In 1860, a young woman arrives on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea to begin a job as a nanny. Elspeth Swansome is looking to escape her life after the tragic death of her sister; she immediately forms a kinship with her charge, 9-year-old Mary, who has not spoken since her twin William passed away. Yet Elspeth also senses hostility on the island. People seem strangely reluctant to tell her how William died or what happened to the twins’ previous nanny. And the there’s that whistling sound she keeps hearing...

The setting of The Whistling is perfect, and to some extent the atmosphere matches it. I could picture both Skelthsea and the house distinctly: cold sea breeze, icy rain, wild cliff paths, peat smoke on the air. However, the rest of it just didn’t come together for me. The characters seem empty; the plot and structure feel like they need a few revisions. Elspeth seems to accept that something supernatural is going on before anything has really happened, and the remainder of the story is a mess of red herrings and uninteresting subplots. On top of that, the motive of the ‘villain’ is the kind of cliche that verges on offensive.

I hoped The Whistling would be this year’s The Apparition Phase, but no such luck. It fits comfortably into the ‘gothic chiller’ niche inhabited by books like The Silent Companions. There’s not an original idea to be found in this story, and while I don’t think that has to be a bad thing when it comes to this genre, there are simply too many better versions out there. I’d recommend The Lost Ones (Anita Frank) and The Quickening (Rhiannon Ward), two similar recent reads I found more enjoyable (both of which also happen to involve imposing houses and ghostly children).

Really enjoyed this read. I'm all about the chilly reading in the lead up to spooky month and this ticked a lot of boxes for me.

A wild, isolated setting, a possibly haunted house, a silent child and a huge dose of witchery woo. Whats not to love?

It is creepy, found it played on my mind if I read it after dark and it is beautifully written. Its an intriguing and addictive take on the classic "Nanny heads to isolated spot to take care of strange child" theme and Rebecca Netley does a superb job of keeping you on edge throughout. It has the twisty sense of a psychological thriller and the disconcerting feel of a ghost story, those two things working in perfect harmony to deliver an excellent read.

Recommended.

This had me intrigued as I couldn't make out who was doing what as it kept sending you up the wrong path. The little girl not saying anything made you think it was trauma but who did it and what did they do? Good charecters who I liked because they went so well with the story. Great read.

This book is fabulous. The premise is a well tested concept, Elspeth, a young woman tangled in grief, travels to an island to be a nanny for a child, an island that can only be traveled to and left by the means of an intermittent boat. The child, Mary, is mute and clearly suffering something she can’t voice, her brother William recently died, the previous nanny suddenly left, and at night Elspeth can hear the eery footsteps of someone walking the hallways and the attic above her. Throughout the book, Elspeth desperately tries to uncover the secrets of the house, the mysterious whistling, and protect the life of Mary.

I should start by saying I’m not a huge fan of horror because I’m a wuss, a lot I find gratuitous and if I want to be horrified the news can do that easily enough. That said, I like to try a spooky read because some right the discussion of life and death, the haunting of loved ones, the more psychological over shock factor stimulation, can be very powerful. With that in mind, The Whistling is extremely effective. A creak, a sigh, footsteps, a lullaby in the night, they make you feel uneasy in the most delicious way. Some books ground you I’m comfort, some books cut the anchor and let you travel somewhere challenging, this is definitely the latter. There are scenes that I found extremely spooky, but what makes it something effective is that you care about Elspeth and Mary.

This book tackles loss, grief and love with a backdrop of ghosts and witches and it was a delightful (if that’s the right word!) read to curl up and get lost in. Thank you NetGalley for the review copy.

After a massive tragedy in her life Elspeth Swansome moves to the remote island Skelthsea to take a job as a nanny for Mary, who hasn’t spoken a word since the death of her brother, William. The previous nanny left very suddenly only a few days before William’s passing. Elspeth feels a strange sense of discomfort in the old family house and starts to uncover secrets that weren’t ever meant to be revealed.

