A Book A Week

Haunted. That’s one word to describe how the past year has left poor Annie Blunt. First, her husband was killed in a hit-and-run accident, leaving her alone to raise their young son, Charlie. Her personal life in shambles, at least she still had her career to anchor her—Annie was the author and illustrator of a beloved children’s book series featuring a lovable penguin. But then, tragedy bled into that world, too. In one of her books, the penguin crafted wings out of cardboard and tape in a whimsical effort to fly, its message clear: you can do anything you set your mind to. Tragically, a young reader took that message literally, fashioning wings of his own and leaping to his death. Annie couldn’t help but blame herself. Now, she’s haunted by everything she’s endured, unable to write, barely able to live.

Her agent suggests a change of scenery, somewhere far from the noise and reminders of her life in New York City. A quiet town in upstate New York might give Annie and Charlie the space to heal, maybe even help her start on the next book in her series, for which she’s already been paid an advance. Their new surroundings are peaceful, if a bit too quiet, and boredom soon begins to creep in. That is, until Charlie discovers an old, forgotten train set hidden away in a locked shed on the property. At first, Annie is relieved to see her son smiling again. But there’s something off about the toy. At night, Annie wakes to the sound of a train, despite the nearest tracks being miles away. And strange things begin to happen around the neighborhood. Most unsettling of all, Annie finds herself compulsively sketching a new character—one that has no place in a children’s story, and one she doesn’t remember creating. Despite her quest to escape her grief, Annie’s misery may only be beginning.

Only in the capable hands of Linwood Barclay could a model train set become the stuff of nightmares. I first encountered his writing with the stellar thriller A Noise Downstairs, so when his publisher offered me the chance to read his latest, Whistle, I jumped at the opportunity. There’s a timelessness to this terror. Barclay sets Annie’s story in the present day but also takes us back to 2001, offering glimpses of the horror that was and hints of the darkness still to come. We’ve seen where the tracks go before Annie does. All we can do now is look on in dread as it all unfolds. Whistle reads like a classic Stephen King novel. It's full of unsettling scenarios (some of which are genuinely hard to read), but anchored by well-developed characters who bring even the most outlandish moments into sharp, chilling focus. It’s the kind of summer page-turner that demands to be read. Quick, eerie, and thoroughly enjoyable.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2025, 40)

This month, I'm on a mission to read books by authors I've always heard about but have never read. So far I've tackled books by Alex Finlay and Sally Hepworth. Next up is A Noise Downstairs by author Linwood Barclay. As a lover of the thriller genre, I've heard of Barclay's writing for years. His penchant for tightly plotted standalone thrillers seemed the perfect match for my tastes. As an extra motivation to read his work, I purchased a copy of A Noise Downstairs a couple years ago. It has waited patiently on my shelf since then, and now I have finally given myself an excuse to read it. 

Paul Davis was living a normal life as a family man and college professor when his life was suddenly turned upside down. He was driving along a deserted road late one night and stumbled upon the car of one of his colleagues. To Paul's surprise, the man was disposing of the bodies of his murder victims. Caught in the act, the co-worker turned his attention to Paul, nearly killing him before being apprehended by the authorities. 

Since that night, Paul has suffered from terrible PTSD. He's been unable to fully return to work, and even therapy isn't helping with his flashbacks. In an attempt to help Paul keep his mind off of the horrific events that he lived through, his wife Charlotte gives him a vintage typewriter. She hopes this will inspire Paul to finally start writing the novel that he's always talked about beginning. She can't predict the darkness this object will bring into their home. 

As the details of the murder that Paul stumbled onto come out, it is revealed that the killer forced his victims to type out apologies to him before he ended their lives. Paul is haunted by this fact, and the addition of a typewriter into his home only intensifies his fears. He knows that it is irrational, so he tries to push those fears from his mind. Then one night, he hears the clicking of the typewriter keys coming from his downstairs office. Of course, Charlotte is unable to hear the sound, and an investigation of the office reveals no foul play. But the clicking continues. Each night the noise swells. Soon Paul even begins to find typed notes when he wakes in the morning. Has some cruel twist of fate brought the very typewriter that the victims used into Pauls's home, or is he slowly losing his grip on reality?

A Noise Downstairs sees Linwood Barclay write a wild thrill ride filled with paranoia and suspense. The premise takes some suspension of disbelief, but trust me when I say that it is worth it. Barclay tells his tale from three main perspectives, the main protagonist Paul, his wife, and his psychiatrist. These three separate threads slowly wind together until the full extent of Barclay's narrative prowess is revealed. I couldn't put this one down, and read it in a few short sittings. Seasoned thriller readers like me may think they have the ending of this one all figured out, but I can assure you that Barclay is always a step ahead of you. He smartly plays into the conventions of the genre to set up the ultimate red herring. Just as I thought I had the ending of this one all figured out, a third-act twist came along and set into motion a stream of twisty reveals that had me fully shaken. If you haven't already, go ahead and add A Noise Downstairs to your summer reading list. You won't be disappointed. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2023, 20)