I loved the setting but this was just a bit too off the walls for me, like many thrillers. If you are looking for a good palate cleanser, this would be a good one!

The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone is a thriller about Maggie MacKay, who returns to Scotland's outer Hebrides. When she was five, she announced that a man there had been murdered even though she had previously never been there. Twenty years later, she decides to figure out what really happened there. This book was definitely unique and suspenseful, and I enjoyed it even though I'm not sure about the ending. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

When Maggie MacKay was five she told her mother she was Andrew and had been murdered 20 years ago on an isolated Irish island. Her mother , a believer in the paranormal and reincarnation, and an independent filmmaker journey there to investigate. The villagers are unwelcoming and uncooperative. Following her mother's death Maggie returns to the island as an adult still seeking answers not only to Andrew's identity but also her own. What she finds is comforting and confusing. This brooding intense narrative has many layers that are slowly peeled away like an onion to reveal a disturbing truth at the core. The focus on an insular community who band together to hold their dark deeds close is haunting. This well crafted psychological suspense features two timelines and multiple points of view to provide a slow burn read that had me reflecting on it long after I finished. How would I feel in those circumstances? What would I do? A very different but compelling read.

A richly atmospheric thriller that immediately drew me in. Well developed characters, strong writing and a setting that was as much a character as the people, added up to.
4.5 stars rounded down .......only because I think it would have been better without the final "twist".


Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC of this book.

When Maggie was five, she tells her mother that she was once named Andrew and was murdered on the tiny island of Kilmeray. Her mother, a self proclaimed psychic, Maggie and a film crew to the island to “investigate “. They are met by annoyed villagers who insist the events never happened. Flash forward 20 years and Maggie returns to the island. Her mother is dead and she is searching for the truth to set herself free. Was the whole thing a hoax or was she Andrew?
This atmospheric chiller kept me reading way past my bedtime to finish. The plot twists were incredible- to be expected by the author of Mirrorland which was also a compulsive page turner. The characters were well thought out. The reincarnation plot line was handled so skillfully that it was totally believable whatever your opinion on reincarnation may be. Mental health issues were also handled with compassion and empathy. Overall a fantastic read- than you Netgalley for the opportunity.

This was one of my favorite reads for the month. Strong character development and a slow build up with many twists and turns. The main character thinks she was reincarnated. Her previous life was a man who she and her mother believes was murdered and when she is a child they go to the island in Scotland. Isolated and dark, the villagers are not happy with the visit. As an adult and writer, Maggie returns to the island to get the story and reconcile some issues with her now deceased mother. A love interest and sabotage circle her stay there. It was a good mystery that kept me intrigued.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

Overall, a really good mystery! I thoroughly enjoyed this book along with all the little twists and turns, and I definitely am excited to check out more from this author!

This was a 5 star read for me. Propulsive, dark, twisty, heavy, emotional, romantic, self discovery, I consumed this book. I loved the setting, the town, the characters, the mystery, the revelations. I'm sad about the ending though. And I wish I knew more Gaelic.

I enjoyed certain aspects of this book. The story was very atmospheric and creepy. The story itself was very slow and in my opinion too many characters. I was a little confused at times. In general a good read

This is sure to be one of the best suspense novels of 2023. Richly atmospheric, gothic, eerie, and pulse-pounding, Carole Johnstone threads The Blackhouse with supernatural elements and Norse mythology while keeping us firmly grounded on the atmospheric island of Kilmeray. Set in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, the small fishing village of Blairmore holds so many secrets that it sometimes seems to be a character unto itself.

meet Maggie MacKay when she returns to the village twenty years after a strange incident happened to her when she was five years old. Maggie proclaimed to be a man from the village, Andrew MacNeil, and insisted he was murdered. Believing her daughter was psychic, Maggie’s mom took her to the village with a documentary filmmaker.

The media quickly exploited the story, causing the village locals to turn against them and each other. Haunted by the experience, and now that her mother is dead, Maggie needs to know the truth about what happened when she was five. Maggie discovers that Andrew MacNeil was actually Robert Reid and rents The Blackhouse where Robert, his wife, and child lived, hoping this will help her find the truth. Robert hid a terrible secret and that’s why he changed his name. She’s certain he was murdered even though the villagers insist it was suicide.

