Rebecca Netley's writing style to be a little more fluent and engaging than that of Laura Purcell.

"The Whistling" is set on the remote and wild Scottish island of Skelthsea in 1860. Elspeth Swansome has just taken up her first position as nanny. Elspeth, herself, is only twenty-four years old and she is given charge of troubled nine-year-old, Mary. Since the sudden death of her twin brother, William, Mary has become dumb and will not speak to anyone. Elspeth is tasked with trying to encourage Mary out of her silence, but receives little in the way of support from the local community. As if her situation were not already challenging enough, she starts to hear eerie whistling in the night and discovers strange dolls around the house. As winter sets in and any imminent return to the mainland becomes impossible, Elspeth has no option but to remain in her increasingly ghostly surroundings.

Rebecca Netley has chosen her setting well and it provides an excellent backdrop for the story. The quality of her descriptive writing is also hugely impressive. If you were not already aware, then you would certainly not have the impression that this was her debut novel. There is an intricacy and deftness of touch that belies that fact. The reason I decided to rate this as a high-end 3-star read was due to the fact that although I enjoyed it, I did find the pace of the novel to be a touch too pedestrian at times. I recognize that this is, in part, a trope of the genre and I appreciate the effect that the author was aiming to achieve. Nonetheless, there were occasions when I felt the point had been adequately made and did not require the degree of reinforcement that was forthcoming.

Overall, this is an accomplished debut and an enjoyable read that I would gladly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Sorry, but I think I’ve discovered that gothic historical fiction trope of ~new nanny rocks up at old disheveled probably haunted house to look after strange child~ is really not my thing. DNF at 20%!

Elspeth Swansome moves to a remote Scottish Island to be a nanny to Mary.

Mary hasn’t spoken since the death of her twin brother, William and the disappearance soon after of their last nanny.

This is a tense read and I did find it to be a bit scary! There are plenty of twists to keep you guessing and you can feel the fear from the main characters. A great, gothic ghost story that I found to be chilling throughout. Beautifully written by the author and I found I couldn’t put the book down.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for my review.

Genuinely quite creepy ghost story!
This is the story of a nanny who comes to live in a big stately home in Scotland, only to find it haunted. The story reads like a 19th century novel which made it a little hard to get going but I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend for a spooky autumn winter evening.

Seriously spooky! What a read - i would recommend this to anyone, but just don't read at night, you will lose sleep....

A brilliantly written ghost story. A young girl, Elspeth, arrives on the island of Skelthsea to be a nanny to a girl whose twin brother died suddenly days after the original nanny nysteriously left the island.
An eerie mansion, locals who will not speak about what happened, an aunt who is ward to the girl but seems to resent her, creepy dolls, whistling at night and strange rituals. All of which make for a scary read.
This is definetly a page turner not to be read in the dark! Rebecca Netley has cleverly written believable characters and a story which draws you into Elspeth's shocking and frightening journey.
I very much look forward to reading more books by this author.

The Whistling is a suspenseful and chilling ghost story that had me reading late into the night!

It follows the story of Elsbeth, a young woman escaping Edinburgh after a family tragedy, who takes the position of Nanny on a remote Scottish island. Her ward, Mary, is a mute girl who is suffering her own grief.

The setting is perfect for a gothic tale, and the author makes the island and the house every bit as important as any of the characters. It is atmospheric and creepy, and I found myself listening to noises in my own house as I was reading!

It is beautifully set up as you are dropped on the island and get to know the taciturn inhabitants, as you meet the peculiar family and creepy staff. Then the tension begins to mount, strange things begin to happen and all the while, Mary is silent. The last part of the book where we begin to understand how sinister things really are is so pacy that you that you barely have time for breath as you are taken on the relentless journey to the shocking denouement.

The Whistling is a deeply unsettling story and one that I found very hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

Alittle long winded but a good story. The ending was quite abrupt and not what I was expecting. Hoping its an open ending for book number 2

Kept me up well past my bedtime, I could not put it down.
So many thrilling twists and turns… Just could not put it down… highly recommend
Phenomenal… I did not want to put it down. I was blown away by this book... brilliant.

The choice of books available in October/November always excites me. Summer reads often seem to steal the show with their shoutouts about being a must-read for your holiday, but I'll always take a book with a dark cover and some sort of intrigue over one that depicts a beach or sunny bunting.

And The Whistling is exactly one of those books, dark, gothic, foreboding and with a strong sense of dread. Oh yes - now this is definitely one to line up this Autumn, snuggled by the fire with a small glass of whisky to keep you company and the demons at bay.

The story begins with Elspeth leaving behind a tragedy in Edinburgh to take up a new life on a small Scottish island where she is to take care of Mary, a child who has also experienced tragedy and, as a result, is no longer able to speak. Elspeth tries to settle in but finds the presence of her predecessor still lurks in the dark corridors and rooms of the house. In addition, mysterious objects start to appear in her bedroom, and there is talk in the village of witchcraft. Elspeth grows increasingly fond of Mary and is torn between staying and returning to Edinburgh, but you know how it is; once that last boat has returned to the mainland, it's a long, long time until it's coming back!

It's tough to write books of this nature, particularly those that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, but Rebecca Netley does this very well and creates a strong sense of terror and unease. I liked how the book builds to a climax and how Elspeth tries to rationalise what's going on, but as each event occurs, that becomes harder to do.

In my opinion, if you enjoyed The Woman and Black or you liked the MR James story, Oh Whistle, and I'll come to you, my lad, then you're also likely to enjoy this one.

But remember when reading, to lock your bedroom door and don't venture outside of it should you hear the faint sound of whistling while you're in your bed.