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The Blackhouse
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.
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.
448 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2022
315 people are currently reading
19431 people want to read
About the author
Carole Johnstone
57 books640 followersCarole 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.
MIRRORLAND, her debut novel, has sold in 13 territories, and has been optioned by Heyday TV and NBC Universal.
Her second novel, THE BLACKHOUSE, is a gothic thriller and unusual whodunnit set on an isolated Scottish island where nothing is as it seems, and shocking twists lie around every corner. Out Aug 4 2022 in the UK and Jan 3 2023 in the US and CAN.
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.
MIRRORLAND, her debut novel, has sold in 13 territories, and has been optioned by Heyday TV and NBC Universal.
Her second novel, THE BLACKHOUSE, is a gothic thriller and unusual whodunnit set on an isolated Scottish island where nothing is as it seems, and shocking twists lie around every corner. Out Aug 4 2022 in the UK and Jan 3 2023 in the US and CAN.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 731 reviews
August 10, 2022
Dark and Brooding
The Blackhouse is a slow-burn novel about a 5-year-old girl who claims to be the reincarnation of a murdered man.
When Maggie was 5 years old, she believed she was to be reincarnated with the soul of Andrew, a man from the Outer Hebrides. 20 years later, she investigates what really happened to make her believe she was Andrew, leading her to expose buried secrets.
The plot is complicated and has many layers in two different timelines--one in the 1990s the other in the present. There are many characters to keep track of in the past and present timelines. However, there are only two narrators: Maggie and Robert.
Maggie’s character felt distant to me. I liked her, but I couldn’t connect with her. However, by the end, she got under my skin. Robert’s character is dark and disconcerting.
I found the beginning of the book to be very confusing due to the many characters to keep track of. Additionally, the narrative doesn't operate linearly, adding further confusion. Once I figured out what was going on, I was sold, but it took a bit to get there.
The Blackhouse is a well-crafted, slow-paced, atmospheric read. The elements of the violent sea, the desolate farmland, and the blackhouse felt alive. This was my favorite part of the novel, as Johnstone transported me to the Outer Hebrides. The plot is weighty, and Maggie got under my skin. In addition, myths, reincarnation, and elements of otherworldliness play a role, creating a strangeness that appealed to me, and were especially impactful in creating a slightly weird yet, satisfying ending.
If you are willing to be a patient reader, there is a solid payoff.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Scribner in exchange for an honest review.
The Blackhouse is a slow-burn novel about a 5-year-old girl who claims to be the reincarnation of a murdered man.
When Maggie was 5 years old, she believed she was to be reincarnated with the soul of Andrew, a man from the Outer Hebrides. 20 years later, she investigates what really happened to make her believe she was Andrew, leading her to expose buried secrets.
The plot is complicated and has many layers in two different timelines--one in the 1990s the other in the present. There are many characters to keep track of in the past and present timelines. However, there are only two narrators: Maggie and Robert.
Maggie’s character felt distant to me. I liked her, but I couldn’t connect with her. However, by the end, she got under my skin. Robert’s character is dark and disconcerting.
I found the beginning of the book to be very confusing due to the many characters to keep track of. Additionally, the narrative doesn't operate linearly, adding further confusion. Once I figured out what was going on, I was sold, but it took a bit to get there.
The Blackhouse is a well-crafted, slow-paced, atmospheric read. The elements of the violent sea, the desolate farmland, and the blackhouse felt alive. This was my favorite part of the novel, as Johnstone transported me to the Outer Hebrides. The plot is weighty, and Maggie got under my skin. In addition, myths, reincarnation, and elements of otherworldliness play a role, creating a strangeness that appealed to me, and were especially impactful in creating a slightly weird yet, satisfying ending.
If you are willing to be a patient reader, there is a solid payoff.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Scribner in exchange for an honest review.
July 4, 2023
Brrr! I cannot help myself! I’m shivering! This book is something unique ! It’s creepy, disturbing, breathtaking, claustrophobic!
You know some books scare the living daylights out of you so instead of burying your head into it, you want to put it down to hide under blankets till you gather your wits but you cannot stop reading it because you’re so hooked up, becoming addicted at each chapter, rooting for characters: yes, that’s exactly how I felt during my reading experience! I needed my blankets but I ignored to read more!
The portraits of tight knitted townies who are burden with something they cannot talk about were impressively well developed.
The layered, intense and vivid descriptions of the sightseeings make you close your eyes! You feel like you are already there. You shiver more, hearing the waves, seeing the black birds drawing circles above your head and seeing the blackhouse standing in front of you like a bleak vision of your worst nightmare.
Let’s give you more information about the plot and characters:
Maggie Mackay has a mission to return back to the remote village of Blairmore in Outer Hebrides! She’s haunted with nightmares connected with the place.
The first time she came here she was only five, screaming at townies that a man named Andrew MacNeil was drowned in the sea! No, he wasn’t just drowned. He was MURDERED! She knows she’s telling the truth because Andrew MacNeil was born for second time in her body! Yes, she’s product of incarnation!
She’s accompanied by her mother who is also a medium, believing in her daughter and TV crew to film the entire supernatural journey.
Of course the townies denied everything she’s said and sent them back!
But now her mother died. She had a horrifying episode at the crematorium. After being locked a psych ward, she barely controls her mood swings. She left her boyfriend and sacked from her writing gig.
She has nothing to lose, being ready to face her demons by returning back to the place where everything started.
As soon as she arrives, the hostility and unwelcoming attitudes of townies give her second thoughts. Somebody keeps watching her in the dark, stalking her each move.
Finally she finds out she is not losing her mind because a man was actually drowned at the sea. He changed his name as Robert and started a family at the island. That man was running away from his last because he has done something truly bad!
I’m stopping here not to blurt out much but I have to admit this is perfectly written psychological thriller with paranormal vibes.
I also enjoyed the blooming love story.
The ending was jaw dropping and breath taking.
I loved so many characters especially Charlie, Kelly were my favorites.
I think this is my favorite work of the author! Giving my intense, bleak, dark, perfectly claustrophobic stars!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
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You know some books scare the living daylights out of you so instead of burying your head into it, you want to put it down to hide under blankets till you gather your wits but you cannot stop reading it because you’re so hooked up, becoming addicted at each chapter, rooting for characters: yes, that’s exactly how I felt during my reading experience! I needed my blankets but I ignored to read more!
The portraits of tight knitted townies who are burden with something they cannot talk about were impressively well developed.
The layered, intense and vivid descriptions of the sightseeings make you close your eyes! You feel like you are already there. You shiver more, hearing the waves, seeing the black birds drawing circles above your head and seeing the blackhouse standing in front of you like a bleak vision of your worst nightmare.
Let’s give you more information about the plot and characters:
Maggie Mackay has a mission to return back to the remote village of Blairmore in Outer Hebrides! She’s haunted with nightmares connected with the place.
The first time she came here she was only five, screaming at townies that a man named Andrew MacNeil was drowned in the sea! No, he wasn’t just drowned. He was MURDERED! She knows she’s telling the truth because Andrew MacNeil was born for second time in her body! Yes, she’s product of incarnation!
She’s accompanied by her mother who is also a medium, believing in her daughter and TV crew to film the entire supernatural journey.
Of course the townies denied everything she’s said and sent them back!
But now her mother died. She had a horrifying episode at the crematorium. After being locked a psych ward, she barely controls her mood swings. She left her boyfriend and sacked from her writing gig.
She has nothing to lose, being ready to face her demons by returning back to the place where everything started.
As soon as she arrives, the hostility and unwelcoming attitudes of townies give her second thoughts. Somebody keeps watching her in the dark, stalking her each move.
Finally she finds out she is not losing her mind because a man was actually drowned at the sea. He changed his name as Robert and started a family at the island. That man was running away from his last because he has done something truly bad!
I’m stopping here not to blurt out much but I have to admit this is perfectly written psychological thriller with paranormal vibes.
I also enjoyed the blooming love story.
The ending was jaw dropping and breath taking.
I loved so many characters especially Charlie, Kelly were my favorites.
