The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone #bookreview

Thank you BookClubFavorites & Scribner Books #partner, for the finished copy of The Blackhouse in exchange for my honest review. 

Publisher: Scriber Books

Published: January 3, 2023

 

Summary:

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.

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.

 

My thoughts:

When I saw this was listed as an atmospheric thriller filled with gothic suspense, I knew I had to read it…and I absolutely loved it! Yes, it might be more of a slow-burn mystery than straight-out thriller, but it still ended up being a story that is completely atmospheric and filled with gothic undertones and I was totally here for it!

This is definitely a slow-burn character-driven mystery that I found myself completely engaged in – once I started it, I was totally swept up in all that was going on. The use of the dual narrative and dual timelines really works to set the scene and I loved that as the story moves forward, I really questioned everyone, even the narrators. There is such a feeling of uneasiness as pieces of what really happened in the past start to come to light. That, coupled with the isolated, claustrophobic feeling that we get from this island really puts you on edge and that clearly shows that the author is familiar with this setting.

This story really kept me off-balance the entire time. I had no idea where it was heading and I have to say the ending really did surprise me. I also loved the way the author wove the traditions of the area into the story – it felt natural and added just a little extra to the overall feeling of the book.

This book really blew me away in so many ways. It’s not what I expected at all and yet I cannot recommend it enough. I was completely immersed in this story and loved how it all came together in the end. I will definitely be keeping this one on my shelf so that I can revisit it one day and now I am excited to read the author’s last book, Mirrorland, which I already have sitting on my shelf!