DON'T CALL MUM (paperback)

Formats: Paperback, Ebook | ISBN (paperback 178mm x 108 mm): 9781739458041 | Pages: 130 | Published: 8 May 2025

About the Book

PART OF THE NORTHERN WEIRD PROJECT

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.

Praise for (Don’t) Call Mum:

“Matt Wesolowski is one of the UK's best horror writers - (Don't) Call Mum is impossible to put down. Unmissable for horror fans (and any one with taste).”
- Eliza Clark, author of She’s Always Hungry

“All the Wesolowski gifts are here: strong writing, intense setting, unsettling themes, and a unique slant on horror. This is modern, thrilling, clever, and I bloody loved it!”
- Louise Beech, author of Nothing Else and I Am Dust

“(Don’t) Call Mum is Matt Wesolowski at his very best: dark humour, sinister folklore and lurking horror. It builds from the seemingly banal to a disturbing climax that lingers long after you’ve finished reading. Brilliantly unsettling.”
- Guy Morpuss, author of A Trial in Three Acts and Black Lake Manor

“The perfect bite-size piece of Northern dread. With its grim British folkloric threats brought to life in an expertly conjured (and equally bleak) modern-day setting, you'll be unable to disembark this train ride of the damned.”
- Ally Wilkes, author of Where the Dead Wait and All the White Spaces

“Wesolowski skilfully layers modern storytelling with grim folklore to leave readers haunted by dread. (Don't) Call Mum is eerie, tense, and will have you breathless by the final stop.”
- Tanya Pell, author of CICADA

“(Don't) Call Mum is pristine Wesolowski. Claustrophobic, taut, and achingly unnerving, the story unfolds much like the train car the characters find themselves on - barrelling along while the shadows move closer to the windows. Ultimately, this is something you'll pick up and not be able to put down, and you'll realize that throughout, you've had to remind yourself to breathe. This was spectacular.”
- Steve Stred, author of Mastodon and Churn the Soil

 “A slice of true Northern terror. Matt Wesolowski perfectly captures the dark beyond the window of the local train and fills it with nightmares.”
- Oliver K Langmead, author of Calypso and Glitterati

“Wesolowski's atmospheric and chilling tale will haunt you. The way he weaves folklore into a modern-day setting is masterfully done. A cracking read.”
- Tendai Huchu, author of the Edinburgh Nights series

About the Author:

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. He is a former English teacher for young people in the PRU and care systems. Matt was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival in 2015. His debut thriller, Six Stories, was an Amazon bestseller in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, and a WHSmith Fresh Talent pick. Hydra, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller. Changeling, the third book in the series, was published in 2019 and was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. His fourth book, Beast, won the Amazon Publishing Readers’ Independent Voice Book of the Year award in 2020 and was followed by Deity and then Demon in 2022. The Six Stories series is currently being adapted for television. Matt currently works as a tutor for Faber Academy. He lives in Newcastle with his partner and son, several tanks of rescued goldfish, a snake and a cat and an axolotl. Instagram / Twitter

Cover design by Luísa Dias