I think this is my favorite work of the author! Giving my intense, bleak, dark, perfectly claustrophobic stars!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
medium blog
August 20, 2022
EXCERPT: I remember, even before I fumble for the bedside lamp switch. I'm in a clifftop Blackhouse on the edge of the world. And the sound - the sound that has raised the hairs on my skin and scalp; that has set my heart beating so hard I can feel its pulse in my fingers and toes - is not nurses on night rounds or the swish of fire doors. It is here.
I hear it again close to the window. Quick, light taps against the glass. And then muffled, louder taps getting closer. I listen to their progress along the wall towards the fireplace, and I draw my knees up against my chest. I think of the narrow-paved path that circles the cottage. Could it be sheep? But those taps don't sound like hooves. They sound like steps. Light and fast. As though someone is on tiptoe.
I almost scream when something scrapes too loud, too close, against the kitchen wall. It pauses, and I spin round in the bed, ears rushing with white noise as I strain to listen. When it starts up again - a scratching like something pressed against and dragged along the stone outside - I lurch out of bed, my hand over my mouth. The door to the mudroom is open, and I nearly scream again when they reach the door, start tapping on the small inset window. Another longer scrape of stone, and then the bathroom window. I think of bócain and thin places. I think of dead crows with empty oval eye sockets. I think of someone watching from the dark. Worst of all, I think of Robert Reid.
ABOUT 'THE BLACKHOUSE': Maggie Mackay has been haunted her entire life. No matter what she does, she can’t shake the sense that something is wrong with her. And maybe something is…
When she was five years old, without proof, Maggie announced that someone in the remote village of Blairmore in the Outer Hebrides had murdered a local man, sparking a media storm.
Now, Maggie is determined to discover what really happened and what the villagers are hiding. But everyone has secrets, and some are deadly. As she gets closer to the horrifying truth, Maggie’s own life is in danger…
MY THOUGHTS: The remote Hebridean Island of Kilmeray is like a magnet to Maggie Mackay. Her mother had taken her there as a five-year-old child, and she announced that she was Andrew Macneil and she had been murdered there.
After her mother's death and her own psychotic episode, Maggie returns, determined to uncover the truth, sure that is the key to quitening her own restless spirit.
But on an island like Kilmeray, and in an insular village like Blairmore, the locals all live and work together. That's how they survive. So it's not unexpected that they would stand together against someone coming in and asking questions, making accusations.
Carole Johnstone is great at creating atmosphere. Her chosen location of a small wind and storm swept island that is more often than not cut off from the rest of the world by the weather is ideal for this storyline. But the seas are not all that is menacing. There are the villagers, who seem to be playing a game of cat and mouse with Maggie. One minute they are turning their backs on her, warning her off; the next tempting her with some tidbit of information. Maggie's journey to uncover what they are hiding is a tense and twisty one; the final reveal unexpected and satisfying.
There is a sprinkling of Norse mythology, and romance; a hint of the supernatural. This is a story about grief and revenge; a story of mental illness and justice; a story of one woman trying to find her own peace.
On reflection, I wish I had listened to the audiobook of The Blackhouse. It could only have added to the atmosphere and my enjoyment.
⭐⭐⭐.8
#theblackhouse #NetGalley
I: @carole_l_johnstone @harpercollins
T: @C_L_Johnstone @HarperCollins
#contemporaryfiction #crime #mentalhealth #mystery #scottishnoir #smalltownfiction
THE AUTHOR: Carole Johnstone is from Lanarkshire, Scotland though she spent much of her life in north Essex. Award winning short story writer and lover of islands and wine. She now writes full-time and lives on the Scottish coast in Argyll & Bute.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins, Harper Fiction via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
I hear it again close to the window. Quick, light taps against the glass. And then muffled, louder taps getting closer. I listen to their progress along the wall towards the fireplace, and I draw my knees up against my chest. I think of the narrow-paved path that circles the cottage. Could it be sheep? But those taps don't sound like hooves. They sound like steps. Light and fast. As though someone is on tiptoe.
I almost scream when something scrapes too loud, too close, against the kitchen wall. It pauses, and I spin round in the bed, ears rushing with white noise as I strain to listen. When it starts up again - a scratching like something pressed against and dragged along the stone outside - I lurch out of bed, my hand over my mouth. The door to the mudroom is open, and I nearly scream again when they reach the door, start tapping on the small inset window. Another longer scrape of stone, and then the bathroom window. I think of bócain and thin places. I think of dead crows with empty oval eye sockets. I think of someone watching from the dark. Worst of all, I think of Robert Reid.
ABOUT 'THE BLACKHOUSE': Maggie Mackay has been haunted her entire life. No matter what she does, she can’t shake the sense that something is wrong with her. And maybe something is…
When she was five years old, without proof, Maggie announced that someone in the remote village of Blairmore in the Outer Hebrides had murdered a local man, sparking a media storm.
Now, Maggie is determined to discover what really happened and what the villagers are hiding. But everyone has secrets, and some are deadly. As she gets closer to the horrifying truth, Maggie’s own life is in danger…
MY THOUGHTS: The remote Hebridean Island of Kilmeray is like a magnet to Maggie Mackay. Her mother had taken her there as a five-year-old child, and she announced that she was Andrew Macneil and she had been murdered there.
After her mother's death and her own psychotic episode, Maggie returns, determined to uncover the truth, sure that is the key to quitening her own restless spirit.
But on an island like Kilmeray, and in an insular village like Blairmore, the locals all live and work together. That's how they survive. So it's not unexpected that they would stand together against someone coming in and asking questions, making accusations.
Carole Johnstone is great at creating atmosphere. Her chosen location of a small wind and storm swept island that is more often than not cut off from the rest of the world by the weather is ideal for this storyline. But the seas are not all that is menacing. There are the villagers, who seem to be playing a game of cat and mouse with Maggie. One minute they are turning their backs on her, warning her off; the next tempting her with some tidbit of information. Maggie's journey to uncover what they are hiding is a tense and twisty one; the final reveal unexpected and satisfying.
There is a sprinkling of Norse mythology, and romance; a hint of the supernatural. This is a story about grief and revenge; a story of mental illness and justice; a story of one woman trying to find her own peace.
On reflection, I wish I had listened to the audiobook of The Blackhouse. It could only have added to the atmosphere and my enjoyment.
⭐⭐⭐.8
#theblackhouse #NetGalley
I: @carole_l_johnstone @harpercollins
T: @C_L_Johnstone @HarperCollins
#contemporaryfiction #crime #mentalhealth #mystery #scottishnoir #smalltownfiction
THE AUTHOR: Carole Johnstone is from Lanarkshire, Scotland though she spent much of her life in north Essex. Award winning short story writer and lover of islands and wine. She now writes full-time and lives on the Scottish coast in Argyll & Bute.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins, Harper Fiction via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
December 20, 2022
I struggle with slow books, even ones that are well written. I felt as if I were on the island and could not get off as everyone and their brother made an appearance. Maggie came to town; she’s welcomed by some, and she’s greeted with hostility by others. The pub is the meeting/social spot for all but will the villagers be social when she begins asking questions?
Maggie and her mother visited Scotland’s Outer Hebrides after a young Maggie said she was Andrew MacNeil, a dead man. Nothing ever came of this visit, but the villagers remembered. People living in small town/villages always remember!
Twenty years later, Maggie comes back to Outer Hebrides looking for answers. Why do I hear Jack Nicholson shouting "You can't handle the truth!"? But the truth is what she seeks. But there are those with secrets, who can't handle Maggie learning them.
This book is told in two timelines (the 1990's and the present) with the POV of Maggie and Robert.
The atmosphere in this book was spectacular. I thought the author did a fantastic job of setting the stage and I felt as if I had been transported there. But sadly, I struggled with the slowness of the book, and I found that I just didn't love this book. While there were parts that I enjoyed, the rest just bogged things down for me. Others are enjoying this book more than I did, so please read their reviews.
Well written and atmospheric.
Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Maggie and her mother visited Scotland’s Outer Hebrides after a young Maggie said she was Andrew MacNeil, a dead man. Nothing ever came of this visit, but the villagers remembered. People living in small town/villages always remember!
