Book Review: The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone

    Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook, free of charge,from Scribner Books via Netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. All opinions are my own. 

From the author of the “dark and devious...beautifully written” (Stephen King) Mirrorland comes a richly atmospheric thriller set on an isolated Scottish island where nothing is as it seems and shocking twists lie around every corner.

Synopsis:

A remote village. A deadly secret. An outsider who knows the truth.

Robert Reid moved his family to Scotland’s Outer Hebrides in the 1990s, driven by hope, craving safety and community, and hiding a terrible secret. But despite his best efforts to fit in, Robert is always seen as an outsider. And as the legendary and violent Hebridean storms rage around him, he begins to unravel, believing his fate on the remote island of Kilmeray cannot be escaped.

For her entire life, Maggie MacKay has sensed something was wrong with her. When Maggie was five years old, she announced that a man on Kilmeray—a place she’d never visited—had been murdered. Her unfounded claim drew media attention and turned the locals against each other, creating rifts that never mended.

Nearly twenty years later, Maggie is determined to find out what really happened, and what the islanders are hiding. But when she begins to receive ominous threats, Maggie is forced to consider how much she is willing to risk to discover the horrifying truth.

Unnerving, enthralling, and filled with gothic suspense, The Blackhouse is a spectacularly sinister tale readers won’t soon forget.

Review:

Today we have 2 books about houses. Both are set abroad, and both are psychological in nature. 

Our first book takes place in Scotland, so when you hear the name Blackhouse, you know you're in for a gothic ride, and you are! In this thriller mystery, Maggie comes to Scotland seeking truth, but what she finds are memories that the residents don't want to revisit. As she discovers that the blackhouse she is staying at is related to a village mystery that occurred about the same time she was there, she soon realizes that someone connected to the house is watching her. But are they threatening her, or watching to warn her? As she delves more into the past she sets herself on a path to bring lost held memories to light for all, but are they ready for the truth?  This is a page-turner that will keep you reading long into the night!

About the Author:

Carole Johnstone grew up in Lanarkshire, Scotland. She has been writing as long as she can remember, and is an award-winning short story writer whose work has been reprinted and translated worldwide. She has been published by HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Titan Books, and has written Sherlock Holmes stories for Constable & Robinson.

Carole now writes full-time, and lives with her husband in the Highlands of Scotland, though her heart belongs to the sea and wild islands of the Outer Hebrides.

See carolejohnstone.com for more information and giveaways.