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Whistle

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Whistle

By: Linwood Barclay
Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky
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About this listen

'Terrific' STEPHEN KING

When you hear it, be afraid…

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 – 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…

Sunday Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay enters new territory with a fiendishly twisted supernatural chiller.

******

PRAISE FOR LINWOOD BARCLAY:

‘Linwood Barclay has crafted another perfect page-turner’ The Times

‘Pacy and tense, it’s a triumph from a master thriller writer. Every page makes your heart beat that little bit faster’ The Sun

‘You’ll be left speed-reading towards the end to discover answers expertly posed by the bestselling Toronto-based crime writer’ The Independent

‘Totally absorbing… brilliant stuff’ Neil Lancaster

‘A superior thriller’ Sunday Times

‘A suspense master’ Stephen King

*****

Readers are gripped by WHISTLE!

'Dark and thoroughly absorbing … A creepy and atmospheric book' (Five stars)

'Whistle is simply genius … my favourite book of [Linwood Barclay's] I've ever read' (Five stars)

'A twisty horror thriller with a Stephen King feel. Do yourself a favour and read this book' (Five stars)

'Bravo Mr Barclay – Whistle is a brilliant read, everything I want from a book was here and so much more! I enjoyed every twisted horrible brilliant minute of it' (Five stars)

'First class storytelling. I was hooked from the first page, I raced through the book in one sitting' (Five stars)

'This creepy atmospheric story does not disappoint. I absolutely loved this book' (Five stars)

©2025 NJSB Entertainment (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers
Horror Psychological Supernatural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Exciting Scary

Critic reviews

PRAISE FOR LINWOOD BARCLAY:

‘Devilishly good’ Shari Lapena

‘The novel speeds from first page to last… Bravo!’ Jeffery Deaver

‘A fast-moving, high-concept thriller from the talented Barclay’ Daily Mail

‘Linwood Barclay is in a class of his own’ T.M. Logan

‘One of the finest thriller writers in the world at the very top of his game’ Mark Billingham

All stars
Most relevant
So many moments of shocking brilliance! I’ve read every book Linwood Barclay has written and await his next masterpiece. Excellent narration

Another Linwood Barclay masterpiece

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From the opening chapter I was sold on the premise - fun and very original. This is brilliantly written with richly drawn characters and some very clever, unsettling horror. It definitely has the small town, sun bleached horror of a Stephen King, and I steamed through it (pun intended). The final chapters had me completely on edge and truly chilled. I understand this isn’t a typical Linwood Barclay novel which is a shame as I want to read more in this vein!

Engrossing original horror

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This is such a departure from Linwood Barclay’s usual stories, but the style is unmistakable. It is crafted to perfection and keeps a good balance between descriptive character development and action that moves the story forward.

The basis for the storyline blurs the line between real and supernatural in a way that is both believable and chilling. It keeps you engaged in the plot right from the opening to the final scenes. This is a real skill, as so often these kind of stories can run out of steam. Pun intended!

Brilliantly blurring the real and supernatural

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Absolutely "mirroring" a Stephen king style and it has it's good moments. but.. but. It's probably worth a listen if you have a spare token floating around.

Very Stephen king'ie

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if you have read needful things by Stephen king, in this story will sound all to familiar.

Protectable

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