Whistle by Linwood Barclay

Annie and her son, Charlie, flee the city after a year of loss and trauma. Charlie finds solace with a toy train set he finds in the home they have rented. Annie tries to get back into her artwork and writing. But strange things begin to happen that can’t be explained.

The story follows two timelines and exposes the fact that a certain toy train brings forth all kinds of strange and deadly events. Will Annie and Charlie pick up the clues and escape from the evil that is approaching before it’s too late?

Barclay, who is a master of crime thrillers, has made the transition to horror seamlessly. This story is as good as anything by Stephen King (one of my favourites) or Nick Cutter. You can’t look away from this runaway train wreck.