The Whistler

By: Nick Medina

Narrated by: Shaun Taylor-Corbett

A young man is haunted by a mythological specter bent on stealing everything he loves in this unsettling horror from the author of Indian Burial Ground and Sisters of the Lost Nation.

As featured in People ∙ Men’s Health ∙ Chicago Tribune ∙ Paste Magazine ∙ and more!

For fear of summoning evil spirits, Native superstition says you should never, ever whistle at night.

Henry Hotard was on the verge of fame, gaining a following and traction with his eerie ghost-hunting videos. Then his dreams came to a screeching halt. Now, he's learning to navigate a new life in a wheelchair, back on the reservation where he grew up, relying on his grandparents’ care while he recovers.

And he’s being haunted.

His girlfriend, Jade, insists he just needs time to adjust to his new reality as a quadriplegic, that it’s his traumatized mind playing tricks on him, but Henry knows better. As the specter haunting him creeps closer each night, Henry battles to find a way to endure, to rid himself of the horror stalking him. Worried that this dread might plague him forever, he realizes the only way to exile his phantom is by confronting his troubled past and going back to the events that led to his injury.

It all started when he whistled at night....

Critic reviews

"Truly spooky, with a gasp-inducing twist."
—People

“One of the best writers of Indigenous horror working right now, Nick Medina takes on what might be his most conceptually challenging book yet with The Whistler . . . Whether you’re new to Medina or looking for another banger from the author, don’t miss it.”
—Paste Magazine

“The Whistler is an ambitious spooky, sweat drenching horror-mystery. Medina has crafted heart-stopping prose that will have you imagining weird whistles and terror induced nightmares sure to disrupt a good night’s sleep. Fans of Medina will enjoy characters from Medina’s past novels as they make appearances in The Whistler throughout the story. As he does in all his novels, Medina explores social issues unique to Native Americans in addition to the challenges people with disabilities face.”
—The Gloss

“This isn’t your standard haunted—The Whistler is slower-burning, psychologically jagged horror grounded in Native beliefs and modern dread. Medina, author of Sisters of the Lost Nation, knows how to craft folklore into something frighteningly personal. And trust: after this one, you’ll think twice before whistling at anything after dark.”
—Daily Mom

masterpiece

can someone please give Nick Medina a (consensual) hug and tell him that I love him

disappointing

After greatly enjoying another book by this author I was looking forward to this one too. However, the frequent use of vulgar language and some of the risqué descriptions made me very uncomfortable, and I will not finish it. The other book I listened to by this author had none of these offensive qualities and they were not evident in the preview recording. I wish I could return it, but Audible does not allow me to do so. I am not sure why: perhaps because it was on sale? I wish audible would include a rating system such as those provided by video streaming services: G, PG, PG-13, R, 18+, MA. Then I would not have to waste time and money/credits listening to things I am not likely to finish. The narrator did a fine job: thankfully, there were no distracting mouth or breath noises which I find extremely annoying.