This is a really creepy book that feels like a Victorian Gothic horror that has remained a secret until now, it really is that good. Straight from the opening chapter you know that there’s something wrong, it has a great sense of foreboding and dread. The atmosphere that Rebecca Netley creates is perfect, it grows slowly throughout and made me just want to keep reading and reading. It was something that whenever I put down, would stay in my mind until I had time to pick it back up again.

Much like a lot of the classic ghost stories, this is all about suspense. You never really know what’s coming next as the story reveals itself. It works really well and honestly had me jumping at shadows I could see out of the corner of my eye while reading. This is something best read alone at night. There’s nothing too extreme that will keep you awake at night, but it is chilling.

Reading this gave me the same feeling as reading something like The Mysteries of Udolpho by Anne Radcliffe. It just felt like a classic the second I picked it up. I knew from the opening page that this was going to be something I was going to love and the rest of the book didn’t disappoint. The story feels satisfying with its reveals and twists, the terror grows perfectly and I really liked all of the characters.

I don’t have anything bad to say about The Whistling. I just loved it from start to finish. I think this is a must read for anyone that likes Gothic fiction and ghost stories.

The perfect seasonal spooky read. Atmosphere seeps out of this book and you feel just as you're on a remote Scottish island too. Seeming like the perfect getaway to escape her past, but all is not so perfect. There are strange going ons on this island....and why is she banned from so much of the island...The perfect spooky read for fans of Laura Purcell, Susan Hill etc

The Whistling was the perfect spooky gothic that I wanted for October. From the beginning it was deeply atmospheric and the sense of unease and foreboding was all consuming.
There is something not right on Skelthsea island, are the people just recovering from the death of a little boy or is there something far more sinister lurking?
Brimming with characters that you want to protect and others you want to run far far away from, The Whistling is an eerie tale which you will want to leave the lights on for.

Wow this is a spooky ghost story with the feel of the lady in white and MR James stories which I love. This would make a really good creepy movie so I hope someone buys the rights for this one. Don’t read it at night just incase.

It took me a while to getting around to this book - and I am pleased that I did. 'The Whistling' ticks a lot of my boxes in terms of what I look for in a good read: it is well-written, cleverly-structured and engaging, making it a success.

Elspeth is sent to an isolate island off the coast of Scotland to be a nanny to Mary - a girl whose brother, William, died recently in a tragic accident, not long after their mother also died. Mary is mute - and this is quite significant in terms of what has happened, and does happen, on the island. Elspeth is living as Iskar, the family house on Skelsea, and as well as nurturing Mary and trying to get her to speak, she has Miss Gillies, the aunt, to deal with, as well as Greer, someone who is deliberately difficult and menacing. Mrs Lenister, the housekeeper, is a comfort and someone who doesn't seem to be duplicitous in any way.

'The Whistling' is reminiscent of ghost stories from the past - similar, in some ways, to 'The Turn of the Screw', and also, more recently, 'The Woman in Black'. It has the tropes of a good old Gothic tale, and Rebecca Netley is extremely adept at utilising such features in clever and original ways.

This is a perfect read for cold, dark winter nights.

I was in the mood for some Gothic, creepy reads and this seemed perfect. Another The Turn of the Screw type of story here with a young nanny in an isolated, crumbling house babysitting a disturbed child and a house full of secrets.
While the setting for this story was stunningly evoked the rest of the book unfortunately fell flat for me. A lukewarm protagonist, lots of mundane descriptions of daily lives, and typical nightmares where you wonder if it’s all a dream. The reveals were super-cliched with cardboard cutout antagonists and their cliched motivations that made my eye roll. This just wasn’t gripping enough for me and too slow for my taste. I much preferred The Turn of the Key.

Very eerie gothic tale. If you love that genre this is for you. The scary haunted house mystery. #TheWhistling #NetGalley.

My first read of Rebecca Netley...and it was good! Nanny goes to remote island to look after a little girl after previous nanny left suddenly!
All the ingredients for a good story, and it was exactly that...add in a nice twist at the end and a satisfying, and at times, spooky, read! Many thanks to Netgalley.co.uk, the publisher and author for a chance to read this ARC and comment.