Twenty years later, Maggie comes back to Outer Hebrides looking for answers. Why do I hear Jack Nicholson shouting "You can't handle the truth!"? But the truth is what she seeks. But there are those with secrets, who can't handle Maggie learning them.
This book is told in two timelines (the 1990's and the present) with the POV of Maggie and Robert.
The atmosphere in this book was spectacular. I thought the author did a fantastic job of setting the stage and I felt as if I had been transported there. But sadly, I struggled with the slowness of the book, and I found that I just didn't love this book. While there were parts that I enjoyed, the rest just bogged things down for me. Others are enjoying this book more than I did, so please read their reviews.
Well written and atmospheric.
Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
April 23, 2022
The remote island of Kilmery is connected by a causeway to Lewis and Harris and has a closely guarded and protected secret which glues some of its inhabitants to this remote and wild place. Maggie Mackay has had nightmares all her life, believing she can 'see' darkness. At the age of five, Maggie announces that in the village of Blairmore a local man is murdered which provokes a media storm bringing a circus of a film crew to the Outer Hebrides but achieves no answers. Now aged 25, Maggie returns to Kilmery and the village of Blairmore to see if she can prove her beliefs of over twenty years ago are actually true. However, as she gets closer to the truth danger is all around her.
Fist of all, the superbly atmospheric descriptions took me right back to this stunningly beautiful area. If you add in the history, mythology and the superstitions, especially the idea that this may be a Thin Place, then you have a compelling read. It makes the most superb backdrop to a clever plot combined with excellent writing that takes you on a journey with several cliffhangers along the route. Maggie is a fascinating central character to go on that journey with as her emotions range from raw to acceptance and everything in between. How residents react to her is equally fascinating as these vary from aggressive and resistant to the welcoming and warm. Chuck in some wild weather which frequently changes from soft and gentle to stormy which leads to an oppressive and claustrophobic read. As Maggie gathers some useful nuggets of information and digs up some truths we veer into the positively gothic, ghostly and spooky. It becomes mysterious, strange and unsettling as we encounter secrets, guilt and the desire for atonement. I really like the ending which feels right.
My only negative is that there an an abundance of characters to get your head around but it's worth the effort as the novel is chock full of atmosphere.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Harper Collins/Harper Fiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Fist of all, the superbly atmospheric descriptions took me right back to this stunningly beautiful area. If you add in the history, mythology and the superstitions, especially the idea that this may be a Thin Place, then you have a compelling read. It makes the most superb backdrop to a clever plot combined with excellent writing that takes you on a journey with several cliffhangers along the route. Maggie is a fascinating central character to go on that journey with as her emotions range from raw to acceptance and everything in between. How residents react to her is equally fascinating as these vary from aggressive and resistant to the welcoming and warm. Chuck in some wild weather which frequently changes from soft and gentle to stormy which leads to an oppressive and claustrophobic read. As Maggie gathers some useful nuggets of information and digs up some truths we veer into the positively gothic, ghostly and spooky. It becomes mysterious, strange and unsettling as we encounter secrets, guilt and the desire for atonement. I really like the ending which feels right.
My only negative is that there an an abundance of characters to get your head around but it's worth the effort as the novel is chock full of atmosphere.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Harper Collins/Harper Fiction for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
January 29, 2023
What did I just read? I think I liked it?
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
February 16, 2025
I'll admit that I'm predisposed to like stories that take place in cold, northern, coastal communities. If those communities are isolated by geography and the self-reliant reticence of the inhabitants, so much the better. So while I can see that people may find the events related in The Blackhouse to be too plodding and slow to unfold, I was almost entirely enthralled from start to finish. The writing is excellent; there were times when I could taste the cold, sea air, and even if I didn't exactly find myself identifying with the MC, she was sympathetic enough to keep my invested in her search to find answers. The villagers are believable and multi-dimensional. I could have done without the romantic subplot that comes into play about halfway through, and I was a bit disappointed in a turn at the very end, but overall I enjoyed this novel very much. Upon finishing, I immediately added Johnstone's other novel Mirrorland to my tbr.
January 3, 2023
The Blackhouse is a deeply atmospheric, slow burn gothic mystery that explores the destructive way that a guilty conscience can negatively effect a person’s life.
At five years old, Maggie visits the remote village of Blairemore in the Outer Hebrides with her mother and a documentary film maker. She announces that she is Andrew MacNeil. However, Andrew MacNeil is dead, having drowned during an awful storm in the 1990s. Why would she say this? She believes he was murdered by someone in the village. Twenty years later, she returns after being released from a psychiatric hospital. Will she expose the buried secrets? Is Maggie really Andrew?
Told in two timelines, 1994 and the present, Maggie and Robert piece together the real story of what happened to Andrew MacNeil.
Mirrorland was one of my favorite thrillers from 2021, so I was thrilled to read Johnstone’s newest offering. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same experience with this book. There was so much packed into the plot and felt like it was all over the place. The island only had twenty people living on it, but I couldn’t keep them all straight! Many parts were also very confusing, so I’m not sure I even understood everything in the end. Possible plot holes? I also found it hard to connect with the subject matter, as I am not really interested in sheep farming or the fishing industry.
However, definitely read this book if you enjoy Norse mythology! Johnstone does a fantastic job uncovering various myths and legends.
Overall, I’m disappointed that I didn’t love this book, but will be looking forward to reading Johnstone’s next thriller!
Trigger warning: Animal cruelty
3/5 stars
Expected publication date: 1/3/23
Thank you to Edelweiss and Scribner publishing for the ARC of The Blackhouse in exchange for an honest review.
At five years old, Maggie visits the remote village of Blairemore in the Outer Hebrides with her mother and a documentary film maker. She announces that she is Andrew MacNeil. However, Andrew MacNeil is dead, having drowned during an awful storm in the 1990s. Why would she say this? She believes he was murdered by someone in the village. Twenty years later, she returns after being released from a psychiatric hospital. Will she expose the buried secrets? Is Maggie really Andrew?
Told in two timelines, 1994 and the present, Maggie and Robert piece together the real story of what happened to Andrew MacNeil.
Mirrorland was one of my favorite thrillers from 2021, so I was thrilled to read Johnstone’s newest offering. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same experience with this book. There was so much packed into the plot and felt like it was all over the place. The island only had twenty people living on it, but I couldn’t keep them all straight! Many parts were also very confusing, so I’m not sure I even understood everything in the end. Possible plot holes? I also found it hard to connect with the subject matter, as I am not really interested in sheep farming or the fishing industry.
However, definitely read this book if you enjoy Norse mythology! Johnstone does a fantastic job uncovering various myths and legends.
Overall, I’m disappointed that I didn’t love this book, but will be looking forward to reading Johnstone’s next thriller!
Trigger warning: Animal cruelty
3/5 stars
Expected publication date: 1/3/23
Thank you to Edelweiss and Scribner publishing for the ARC of The Blackhouse in exchange for an honest review.
December 23, 2022
Publication Date: 3rd Jan 2023
2.7 Stars
One Liner: Atmospheric, but the rest doesn’t live up
Robert Reid moved to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland with his wife and son. He is an outsider and has a terrible secret to hide. Though Robert craves the security of a village community, his own fears prevent him from becoming one of the villagers. Soon, things go out of his control, and he has to pay the price.
Maggie MacKay was five when she declared that she was a dead man from the remote island of Kilmeray. She claims that he didn’t drown but was murdered by one of the villagers. Two decades later, Maggie goes back to the village to find out what really happened in the past. It’s not easy, as the locals don’t want to talk to her, and someone is determined to drive her out. What’s more, Maggie is still a nervous wreck and doesn’t know what to believe.
Can Maggie find the truth? What will it do to her?
The story comes from the first-person POV of Maggie and Robert in a dual timeline.
What I Like:
The story is set in a fictional village (based on a real setting) in Scotland. The rugged cliffs, crashing Atlantic waves, and scattered homes come alive on the pages.
The mood is dark, brooding, sinister, and uncomfortable almost throughout. It also has triggers (see at the end), which add to the mood (but also ruin the setting).
Charlie is a wonderfully layered character and vital to the plot’s progress. He is one of the most well-written side characters I’ve read.
