Whistle: A Terrifying Supernatural Chiller About a Mysterious Train Set and a Mother's Nightmare

Whistle: A Terrifying Supernatural Chiller About a Mysterious Train Set and a Mother's Nightmare

by Linwood Barclay

4.2 (2,135)

4.2 stars from 2,135 reviews. Top 79% of Thriller books we track.

277 pages~4.6 hr readPublished by HarperCollinsPublished 2025-05-20

$1.99Deal85% off peak

Last checked: May 5, 2026

Price history: $1.99 $12.99

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Fans of these authors will like this...

  • Stephen King
  • Paul Tremblay
  • Simone St. James

Fans of these books will like this...

  • The Silent Companions
  • Mexican Gothic
  • The Only Good Indians

Perfect for you if...

  • You enjoy psychological horror that grounds supernatural terror in a parent's genuine fear and paranoia.
  • You appreciate stories where the protagonist's trauma makes it hard to know what's real and what's in their head.
  • You're drawn to Barclay's ability to make ordinary small-town settings feel deeply wrong and suffocating.

Maybe not for you if...

  • You prefer jump-scares and gore over slow-burn dread and mounting unease.
  • You want clear answers about whether the supernatural element is real or purely psychological.
  • You're looking for a story with a triumphant or redemptive ending rather than one that leaves you unsettled.

About this book

Annie Blunt has endured a devastating year: her husband died in a hit-and-run accident, and a scandal involving one of her children's books damaged her writing and illustrating career. Seeking recovery, she and her young son Charlie move to a small town in upstate New York. In their new home, Charlie discovers a forgotten train set in a locked shed on their property. While Annie is relieved to see him engaged, she becomes disturbed by the toy. Strange sounds—resembling a train whistle—wake her at night despite no active railroad nearby. Unsettling events begin occurring in the neighborhood, and Annie finds herself compulsively drawing a disturbing character unsuitable for children's books. As psychological disturbances intensify, Annie struggles to distinguish between grief-induced delusion and genuine supernatural threat. What began as a search for healing becomes a descent into a new nightmare.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

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Free$6.50$12.99Oct '24Aug '25Sep '25Oct '25May '26
$1.99$12.99

Currently on sale at $1.99 — 85% off peak. Price has dropped 2 times over the last 19 months. Goes on sale roughly every 225 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

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#1,213#238,575#475,937Oct '24Oct '25Jan '26May '26

Currently around #18K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller. Sales have softened 51% recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

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3.5★4.3★5.0★Jun '25Aug '25Feb '26Feb '26RatingReviews

Currently 4.2★ from 2,135 reviews

Gaining approximately 100 new reviews per month. Steady word of mouth growth. Rating has dipped slightly from 4.6 to 4.2.

Sale Prediction

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Free$6.50$12.99Oct '24Aug '25Sep '25Oct '25May '26PredictedMay '26

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $1.99. It typically returns to around $12.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.

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Linwood Barclay

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