I'm a big fan of ghostly thrillers set in eras long ago, so this story really appealed to me. To me it is reminiscent of The Woman In Black in some ways (the time period and isolated setting) as well as M.R. James, and it was the perfect book to read over a series of dark and icy nights.

At first I felt it was quite slow going but it picked up pace fairly quickly - as with any story with twists and turns you half-expect to be able to predict them, however I found myself pleasantly surprised by the ending which was completely unforeseen. I'm not sure whether it was the fact that I read it in stages and not in one fell swoop, which I'd have preferred, but towards the end I felt it was a bit rushed.

Ultimately I enjoyed the mix of ghostly aspects; it's not just a ghost story, there's more to it than that. Well worth a read for fans of spine-chillers.

The novel is certainly a draw for the reader and that is not just a horror story designed to create an atmosphere of terror. the fine line between reality and insanity becomes more and more blurry, not only is neither the protagonist nor the reader sure if Elspeth point of view are only very vivid or if there are frightening things under way. And then, the horror show really begins. Itotally adored how the author gradually drags the young woman and the reader into this story which oscillates between fascinations and abhorrence. Even though you are well aware that most of what happens cannot be real, it is easy to imagine that in such an old house, ghosts could roam and walls could talk. A magnificent read which transports you to a time long gone and a world where much more is possible. Highly recommend. A impressive debut overall!

Ooh this one gave me all the autumnal, creepy vibes, which I totally love. Not one to read before bed, unless you have a strong constitution or just enjoy having nightmares. Weird dolls, strange whistling noises and very odd goings-on characterise this coastal mansion house and if I had been Elspeth, I’d have been out of there straight away. Is it ghosts? Or are the people the ones to be feared? I had no idea at all until all was revealed.

Fans of Laura Purcell’s novels will enjoy The Whistling, with its compelling storyline, beautiful writing and just the right amount of spookiness and mystery. Writing an original book within the new nanny/old house trope is a big ask, but I think Netley has managed to come up with a great premise and some intriguing characters. I really enjoyed it!

With thanks to Michael Joseph for gifting me a digital copy to review

Excellent ghost story revealing around a nanny and her mute charge. Elspeth, in her early 20s, has left Edinburgh. She has lost all of her family in tragic circumstances and has taken employment on a remote Scottish island. Her charge, Mary, hasn't spoken since her twin brother died. But how did he really die and what happened to the previous nanny? Why is the housemaid so antagonistic towards Elspeth? And just what is making the whistling sound which carries throughout the house and the island? This is a hugely satisfying and haunting read for a winter's night. I loved it. Perfect for fans of The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.

The Turn of the Screw meets Magpie Lane in this deeply atmospheric gothic from Rebecca Netley. The book drips with creepy, delicious elements - dolls, a mute child, a remote ancestral home, a dead child, a missing former nanny - which are combined into something new by the addition of some very well-judged folk horror elements. The titular 'whistling', when it emerges, is spooky as all hell.

Elspeth Swancombe is a newcomer to Skelthsea, a remote Scottish island. She has taken the position of nanny to Mary, a 9-year-old girl who hasn’t spoken since her twin brother’s strange death. No one else seems to want to talk about William either and as the haunting whistles on the air draw in, Elspeth begins to suspect that something is very wrong on Skelthsea. The Whistling creates the chill of the Gothic atmosphere perfectly and the intricate mystery has multiple possibilities. Haunting, gripping and genuinely frightening, it’s a fantastic horror for a cold winter night.

I really enjoyed The Whistling - the cover and description really drew me in even though I'm not generally a fan of "historical" stories. I was grabbed from the beginning and my heart went out to Nanny Elspeth and her charge Mary who hasn't spoken since her twin brother William died.

This was the perfect gothic ghost story to read over Halloween and I will be recommending.

I have loved everything about this one. This is well-written and a book that I have been completely unwilling to put down. I am a huge fan of this author and cannot wait for more.