Maggie’s mother is another intriguing character in the book. She is a passive yet constant presence in the book. But… (continued in the next section)
The theme of the small community sticking together and the conflicts between the villagers are well done. It establishes the strength and weaknesses of being a local community.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The pacing is slow. While this is expected in the beginning, the narrative never really picks up speed. I resorted to speed-reading once I began to lose interest.
Maggie and Robert are the voices of the book. Yet, both failed to make me feel anything for them. Maggie was a tad better, but Robert’s arc was left unexplored, with a few aspects being repeated throughout the book. If a reader likes a side character more than the MCs, it is rather telling.
Maggie suffers from mental illness and is recovering from a breakdown. Yet, she jumps into insta-lust-love with Sexy Will, the local farmer. Will is actually a kind-hearted guy, but the focus isn’t on his attributes. I’m not sure how romance made the book better. Friendship would have worked just the same (or even better).
Kelly is a bright, cheerful character, possibly someone to lighten up the dark mood. However, she only managed to annoy me most of the time.
The book also relies on Norse mythology, but only to the extent of pushing a character over the edge of sanity. I didn’t particularly like this. There’s a lot more to pagan cultures than superstitions, sacrifices, or dark magic.
Finally, the ending; there’s a twist (or several), but the final one dilutes what the plot has been building until then. I don’t fall into the majority category that likes the ending. For me, it looks like a final twist to surprise the readers and a convenient way to conclude the plot.
To summarize, The Blackhouse is a slow atmospheric novel with a strong setting. Read the other reviews before you decide.
Thank you, NetGalley and Scribner, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheBlackhouse
TW: .
2.7 Stars
One Liner: Atmospheric, but the rest doesn’t live up
Robert Reid moved to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland with his wife and son. He is an outsider and has a terrible secret to hide. Though Robert craves the security of a village community, his own fears prevent him from becoming one of the villagers. Soon, things go out of his control, and he has to pay the price.
Maggie MacKay was five when she declared that she was a dead man from the remote island of Kilmeray. She claims that he didn’t drown but was murdered by one of the villagers. Two decades later, Maggie goes back to the village to find out what really happened in the past. It’s not easy, as the locals don’t want to talk to her, and someone is determined to drive her out. What’s more, Maggie is still a nervous wreck and doesn’t know what to believe.
Can Maggie find the truth? What will it do to her?
The story comes from the first-person POV of Maggie and Robert in a dual timeline.
What I Like:
The story is set in a fictional village (based on a real setting) in Scotland. The rugged cliffs, crashing Atlantic waves, and scattered homes come alive on the pages.
The mood is dark, brooding, sinister, and uncomfortable almost throughout. It also has triggers (see at the end), which add to the mood (but also ruin the setting).
Charlie is a wonderfully layered character and vital to the plot’s progress. He is one of the most well-written side characters I’ve read.
Maggie’s mother is another intriguing character in the book. She is a passive yet constant presence in the book. But… (continued in the next section)
The theme of the small community sticking together and the conflicts between the villagers are well done. It establishes the strength and weaknesses of being a local community.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The pacing is slow. While this is expected in the beginning, the narrative never really picks up speed. I resorted to speed-reading once I began to lose interest.
Maggie and Robert are the voices of the book. Yet, both failed to make me feel anything for them. Maggie was a tad better, but Robert’s arc was left unexplored, with a few aspects being repeated throughout the book. If a reader likes a side character more than the MCs, it is rather telling.
Maggie suffers from mental illness and is recovering from a breakdown. Yet, she jumps into insta-lust-love with Sexy Will, the local farmer. Will is actually a kind-hearted guy, but the focus isn’t on his attributes. I’m not sure how romance made the book better. Friendship would have worked just the same (or even better).
Kelly is a bright, cheerful character, possibly someone to lighten up the dark mood. However, she only managed to annoy me most of the time.
The book also relies on Norse mythology, but only to the extent of pushing a character over the edge of sanity. I didn’t particularly like this. There’s a lot more to pagan cultures than superstitions, sacrifices, or dark magic.
Finally, the ending; there’s a twist (or several), but the final one dilutes what the plot has been building until then. I don’t fall into the majority category that likes the ending. For me, it looks like a final twist to surprise the readers and a convenient way to conclude the plot.
To summarize, The Blackhouse is a slow atmospheric novel with a strong setting. Read the other reviews before you decide.
Thank you, NetGalley and Scribner, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #TheBlackhouse
TW: .
April 4, 2023
the setup…
Maggie McKay has lived a troubled life, living with a mother who claimed to be psychic and having her own mental issues. Following her mother’s death, she returns to the remote island called Kilmeray in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. It’s the place where she felt like her childhood trauma began when she declared, at five-years old, that she was a man named Andrew and he had been murdered. Now she needs to find out whether this was her truth or a machination created by her mother. Unfortunately, the locals do not welcome her with open arms and that’s an understatement.
the heart of the story…
I knew this would be highly atmospheric but was still overwhelmed by how the setting would be almost more vivid than any of the characters. There’s such a strong sense of place, like I could smell the sea, feel the chill from the winds and hear the sounds of that island. It was the best imagery I’ve experienced in a while. The story is presented in two narratives, Maggie’s and a man named Robert Reid who disappeared from Kilmeray a few years before Maggie and her mother were first there. Both are seriously complicated and untrustworthy as narrators. At least Maggie was honest about her doubts of herself. Robert was much more murky, alluding to secrets he was keeping and transitioning between his troubled past and rocky present. It’s clear early on that the locals are harboring a secret and it was hard to figure out who to trust, who was being disingenuous and why. I got bogged down by the sheer volume of them, especially those who were fairly indistinctive until late in the story. I don’t usually have trouble keeping up but struggled here.
the narration…
The two narrators were a highlight of this story! They were outstanding storytellers and their accents fit the setting beautifully. Best decision ever to listen versus read.
the bottom line…
Despite the outstanding narration and incredible atmospheric setting, I was less enamored of the overall story as it seemed to take too long to develop. I had a tough time staying with it as there were so many characters to juggle while trying to understand the basics, worrying about Maggie’s safety and figuring out the meaning behind some very odd situations. However, I’m glad I hung in there because the ending was powerful and the secret was more complex than I’d imagined. The themes are strong and I was left thinking about them long after I finished. I recommend it, just be prepared for the story to take its time to develop. 3.5 stars
(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Maggie McKay has lived a troubled life, living with a mother who claimed to be psychic and having her own mental issues. Following her mother’s death, she returns to the remote island called Kilmeray in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. It’s the place where she felt like her childhood trauma began when she declared, at five-years old, that she was a man named Andrew and he had been murdered. Now she needs to find out whether this was her truth or a machination created by her mother. Unfortunately, the locals do not welcome her with open arms and that’s an understatement.
the heart of the story…
I knew this would be highly atmospheric but was still overwhelmed by how the setting would be almost more vivid than any of the characters. There’s such a strong sense of place, like I could smell the sea, feel the chill from the winds and hear the sounds of that island. It was the best imagery I’ve experienced in a while. The story is presented in two narratives, Maggie’s and a man named Robert Reid who disappeared from Kilmeray a few years before Maggie and her mother were first there. Both are seriously complicated and untrustworthy as narrators. At least Maggie was honest about her doubts of herself. Robert was much more murky, alluding to secrets he was keeping and transitioning between his troubled past and rocky present. It’s clear early on that the locals are harboring a secret and it was hard to figure out who to trust, who was being disingenuous and why. I got bogged down by the sheer volume of them, especially those who were fairly indistinctive until late in the story. I don’t usually have trouble keeping up but struggled here.
the narration…
The two narrators were a highlight of this story! They were outstanding storytellers and their accents fit the setting beautifully. Best decision ever to listen versus read.
the bottom line…
Despite the outstanding narration and incredible atmospheric setting, I was less enamored of the overall story as it seemed to take too long to develop. I had a tough time staying with it as there were so many characters to juggle while trying to understand the basics, worrying about Maggie’s safety and figuring out the meaning behind some very odd situations. However, I’m glad I hung in there because the ending was powerful and the secret was more complex than I’d imagined. The themes are strong and I was left thinking about them long after I finished. I recommend it, just be prepared for the story to take its time to develop. 3.5 stars
(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
February 11, 2024
A Wonderful, Eerie and Entrancing Novel!
