Whistle - by Linwood Barclay

Book Synopsis

"Terrific."-- Stephen King on Whistle

New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay enters new territory with a supernatural chiller in which a woman and her young son move to a small town looking for a fresh start, only to be haunted by disturbing events and strange visions when they find a mysterious train set in a storage shed.

Evil has a one track mind....

Annie Blunt has had an unimaginably terrible year. First, her husband was killed in a tragic hit-and-run accident, then one of the children's books she's built her writing and illustrating career on ignited a major scandal. Desperate for a fresh start, she moves with her 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 on their property. Annie is glad to see Charlie happy, but there's something unsettling about his new toy. Strange sounds wake Annie in the night--she could swear she hears a train, but there isn't an active track for miles--and bizarre things begin happening in the neighborhood. Worse, Annie can't seem to stop drawing a disturbing new character that has no place in a children's book.

Grief can do strange things to 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...

Review Quotes

"Terrific." -- Stephen King on Whistle

"As the horror mounts, Barclay grounds the action through the eyes of his well-developed protagonist, offering scares and pathos in equal doses. It's a top-shelf chiller." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Very Stephen King-ish." -- Library Journal on Whistle

"Linwood Barclay's I Will Ruin You is a page-turner that also has important things to say. You'll get your money's worth out of this one." -- Stephen King

"I Will Ruin You is Mr. Barclay's 25th mystery-suspense novel, and he deftly manipulates its overlapping elements and whiplash twists in ways that should impress and astonish even his veteran readers." -- Wall Street Journal

"Linwood Barclay is a flat-out master of the modern thriller, and I Will Ruin You is impossible to put down. You need this book in your life." -- David Koepp, Jurassic Park screenwriter and author of Aurora

"A Connecticut high school teacher stops a mass murder only to be targeted by a blackmailer in this hair-raising standalone from bestseller Barclay (The Lie Maker)... Barclay makes his protagonist's plight devastatingly immediate, and keeps readers on tenterhooks throughout. This is difficult to put down." -- Publishers Weekly

"Barclay's new book is a well-written and suspenseful thriller. Yet, it's more than that: it is, mostly due to a single, mind-blowing revelation, probably the best book he's ever written.... In addition to the story, which is pure gold, the author also gives us some of his most irresistible characters, including not just his protagonist, but also the supporting players, some of whom are keeping some interesting secrets. A standout novel from a writer who, like Harlan Coben, always delivers the goods." -- Booklist on I Will Ruin You

"[Barclay] takes readers on an emotional roller coaster of deft plot twists and what-the-hell?! moments. I Will Ruin You will indeed ruin you--or at least your sleep schedule until you've reached the end. Barclay proves once again that he's at the top of his game." -- Mystery Scene on I Will Ruin You

"I Will Ruin You is filled with so many plot twists that rooting for Richard will become a perilous task with so much stacked against him. It's a must-read for those who love psychological thrillers, and Barclay shows once again why he is a master of the genre." -- Bookreporter

"A vein of humor runs through The Lie Maker, lightening the mood of a menacing tale...It takes a gifted writer to perfectly balance all the suspense, wit, violence and poignance in a book such as this. Lucky for us, Mr. Barclay is one of the best in the business." -- Wall Street Journal

"Barclay (Look Both Ways) nails this riveting standalone thriller about a washed-up writer's search for his long-lost parent... Barclay expertly knits the strands together and constructs a fully realized everyman in Givins. Crafty plotting and rich characters make this a winner." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Lie Maker

"[The Lie Maker] is filled with such imaginative plot twists and turns that it becomes physically impossible to put the book down at any point.... It is easily one of the best thrillers of 2023!" -- Bookreporter.com

"The latest thriller from Barclay asks the reader to accept a slightly out-there premise but delivers a tightly plotted, surprising novel that winds up explaining why the premise wasn't really so out-there at all. It's the kind of thriller Barclay does so well: a story that constantly changes direction and forces readers to reconsider their notions of what the book is actually about. We soon find, when reading Barclay, that it's better simply to put ourselves in the author's hands and enjoy the ride, because trying to guess what's going to happen is a fruitless exercise." -- Booklist on The Lie Maker

"A twisty tale of skullduggery....[Barclay is] a pro." -- Library Journal on The Lie Maker

"Relentless...Barclay does a bang-up job of mixing and matching characters and plotlines and building suspense...Barclay's latest is a fun ride...with dips and swerves that should delight his fans." -- Kirkus Reviews on The Lie Maker