AboutPartnersSign inJoin
(Don’t) Call Mum

(Don’t) Call Mum

Matt Wesolowski — 2025
HE ALWAYS COMES FOR YOU… Leo is just trying to catch his train back home to the village of Malacstone in North East England. But there’s disorder at the station, and when a loud young man heading for London boards the train accidentally, a usually easy journey descends into darkness and chaos. The train soon breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and as night falls, something...or someone steps out of the distance. Is it a man or something far more sinister? When one of the passengers goes missing, Leo fears that a folkloric tale whispered to him in childhood might be the culprit. (Don’t) Call Mum blends Matt Wesolowski’s trademark voice of mystery, folklore and humour in this heart-racing tale.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of C. J. Daley
C. J. Daley @cjdscurrentread
3 stars
Feb 27, 2025

Thanks to Wild Hunt Books for this review copy!

This one really delivered on the small town vibes for me. As the train journey gets further and further away from London, I realized at one point that their journey was still short enough to entirely take place in New York. Really goes to show for folks that have never been. The older train, its technical (and perhaps supernatural) difficulties, as well as its infrequent stops, really sold that achingly far, removed town for me.

What didn’t exactly work for me was that the story spends its time building, creating what would be truly atmospheric, but then the ending kind of hits flat as it’s simply too short for its own good. I was creeped out, I was wondering, I was waiting, and it just didn’t exactly pay out the way it could have.

Still worth checking out as it’s a quick one and you may completely disagree!