Maggie Mackay is a young woman still in mourning from her mother's passing while trying to get her life together again after suffering a trauma so shocking that it has taken her a great while to overcome. Maggie has decided to go back to the extremely, small island village in Scotland where she had visited at five years of age claiming a man unknown to her or her mother had been murdered twenty-five years ago, and the villagers didn't take kindly to that sordid news by outsiders especially a small child along with a television crew bringing questions and shame to the peaceful community.
Maggie just wants to understand what really happened all those years ago and to find out if there really had been a murder or if the man had ever, even existed. Initially, she doesn't reveal her real identity but it does comes out rather quickly and Maggie gets shunned by the majority of the islanders yet isn't prepared to find a possible romance with a farmer who seems very supportive of Maggie although he doesn't have a clue about Maggie's uncomfortable and mysterious past. Maggie only wants to stay a very short time so she can't possibly get involved with someone who lives on the island.
Soon, Maggie begins getting threatening and frightening messages and objects left at her beautiful rental cottage while she knows someone wants to scare her away yet she doesn't know why unless there is so much more to the unknown and unsolved murder than she could never have foreseen and as eerie occurrences continue to frighten her Maggie only gets more resolved to solve the mysteries of her past and of this man she has somehow been connected to all of her life.
This was a beautifully written and haunting story of an unhappy young woman trying to find answers to her past while unwittingly putting her own life in danger. I absolutely loved this book and all the characters within the mysterious and extremely atmospheric Scottish island settings. The exceptional telling of the scenery and the Scot dialect of the island had me mesmerized page after page visualizing the story as if I was watching it play out on film. This was a book that was so unique and also impossible to know how the story would play out. I was entranced because the writing was excellent and breathtaking at times and I was so enmeshed with this novel that I didn't want the story to come down end! Carole Johnstone has another new fan!
I highly recommend this dark mystery with a hint of the paranormal to all readers who enjoy books that are beautifully written!
I want to thank the publisher "Scribner" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I have given a rating of 4 1/2 HAUNTING AND RIVETING 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!
Maggie Mackay is a young woman still in mourning from her mother's passing while trying to get her life together again after suffering a trauma so shocking that it has taken her a great while to overcome. Maggie has decided to go back to the extremely, small island village in Scotland where she had visited at five years of age claiming a man unknown to her or her mother had been murdered twenty-five years ago, and the villagers didn't take kindly to that sordid news by outsiders especially a small child along with a television crew bringing questions and shame to the peaceful community.
Maggie just wants to understand what really happened all those years ago and to find out if there really had been a murder or if the man had ever, even existed. Initially, she doesn't reveal her real identity but it does comes out rather quickly and Maggie gets shunned by the majority of the islanders yet isn't prepared to find a possible romance with a farmer who seems very supportive of Maggie although he doesn't have a clue about Maggie's uncomfortable and mysterious past. Maggie only wants to stay a very short time so she can't possibly get involved with someone who lives on the island.
Soon, Maggie begins getting threatening and frightening messages and objects left at her beautiful rental cottage while she knows someone wants to scare her away yet she doesn't know why unless there is so much more to the unknown and unsolved murder than she could never have foreseen and as eerie occurrences continue to frighten her Maggie only gets more resolved to solve the mysteries of her past and of this man she has somehow been connected to all of her life.
This was a beautifully written and haunting story of an unhappy young woman trying to find answers to her past while unwittingly putting her own life in danger. I absolutely loved this book and all the characters within the mysterious and extremely atmospheric Scottish island settings. The exceptional telling of the scenery and the Scot dialect of the island had me mesmerized page after page visualizing the story as if I was watching it play out on film. This was a book that was so unique and also impossible to know how the story would play out. I was entranced because the writing was excellent and breathtaking at times and I was so enmeshed with this novel that I didn't want the story to come down end! Carole Johnstone has another new fan!
I highly recommend this dark mystery with a hint of the paranormal to all readers who enjoy books that are beautifully written!
I want to thank the publisher "Scribner" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!
I have given a rating of 4 1/2 HAUNTING AND RIVETING 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌠 STARS!!
October 6, 2022
I chose this book on the strength of Johnson’s Mirrorland, though it didn’t quite live up to the standard.
The thing is it’s difficult to fault a book so well written, and Blackhouse is so very well written indeed. It has a stunning sense of place. The remote Scottish isles come alive in all their forbidding stormy beauty on these pages.
But outside of that, all you have is a small town (village, really) mystery that is drawn out and protracted much, much too much. It’s a good mystery, it has a nice twist, it deals with madness and guilt and secrets. It even has intriguing hints of supernatural. But it takes so long to get anywhere.
And it’s probably actually due to the fact that the author can write so well; it’s almost as if she gets lost in her descriptions and characters’ inner lives and pacing and dynamism of the narrative pay the toll. And no, I wasn’t expecting a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am sort of pacing of an action thriller, but still…This proved itself to be rather too slow, too maudlin, too overdone on the dramatics and introspective and all that. Made reading kind of a slog as a result.
At least, for this reader. You can draw your own conclusions.
The writing is strong, and the setting is done expertly. The rest…varies. Thanks Netgalley.
The thing is it’s difficult to fault a book so well written, and Blackhouse is so very well written indeed. It has a stunning sense of place. The remote Scottish isles come alive in all their forbidding stormy beauty on these pages.
But outside of that, all you have is a small town (village, really) mystery that is drawn out and protracted much, much too much. It’s a good mystery, it has a nice twist, it deals with madness and guilt and secrets. It even has intriguing hints of supernatural. But it takes so long to get anywhere.
And it’s probably actually due to the fact that the author can write so well; it’s almost as if she gets lost in her descriptions and characters’ inner lives and pacing and dynamism of the narrative pay the toll. And no, I wasn’t expecting a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am sort of pacing of an action thriller, but still…This proved itself to be rather too slow, too maudlin, too overdone on the dramatics and introspective and all that. Made reading kind of a slog as a result.
At least, for this reader. You can draw your own conclusions.
The writing is strong, and the setting is done expertly. The rest…varies. Thanks Netgalley.
December 30, 2022
Wow, such a gripping read. Totally suspenseful and had me questioning everything. I absolutely loved Maggie's character development throughout the story. She's such a strong warrior even if she doesn't know that yet. Loved all of the shocking points and twists in the story. It made me read this book in one sitting as I just had to see how it all played out. The ending... what??! I totally did not expect it. Shocking and wonderfully suspenseful!
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
September 13, 2023
It was an very atmospheric book, that felt perfect for autumn. The story was successful in making me want to learn what happened and the truths but unfortunately it didn't quite feel like a 4 star read.
August 5, 2022
With a nightmarish and gothic atmosphere, The Blackhouse is a mysterious and chilling thriller with hints of the paranormal, superstition, delusions, and mythology.
Perfectly reflecting the stormy weather at sea, the setting is claustrophobic, the characters are fierce, and the tensions are turbulent. Full of detail, the story is set against a stunning but isolated backdrop that further builds up the mysterious events that everybody seems so desperate to keep buried.
I love a story involving a causeway. Although it's a setting that can often feel underused in thrillers as merely a way to cut off characters from the outside world, the setting is everything here. It's obvious that the author has experience of living in and a love for the wild islands of the Outer Hebrides as there is so much atmosphere in this book and it elevates the plot in so many ways.
The small town setting and quirky close-knit villagers give off an almost cult-ish vibe as Maggie struggles with not only her own mental illness but also the untrustworthiness of everyone around her. The plot is clever and brilliantly written, and every twist works to push you further and further into an unsettling bewilderment.
I had no idea how the story was going to come together but I found the final revelations to be the perfect conclusion. It is a bit of a slow burn, but it's so easy to be taken in by the characters and setting and the final quarter of the book is sure to have you gripped.
I said this about her previous book, Mirrorland, and I'll say it again now: If you're looking for a dark thriller that oozes originality, Johnstone is definitely an author worth your attention.
Perfectly reflecting the stormy weather at sea, the setting is claustrophobic, the characters are fierce, and the tensions are turbulent. Full of detail, the story is set against a stunning but isolated backdrop that further builds up the mysterious events that everybody seems so desperate to keep buried.
