Something completely different from Linwood Barclay, whose thriller books I really love,this is a supernatural horror thriller, so not normally what I'd read, but I went in with an open mind.
A story told in multiple POV and 2 timelines.
I didn't find this scary at all and was disappointed.Having found his previous books so good that the chance in genre for me just didn't work.

This book will be like marmite for readers. You'll either love it or not.
I'm still a fan and hope to enjoy Linwoods next book as long as it's a thriller as for me its what he does best.
Hope others enjoy more.
Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the Arc.

I've been a fan of Linwood Barclay for many years and to receive my first Linwood Barclay ARC, I was absolutely chuffed to bits.. No pun intended!!

The move from writing his usual crime/thriller genre to his first horror genre Whistle is simply genius and is in my opinion my favourite book of his I've ever read.

The book had me hooked at the prologue and I loved the time line element to the story, although it isn't really like reading a timelines. The story intermingles so seamlessly. I loved each character, each very much having having their own place in Whistle culminating in the highly anticipated ending. Which was so satisfyingly brilliant!

Excellent book from one of my favourite authors and I honestly hope he takes a ride down the horror genre again in the near future.. Preferably not by train!

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of Whistle by Linwood Barclay. 5star, I highly recommend this book

Woooowwweeeeee.

Firstly, I've read some of Barclay's books before when I was younger, so I was eager to dive into this one.
We're greeted on Christmas morning to a young boy who gets gifted a train set... Booooring, where's the Playstation? Soon, he discovers he loves it, until somehow, his sister gets hurt?!

Fast forward a few years, we meet Annie, an author who has a lot of bad luck surrounding her. As well as the chief of police at a backwater town in Vermont. (I love a good multiple POV) Strange things start happening to everyone who has these adorable trains bought from a delightfully quirky Mr.Choo! Strange, horrific, puzzling...

The timeline jumps around, which you have to be prepared for, but boy howdy are you gripping your seat with the suspense, tensions rising as you are rushing to find out what's happening to who and why?!

With an incredible twist, story and a very satisfying end, I can safely say this is a 4.5/5 star read. I could not put this down at all. It's dark, with horror sprinkled in the right places, just a touch of the paranormal and an ending that just puts the cherry on top.

If you're a thriller/horror fan, absolutely pick this up.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC, I have left this review of my own free will!

My favorite writer tried scary stories. I was excited! Lots of writers switch genres, and Stephen King liked it, so I thought it would be great.

But, it wasn't scary. The writer is good, but this book didn't make me scared. Scary books need to make you imagine bad things. This book had good characters and a good story, but it wasn't scary.

I was sad, but I still like the writer. He should stick to his old kind of books!

Thanks for the free book.

I generrally like Linwood barclays books so was excited to read this one however i struggled the character swithching and swapping got me a bit lost and while the story is original and gripping in places i fealt there was something missing

Hmmmm.
I look forward to every novel from Linwood Barclay so was excited for this one.
However, I would never normally read a supernatural horror.
As usual the storytelling is humorous, well paced and exciting.
I felt the subject matter became darker and therefore more difficult to read as time went on and I'll be honest, for the first time, I was glad when I finished it.
However, I can't give this less than four stars. It's original, engaging and everything ties up so well. It's just me being a scaredy cat or I would have happily awarded 5 stars.
I look forward to his next thriller. Not sure I would read another from this genre..

Tell me you're a Stephen King fan, without telling me you're a Stephen King fan!
I have loved Stephen King's books since I was 8 years old, hiding under the duvet with a torch and scaring myself to the point where I couldn't get to sleep. It has been decades since I've felt that same sense of trepidation and exhilaration, and that sense of menace. Linwood Barclay gave me all of that with Whistle! There are beautiful little nods to Stephen King's novels peppered throughout this book but, despite the change of genre, it's still Linwood Barclay at its core - strong characters in whom I became immediately invested, interwoven plot lines and first class storytelling. I was hooked from the first page, I raced through the book in one sitting and only stopped to make cups of tea, I'm convinced I heard the whistle in my dreams that night!
I loved every single page, even the ending ;0)

When I saw one of my favourite authors was turning his hand to horror - I instantly wanted a copy!

Often I’ve seen horror writers become crime fiction sensations and crime writers become supernatural thrillers. So when an author of this calibre set his eyes on a new genre with the praise of the dark king himself - Stephen King… I was sold!!

The reality was that whilst Linwood imost definitely is a brilliant author. His style and flair for storytelling didn’t create the fear and impact I was so wishing for. The trick with horror of any style is to make it a pressure cooker of fear. You do t have to show the ‘horror’ but you do need to give the reader enough to let their own imagination run wild with terror. As said, Linwood creates good stories, writes excellent characters and can weave the tightest knot of a plot. But his style just fell short of the mark with this book.

Disappointed but still a fan. Stick with crime Linwood it suits you better!

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

𝖶𝗁𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗅𝖾

ARC Review - release date expected 5th June 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BLURB
Evil has a one track mind…
Celebrated children’s author and illustrator Annie Blunt has had a dreadful year. Her husband was killed in a tragic accident, then one of her children’s books ignited a major scandal. Desperate for a fresh start, she moves with her young 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 in the grounds of their new house. While Annie is pleased to see Charlie happy, there’s something unsettling about his new toy. Strange sounds wake Annie in the night – she’s sure she can hear a train in the middle of the night, although there isn’t an active line for miles. And then bizarre things start happening in the neighbourhood. But even stranger, Annie can’t seem to stop drawing a disturbing new character that has no place in a children’s book…
Grief plays tricks on 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…


This is my first read by Linwood Barclay and it did not disappoint … a very creepy supernatural horror/thriller … I am a sucker of toy possession horror movies so this was right up my street … two stories over past and present blended together with the common factor of these train sets was incredibly written I was hooked.

