The Whistling - Rebecca Netley

I adore Gothic fiction and I'm always on the lookout for new tales. I found a fantastic read in Rebecca Netley's debut novel - The Whistling. 

Isn't that cover delicious?! Ominously promising...

All the right bits for Gothic fiction are present...a young woman running from her own heartbreak in the big city takes a position as a nanny in a crumbling manor house on a remote island in 1860's Scotland. What else is needed? Unfriendly staff, a secretive owner of the home, a previous nanny who left with no notice, rumors, odd villagers who warn of.....

I'm going to leave it there and let you discover what has happened and is happening through the eyes of Elspeth, our protagonist. Is that truly someone at the attic window? And ears as well.....what is that singing late at night and what is the whistle for?

Netley has created a wonderfully atmospheric setting. She masterfully builds the tension of her story with every page turned. Seemingly innocent items, such as a doll and how a pair of shoes are set by the fire take on an insidious tone. This is much more frightening than an overt event.

The Whistling is a mystery on many levels and a tale that perhaps is home to one or two ghosts. Or is it?

A brilliant book and an easy five stars. See for your self - read an excerpt of The Whistling. 

Thanks to HarperCollins Canada for the digital review copy. All opinions are mine alone.