I love a story involving a causeway. Although it's a setting that can often feel underused in thrillers as merely a way to cut off characters from the outside world, the setting is everything here. It's obvious that the author has experience of living in and a love for the wild islands of the Outer Hebrides as there is so much atmosphere in this book and it elevates the plot in so many ways.
The small town setting and quirky close-knit villagers give off an almost cult-ish vibe as Maggie struggles with not only her own mental illness but also the untrustworthiness of everyone around her. The plot is clever and brilliantly written, and every twist works to push you further and further into an unsettling bewilderment.
I had no idea how the story was going to come together but I found the final revelations to be the perfect conclusion. It is a bit of a slow burn, but it's so easy to be taken in by the characters and setting and the final quarter of the book is sure to have you gripped.
I said this about her previous book, Mirrorland, and I'll say it again now: If you're looking for a dark thriller that oozes originality, Johnstone is definitely an author worth your attention.
Read
January 10, 2023Dnf 39%
NOTHING IS HAPPENING
NOTHING IS HAPPENING
January 6, 2023
I loved the idea of the book, but I felt it lacked something for me. There is something fascinating about the concept of reincarnation, and I was curious if Maggie was a reincarnation of a dead man.
There's a lot to like about The Blackhouse; it's well-written and the story is intriguing. I just felt that something was missing. It was not a book I could not put down, I wasn't really engrossed by the story. And I really, really wanted to love the story more than I did and take the characters to my heart. Alas, I found myself not really warming up to Maggie and the rest, and that's probably why I did not really enjoy the book as much as I wanted to. Sure, I wanted to know the truth, but I was not hooked.
I do recommend the book. It was refreshingly different from the usual crime novel. The ending was really good.
There's a lot to like about The Blackhouse; it's well-written and the story is intriguing. I just felt that something was missing. It was not a book I could not put down, I wasn't really engrossed by the story. And I really, really wanted to love the story more than I did and take the characters to my heart. Alas, I found myself not really warming up to Maggie and the rest, and that's probably why I did not really enjoy the book as much as I wanted to. Sure, I wanted to know the truth, but I was not hooked.
I do recommend the book. It was refreshingly different from the usual crime novel. The ending was really good.
August 2, 2022
Well... this book took me all round the houses and back again. I really had no idea where it was going half the time and, more importantly, where we would end up! All in a good way, I hasten to add.
We follow Maggie Mackay as she revisits her past. As a child she was convinced there'd been a murder on a remote island in the Outer Hebrides. She visited there, along with her mother and, well, long story short kicked up a storm and created quite a kerfuffle.
Her mother now dead and Maggie needs to know the truth. So she goes back. To a mixed reception. But she is determined to find out that truth. At whatever cost...
I really enjoyed Mirrorland when I read it a while back so I was quite excited to read this book. And a little nervous as my expectation was quite high. I needn't have worried though as she really did smash it out of the park for me with this book. I took to Maggie straight from the off. Her sadness and vulnerability really did tug at my emotions.
The main thing I really loved with this book was the setting - the remote island of Kilmery - which could almost stand for being a character in its own right, so integral it was to the story being told. It was so beautifully described. Warts and all, atmospheric in both a positive and negative way. So picturesque and also so dangerous. Stunning.
And the story was everything I wanted and more. Spoilers prevent me from expanding on this but it had all the elements you need for a great psychological thriller. Secrets, Lies, duplicity, as well as a smattering of romance!
There are a lot of characters but nothing my making a list couldn't handle. But they were all well drawn and played their parts well indeed.
All in all, a cracking read that I have no hesitation in recommending. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
We follow Maggie Mackay as she revisits her past. As a child she was convinced there'd been a murder on a remote island in the Outer Hebrides. She visited there, along with her mother and, well, long story short kicked up a storm and created quite a kerfuffle.
Her mother now dead and Maggie needs to know the truth. So she goes back. To a mixed reception. But she is determined to find out that truth. At whatever cost...
I really enjoyed Mirrorland when I read it a while back so I was quite excited to read this book. And a little nervous as my expectation was quite high. I needn't have worried though as she really did smash it out of the park for me with this book. I took to Maggie straight from the off. Her sadness and vulnerability really did tug at my emotions.
The main thing I really loved with this book was the setting - the remote island of Kilmery - which could almost stand for being a character in its own right, so integral it was to the story being told. It was so beautifully described. Warts and all, atmospheric in both a positive and negative way. So picturesque and also so dangerous. Stunning.
And the story was everything I wanted and more. Spoilers prevent me from expanding on this but it had all the elements you need for a great psychological thriller. Secrets, Lies, duplicity, as well as a smattering of romance!
There are a lot of characters but nothing my making a list couldn't handle. But they were all well drawn and played their parts well indeed.
All in all, a cracking read that I have no hesitation in recommending. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
June 9, 2023
Something happened to Maggie 25 years ago and she is determined to find out what and why. So she moves to Scotland - her original home.
This was a story told in two voices with a dual timeline.
Maggie's story and Robert Reid's story 25 years earlier.
Maggie's story emphasized her solitary life, her mother's recent death and her longing to belong somewhere - but she seemed to live in a constant state of fear - over that something that occurred in her childhood.
Robert's story was darker, more complex, melancholy.
The story had several plot twists and as a literary thriller it covered some weighty topics like mental illness as a result of childhood trauma.
It also went into such things as: the feelings of an outsider, the fragility of happiness, guilt, secrecy, deception, self-loathing, atonement...and...sorry, I won't reveal this last one, because I think it is a spoiler.
Place also plays a role. The sound of crashing waves, the feel of the winds in Scotland's Outer Hebrides has a distinctiveness to it.
To be honest, I am not sure I felt really connected to this book.
Maybe it was too gothic for me - and the spoiler I mentioned, well, that didn't work for me, either.
This was a story told in two voices with a dual timeline.
Maggie's story and Robert Reid's story 25 years earlier.
Maggie's story emphasized her solitary life, her mother's recent death and her longing to belong somewhere - but she seemed to live in a constant state of fear - over that something that occurred in her childhood.
Robert's story was darker, more complex, melancholy.
The story had several plot twists and as a literary thriller it covered some weighty topics like mental illness as a result of childhood trauma.
It also went into such things as: the feelings of an outsider, the fragility of happiness, guilt, secrecy, deception, self-loathing, atonement...and...sorry, I won't reveal this last one, because I think it is a spoiler.
Place also plays a role. The sound of crashing waves, the feel of the winds in Scotland's Outer Hebrides has a distinctiveness to it.
To be honest, I am not sure I felt really connected to this book.
Maybe it was too gothic for me - and the spoiler I mentioned, well, that didn't work for me, either.
February 17, 2023
TW: Death of parent, depression, anxiety, murder, mental health
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: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.
Release Date: August 4th, 2022
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 322
Rating: ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The cover is beautiful and creepy
2. I thought the idea of this book was interesting
What I Didn't Like:
1. So boring
2. The characters are not interesting
3. The insta-love *gag*
4. Sexy Will.... Used too many times!
5. Too slow
Overall Thoughts:
I loved Carole Johnstone's previous novel; Mirrorland but this one was just not good. I was bored to tears. I got 50% into the before I decided this book was just not it for me. The characters all felt one dimensional and they had zero interesting qualities to them. I hated the insta-love that happened so quickly between Maggie and Will. One minute she comes to town and the next she was hooking up with Sexy Will.
I don't know why but I keep writing down that this book is called The Bleakhouse. Looking at the definition of bleak though I feel it pretty much sums up my experience with this book. It's so unfair when a book has that kind of cover on it and it ends up being a dud.
Another story about a women who is being asked if she's taking her medicine.
This book crawls and I never really felt like anything happened despite things happening. It's boring and exhausting trying to care about what's happening.
I also feel like like we meet way too many characters to keep track of and who they are.
Final Thoughts:
That romance killed it for me in the end. Why does a author have to throw in a needless romance? It just felt like since she has mental health issues she needed a man to come help her sort things out.
I will say the author does a fantastic job at setting the atmosphere and you feel as though you're on the island with her.