Strong pacing throughout which some times books of this genre lack.

I think fans of Stephen King and criminal minds are going to love this and I highly recommend it!

Thank you so much to @nrtgalley and @hq stories for my epub arc .. and to @linwood for writing a brilliant book! This isn’t one I’ll forget anytime soon!

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

This was my first Linwood Barclay book, and it did not disappoint! Whistle is a creepy, fast-paced horror story with a unique and eerie premise.

Annie Blunt moves to a small town with her son, Charlie, hoping for a fresh start. But when Charlie finds an old model train set in their new home, strange things start happening—phantom train whistles, disturbing drawings, and an unsettling history tied to their house. Meanwhile, in another timeline, police chief Harry Cook investigates a similar train set with terrifying consequences. As their stories connect, the true horror behind the train is revealed.

The book has a strong Stephen King vibe, with small-town secrets and supernatural chills. The pacing kept me hooked, and I loved the mix of mystery and horror. A great read for anyone who enjoys eerie, suspenseful stories. I’ll definitely be checking out more from Barclay!

I've read lots of books by Linwood Barclay and enjoyed them all but this a departure from his normal twisty thriller. It's a twisty horror thriller with a Stephen King feel. It's got all of the ingredients to keep you hooked. Do yourself a favour and read this book.

Annie and her young son Charlie rent a house in the country for the summer.
Strange things start to happen when her son finds an old train set in the shed.
This is a creepy story told in two different timelines.
A very different book from the previous books I have read by this author but I enjoyed reading it. A real page turner.
Thank you to NetGalley and for HQ my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Linwood Barclay meets Stephen King, but with enough Linwood thriller stuff to keep you reading. A page turner to say the least with slightly different timelines woven in.


I had to stop reading two-thirds through though. What happens if the bad luck happenstance stuff transfers from the book and happens to me or my family in real life; and the more I read the book the worse it gets? I dread to think what could happen if I finished it. Not worth the life risk.

Bravo Mr Barclay - Whistle is a brilliant read, everything I want from a book was here and so much more! Hardly surprising as another favourite of mine was a Barclay book too.

I have a bad habit when reading on kindle of not paying too much attention to the title/author (unless it is a book I've been hugely anticipating) and so after one particularly surprising event in the book I found myself going back to the home screen muttering 'what the f--- am I reading' swiftly followed by a chuckle and 'of course' when I realised who the author was!

Impossible to explain but put me firmly in mind of a Stephen King style novel and I enjoyed every twisted horrible brilliant minute of it.

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily

This book is so different from the previous books I’ve read by this author as he delves into the world of the supernatural. It’s creepy in a Twilight Zone kind of way and strangely addictive. Linwood Barclay has always had a flair for original storylines and he is a great storyteller so of course he can get away with a story about a killer train set! Set in two timelines one in 2001 with Harry and one in the present day with Annie and you do spend most of the book wondering how these come together, but it does link in the end. This is probably not for the die hards of this genre but if you’re looking for a quirky read then jump aboard and join the ride. Another winner for me from Mr Barclay

4+
‘The train goes running along the line
Jicketty-can, Jicketty -can….’ and a dingdingding, woo-woo and maybe even a chuff-chuff.

In Lucknow, NY, Edwin Nabler, aka Mr Choo, is settling into his new shop selling toy trains, his business seems to be doing more than okay. However, strange if not macabre things are happening in Lucknow which is perplexing to say the least for police Chief Harry Cook. Apart from any other incidents, people keep hearing a train whistle which is distinctly odd as no trains run anywhere near Lucknow. Something is off, very off, is it dumb luck or something way more sinister?

Meanwhile, author Annie Blunt has had one heck of an awful year and needs to get out of New York City and go where no one knows her or her son Charlie. Her editor Finnegan finds her somewhere three hours away in upstate New York and on their arrival the house seems perfect and they start to settle in. After Charlie finds a forgotten train set in the shed a number of strange, creepy things occur that make no sense but it’s enough to freak her out and Annie is a very rational woman.

Clever, very clever. Chilling and creepy as and very Stephen King-esque with strong, dark supernatural elements that make my mind work overtime and my jaw drop in shock on more than one occasion. It’s not over the top gory but clearly there’s horror. I like the changing points of view from Annie to Chief Cook and so on which does give some breathing space and both these are likeable characters whereas let’s settle for Mr. Choo being somewhat of an enigma.

The novel hooks me in from the get go and there’s lots to puzzle over and keep you interested and entertained throughout. It’s written in the authors trademark straightforward style with no messing about, just telling the tale at a brisk chugger-chugger pace. It’s full of tension, it builds dramatically and how. I like how the storytelling goes full circle and links together in an excellent and very satisfying finale.

So, jump aboard the train but buckle up as you’re in for a very twisty ride and remember [time and] Tide wait for no man.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated EPUB in return for an honest review.

I loved this book, not Linwoods usual crime/triller but I loved it all the same. The characters and dual pov were amazing and I was hooked from the beginning. Such an easy read and great if you want to binge a book!

Excellent twisty storyline.
Keeps you guessing right to the end.
Thoroughly enjoyable.
Reminds me of the early Stephen King books.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review

I usually love Linwood Barclay but this book was a little too different for me. The writing was up to his usual standard but this genre is not for me.

Rounding up to 3 ⭐


I've read a fair few Barclay books over the years, and enjoyed them.
This one, just not so much.
I don't know if it was the change in genre , I don't associate him with supernatural/horror type books.
I don't know if it's because the story felt like something I read before, felt too familiar, which left me feeling a bit bored at times.
Sadly it just didn't work for me .