I'll continue to check out the authors books. I love the tone and style she writes in.
Recommend For:
• Slow burn book
• Secluded Island
• Pagan tones
• Multiple pov's
IG | Blog
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: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.
Release Date: August 4th, 2022
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 322
Rating: ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. The cover is beautiful and creepy
2. I thought the idea of this book was interesting
What I Didn't Like:
1. So boring
2. The characters are not interesting
3. The insta-love *gag*
4. Sexy Will.... Used too many times!
5. Too slow
Overall Thoughts:
I loved Carole Johnstone's previous novel; Mirrorland but this one was just not good. I was bored to tears. I got 50% into the before I decided this book was just not it for me. The characters all felt one dimensional and they had zero interesting qualities to them. I hated the insta-love that happened so quickly between Maggie and Will. One minute she comes to town and the next she was hooking up with Sexy Will.
I don't know why but I keep writing down that this book is called The Bleakhouse. Looking at the definition of bleak though I feel it pretty much sums up my experience with this book. It's so unfair when a book has that kind of cover on it and it ends up being a dud.
Another story about a women who is being asked if she's taking her medicine.
This book crawls and I never really felt like anything happened despite things happening. It's boring and exhausting trying to care about what's happening.
I also feel like like we meet way too many characters to keep track of and who they are.
Final Thoughts:
That romance killed it for me in the end. Why does a author have to throw in a needless romance? It just felt like since she has mental health issues she needed a man to come help her sort things out.
I will say the author does a fantastic job at setting the atmosphere and you feel as though you're on the island with her.
I'll continue to check out the authors books. I love the tone and style she writes in.
Recommend For:
• Slow burn book
• Secluded Island
• Pagan tones
• Multiple pov's
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October 19, 2022
This was a slow burn that is often a little too slow, but I did enjoy it overall. The story centers on Robert, who moves to a remote Scottish island to escape a secret he is keeping, and Maggie, who insisted she was the reincarnation of a murdered man when she was a child and comes back to the island 20 years later to delve in further to the history. The author intertwines these storylines fabulously, and the POV shifts between these 2 characters.
The mystery in both Robert's and Maggie's story is sound and I found myself surprised a couple times as new truths came out. I felt like I had to suspend my disbelief a bit at the end of of the story but did really feel for the decsiions the characters had to make. I thought it was amusing that Maggie seemed surprised every time she found out someone lied to her, because pretty much everyone lied to her repeatedlyl. She finally gets there, though. This is an atmospheric novel and the author beautifully describes the surroundings, but sometimes I felt that these thorough descriptions slowed down the book a bit. There were also a lot of characters to keep straight and sometimes I had to reorient myself with who was who and how they all fit together.
Overall, I enjoyed the book but it is definitely not a quick read. Those who enjoy a slow burn, atmospheric,, and psychological mystery with maybe a hint of the supernatural should give it a try. I felt almost the same way about this author's other book and think if you enjoyed that you will llike this one too. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The mystery in both Robert's and Maggie's story is sound and I found myself surprised a couple times as new truths came out. I felt like I had to suspend my disbelief a bit at the end of of the story but did really feel for the decsiions the characters had to make. I thought it was amusing that Maggie seemed surprised every time she found out someone lied to her, because pretty much everyone lied to her repeatedlyl. She finally gets there, though. This is an atmospheric novel and the author beautifully describes the surroundings, but sometimes I felt that these thorough descriptions slowed down the book a bit. There were also a lot of characters to keep straight and sometimes I had to reorient myself with who was who and how they all fit together.
Overall, I enjoyed the book but it is definitely not a quick read. Those who enjoy a slow burn, atmospheric,, and psychological mystery with maybe a hint of the supernatural should give it a try. I felt almost the same way about this author's other book and think if you enjoyed that you will llike this one too. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 1, 2022
As a young child, Maggie MacKay declared she was Andrew MacNeil and had been murdered in a small village in the Hebrides. Her mother, along with a documentary filmmaker, visited there when she was five to investigate, to no avail. Twenty five years later, she returns to the village to try to find out just who Andrew was and what happened to him. Here, she finds friendship, antagonism, love, and danger. The story is told in two POVs with two timelines.
Extremely atmospheric, Johnstone portrays the beauty and the isolation of the Hebrides, as well as the violence of the storms and sea. I know I am going to be in a minority here, but, despite it being well written, I just couldn’t engage with this book. Reading it for me was tedious. I frequently found myself skimming through, and not because I was anxious to find out what happened. There were moments of great wisdom expressed that made me pause and say “this is really good.” Unfortunately, those moments were overwhelmed by tedium. Gothic, haunting, touching on the supernatural, there were some important issues and information here, but sometimes there was just too much.
Thanks to #netgalley and #scribner for the ARC
Extremely atmospheric, Johnstone portrays the beauty and the isolation of the Hebrides, as well as the violence of the storms and sea. I know I am going to be in a minority here, but, despite it being well written, I just couldn’t engage with this book. Reading it for me was tedious. I frequently found myself skimming through, and not because I was anxious to find out what happened. There were moments of great wisdom expressed that made me pause and say “this is really good.” Unfortunately, those moments were overwhelmed by tedium. Gothic, haunting, touching on the supernatural, there were some important issues and information here, but sometimes there was just too much.
Thanks to #netgalley and #scribner for the ARC
July 27, 2022
A really good atmospheric thriller which had me reading into the early hours. I had to know the truth!!! Set in two time periods then and now, it is the story of Maggie bipolar and she needs to find out what happened to her as a child. No it is not abuse. Maggie believes a man was murdered and he is asking Maggie for help. At first I was not sure what I reading but the more I read the more I became immersed in what was unfolding. A village that has a secret all these years and will do whatever to keep it hidden. Touches of the gothic with a sprinkling of the psychological and so much more. Loved it!!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.
February 22, 2024
For me, the main character had too many problems. I realize that problems are important for the moving on of a story, but with each new issue (that we were told about) it seemed like she never could get herself out (or really tried) of her ever consuming depression making this novel (feel) sad not chilling. I didn't want sad.
January 5, 2023
Told in two voices - with a dual timeline, this novel captured me and transported me to the Outer Hebrides. The mournful tolling of the tide bell, the scent of the salt water, the sound of the crashing waves, the feel of the constant winds, all were made visceral to the reader. The sense of place was all pervasive lending the narrative a somber feel. The community was isolated and insular and they banded together despite their divergent personalities.
Maggie McKay's story was my favourite of the two. I empathized with her solitary life, her mother's recent death, and her longing to 'belong' somewhere... her fear. Robert Reid's story, set 25 years earlier, was darker, more complex, and I found it verged on the melancholy.
The plot was original and beautifully written. It contained several plot twists which added interest and food for thought to the story. I did find the pacing ponderously slow at times.
This literary thriller covered some weighty topics such as mental illness as the result of childhood trauma, what it feels like to be an 'outsider', the fragility of happiness, guilt, secrecy, deception, self-loathing, reincarnation, and atonement.
This is the first novel I've read by Carole Johnstone and would not hesitate to read more of her work.
Maggie McKay's story was my favourite of the two. I empathized with her solitary life, her mother's recent death, and her longing to 'belong' somewhere... her fear. Robert Reid's story, set 25 years earlier, was darker, more complex, and I found it verged on the melancholy.
The plot was original and beautifully written. It contained several plot twists which added interest and food for thought to the story. I did find the pacing ponderously slow at times.
This literary thriller covered some weighty topics such as mental illness as the result of childhood trauma, what it feels like to be an 'outsider', the fragility of happiness, guilt, secrecy, deception, self-loathing, reincarnation, and atonement.
This is the first novel I've read by Carole Johnstone and would not hesitate to read more of her work.
January 16, 2023
3.5 🌟
The Blackhouse is my second of Carole Johnstone’s mysteries, and once again she has managed to unnerve me. The atmosphere of an isolated Scottish island and a woman struggling with mental illness and visions all set a gothic tone.
Maggie MacKay was only five when she claimed a man was murdered on the Isle of Kilmeray. It grabbed a lot of attention, but how would Maggie know such a thing, as she had never been to the island?
Robert Reid moves his family to the small community of Kilmeray hoping to farm the land and for peace. But thoughts and memories of some past misdeed haunt him.
Now, as an adult, Maggie has come to Kilmeray determined to get to the truth, but the truth goes far deeper than she imagined.
The setting alone is enough to send a few shivers up your spine: a remote island in the chilly Atlantic, with a very tight-knit community that is keeping some dreadfully dark secrets. Although the pace is unhurried, I found the elements of mental health, possible reincarnation, and locals-gone-rogue to be very interesting. Plus Maggie was a character that I found myself rooting for.
🎧If you want the full atmospheric experience, grab the audiobook, the narrator has a great accent!
Thank you @simon.audio for the complimentary audiobook and @bookclubfavorites for a gifted book.
The Blackhouse is my second of Carole Johnstone’s mysteries, and once again she has managed to unnerve me. The atmosphere of an isolated Scottish island and a woman struggling with mental illness and visions all set a gothic tone.
Maggie MacKay was only five when she claimed a man was murdered on the Isle of Kilmeray. It grabbed a lot of attention, but how would Maggie know such a thing, as she had never been to the island?
Robert Reid moves his family to the small community of Kilmeray hoping to farm the land and for peace. But thoughts and memories of some past misdeed haunt him.
Now, as an adult, Maggie has come to Kilmeray determined to get to the truth, but the truth goes far deeper than she imagined.
The setting alone is enough to send a few shivers up your spine: a remote island in the chilly Atlantic, with a very tight-knit community that is keeping some dreadfully dark secrets. Although the pace is unhurried, I found the elements of mental health, possible reincarnation, and locals-gone-rogue to be very interesting. Plus Maggie was a character that I found myself rooting for.
🎧If you want the full atmospheric experience, grab the audiobook, the narrator has a great accent!
Thank you @simon.audio for the complimentary audiobook and @bookclubfavorites for a gifted book.
April 12, 2025
This is a difficult novel to review. 2.5 stars? One of the audible narrators was pretty bad and everything was breathless and dramatic. Having said that, the novel itself was badly written in places with breathlessness and drama happening way too often. It could have been much shorter and various breathless and dramatic events simply cut out. You’d have thought our heroine might have realised after a while that going around alone at night on this particular island might not have been good for her.
The reason I read on (listened on) was because the story was in itself very clever (if over long) and I wanted to see how it would resolve itself. It worked well in terms of plot. I found the descriptions of landscape good but not so much the people, especially since the author relied too much on cliches. The romantic element of the novel was pretty grim and hideously unconvincing.
I won’t go back to this writer but the idea of the story will stay with me. Would I recommend it? Prob not, if your tastes are like mine.
The reason I read on (listened on) was because the story was in itself very clever (if over long) and I wanted to see how it would resolve itself. It worked well in terms of plot. I found the descriptions of landscape good but not so much the people, especially since the author relied too much on cliches. The romantic element of the novel was pretty grim and hideously unconvincing.
I won’t go back to this writer but the idea of the story will stay with me. Would I recommend it? Prob not, if your tastes are like mine.
April 28, 2022
Set in the remote, storm-beaten Outer Hebrides, where the islanders are close knit and closed off from the world, a young woman returns to discover what really happened there to her as a child. Maggie McKay is a troubled, flawed and interesting protagonist and she drives the story, and provides a link to the events of 1999 when her (possibly psychic) mother dragged her to Blairmore with a TV crew, to find out about the (unreported) murder of a local man. When Maggie returns as an adult, to dig into what really happened, she meets hostility, falls in love, and is plagued by spooky events and attacks. Is it linked to the archaeological dig and what that has turned up in the barrows? Or does someone not want her on the island? There are a lot of threads in Johnstone's thriller, with its Gothic overtones, references to Norse history, Gaelic language inserts, island lore, fishing details, and a plethora of characters, (some of whom never really became more than names on the page to me). Johnstone looks at themes of reincarnation, loss, guilt, mental breakdown, the effects of isolation, marital collapse, abuse and violence all wrapped up in a thriller wrapper. The weather is another 'character' as is the island, whose bleak, barren beauty disturbs and engages. And then there is the sea, and its latent violence and the fear it breeds in men. I found the opening of the book gripping, for me it sagged in the middle, losing its way with pages of description, before it picked up again with Maggie making a series of discoveries of a cover-up about a missing child and islander. There was a lot of exposition in the back end of the book though, as we are 'told' what happened. I found this rather clunky and is one of the reasons I hovered over whether to give the book 4 stars (it's very well-written if not entirely in a style I related to) or 3 stars. I settled on 3 as the ending didn't really deliver for me, though it may for other readers. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc for this review.
October 17, 2022
This is a well crafted, atmospheric, slow burn journey through the hauntingly beautiful Outer Hebrides in Scotland by an author who knows how to turn up the creepy atmosphere in her writing.
The story itself is told in alternating points of view between Maggie (who as a 5 year old claims she is the reincarnation of Andrew, a man who was murdered in the Outer Hebrides) and Robert (who in the 1990s relocated his family to this tight community. ) Maggie is now grown and wants nothing more than to figure out who Andrew was and why he chose her to share his visions with. Was he murdered? Was there even really an Andrew? Taking up temporary residence in The Blackhouse on the island, everyone seems to have something to hide.
The whole town seems to be engaged in a cat and mouse game with Maggie and no one is completely trustworthy. You will meet so many characters. Some you’ll like, others you’ll want to strangle. All rolled together in myth, reincarnation, creepy other worldliness and of course told through the creative imaginings of an author that retains the ability to have you seeing and becoming part of the story itself.
Don’t go into this one expecting a quick paced thrill, instead just enjoy the ride until you reach its satisfying conclusion. This one is definitely worth your time!
Thank you to #NetGalley, the publishers and author for extending me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.
Happy reading my friends. 😊
The story itself is told in alternating points of view between Maggie (who as a 5 year old claims she is the reincarnation of Andrew, a man who was murdered in the Outer Hebrides) and Robert (who in the 1990s relocated his family to this tight community. ) Maggie is now grown and wants nothing more than to figure out who Andrew was and why he chose her to share his visions with. Was he murdered? Was there even really an Andrew? Taking up temporary residence in The Blackhouse on the island, everyone seems to have something to hide.
The whole town seems to be engaged in a cat and mouse game with Maggie and no one is completely trustworthy. You will meet so many characters. Some you’ll like, others you’ll want to strangle. All rolled together in myth, reincarnation, creepy other worldliness and of course told through the creative imaginings of an author that retains the ability to have you seeing and becoming part of the story itself.
Don’t go into this one expecting a quick paced thrill, instead just enjoy the ride until you reach its satisfying conclusion. This one is definitely worth your time!
Thank you to #NetGalley, the publishers and author for extending me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.
Happy reading my friends. 😊
January 7, 2023
Wow. Carole Johnstone has blow my mind yet again. This is a super slow burn, it takes about 200 pages to really get going, but it is oh so worth it in the end.
My favorite things:
• THE SETTING. Gorgeous, tiny Scottish island setting where everyone knows everyone. The descriptions of this place were *chef’s kiss*
• The characters. It took a bit to make sense of them because there are so many, but there’s such a nice mix of types of people. A few you love to hate, a few who wiggle their way into your heart, and some you just can’t figure out.
• Maggie’s backstory. I loved being on this journey with Maggie to find herself. I never would have guessed where it would take me, but I enjoyed the ride and getting to know her through her past and present.
• The shock of an ending. I’ll say no more about that. But I honestly had no clue where this book was going and I was so shocked by the end!
My favorite things:
• THE SETTING. Gorgeous, tiny Scottish island setting where everyone knows everyone. The descriptions of this place were *chef’s kiss*
• The characters. It took a bit to make sense of them because there are so many, but there’s such a nice mix of types of people. A few you love to hate, a few who wiggle their way into your heart, and some you just can’t figure out.
• Maggie’s backstory. I loved being on this journey with Maggie to find herself. I never would have guessed where it would take me, but I enjoyed the ride and getting to know her through her past and present.
• The shock of an ending. I’ll say no more about that. But I honestly had no clue where this book was going and I was so shocked by the end!
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