Told by Maggie and Robert in alternating chapters, the story twists and turns with new revelations. Maggie knows the villagers are keeping secrets too, especially after she finds out a young boy died the same night Robert did. Neither body was found. As Maggie digs into Robert’s past, someone leaves mummified crows on her doorstep. One villager whispers threats in her ear.

Between battering storms, the villagers’ hostility, and a stalker, Maggie fears for her life. Soon she finds safety in Will who wants to understand her and who tries to keep her safe. They fall in love, but as she draws closer to the truth, she realizes she can trust no one.

Brilliantly written in literary prose, Johnstone captures a world that creeps into your senses while at the same time, making you love these people who gather at the pub and know each other intimately. We learn what it’s like to live off the land and sea and how the peat bogs can mummify yet provide warmth when harvested. At times the village feels evil, and at others, so simply normal. It’s just people banding together to protect their lives and livelihood. Maggie, the outsider, threatens all that, yet in many ways, she belongs to the village. Multi-layered and mystical, The Blackhouse will hook you, reel you in, and capture your imagination until the last thrilling twist. Just remember to breathe.

Thanks to Carole Johnstone, Scribner/Simon & Schuster, and Clare Maurer, Senior Publicist for an arc and a hardcover edition.

This one was a mixed bag for me. I liked the actual mystery and the gothic feel of the story. A slow burn that it’s time building a haunting atmosphere which is something I usually love, but this one moved a bit too slowly. However, my main problem with this book was the sheer amount of characters. They just keep showing up and it became quite confusing and hard to keep up with. It wasn’t a bad book, but with a little fine tuning it could have been a great book. Thanks to @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for this arc.

This book deserves more than the maximum number of stars of any rating system. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it since I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep if I left it open-ended, and then I wasn't able to sleep anyway because I couldn't stop reflecting with awe upon the way Johnstone accomplished so much with the book.

Following up her 2021 debut novel, MIRRORLAND, the author proves that the amazing writing in that somewhat claustrophobic novel was not a fluke. THE BLACKHOUSE has an insular island setting, but the expansive openness of the land and sea that surround its characters is far different from the tight physical landscape in which her earlier characters moved. One thing that has not changed, however, is the astonishing evocation of massive storms and their consequences, whether those storms are physical or emotional. Maggie MacKay, troubled by her mother's death and memories of an earlier visit to an island in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, plagued by a bi-polar disorder, retreats to that island to make sense of her past. She rents a cottage, the eponymous blackhouse, where she cannot escape the ghosts of that past. She had visited as a very young child after insisting that she was the reincarnation of a troubled man from that island, setting in motion events that will forever change the island dwellers and Maggie, herself.

As she makes both friends and enemies amongst the inhabitants of the village, creepy events at the blackhouse have her doubting her tenuous sanity. Her story is given in chapters interspersed with the story of the man of whom she claimed to be the reincarnation, a man equally on the edge of sanity. Maggie and her predecessor, Robert, are harassed by evil, both carnate and incarnate. The book has an uninterrupted gothic, menacing atmosphere that is at its most devastating during the many raging storms.

There are so many different themes that play out over the course of Maggie's attempt to understand the past, including mental illness, love between men and women and between parent and child, the effects of living with guilt, the ability to forgive or deny forgiveness, the effects of isolation and insularity in small towns cut-off from outside help, childhood neglect and abuse, and, of course, reincarnation.

What did I just read? I think I liked it? *confused slow shrug* The cover is stellar though, and those looking for a slow burning, atmospheric, unique horror novel will love this.

This book was a pick for a book club on Instagram and the reviews were mostly in agreement. It was sloooow. Too slow for most, as some decided to not finish the book. Others powered through, but never really enjoyed it. I am in the others part of this. I only finished this book because I had it through NetGalley and felt like I needed to finish, also wanted to uphold my side of book club. While some others may enjoy the atmospheric aspect of this book, it wasn’t enough for me. I didn’t relate much to the characters, and not connecting with them made me not want to pick up the book even more. Just a miss for me, sadly.

The Blackhouse started off as a slow moving atmospheric mystery and somewhere along the way it turned thrilling.

Parts felt a little soap-opera-like and I definitely rolled my eyes at the main character 's actions a few times, but I was honestly surprised by the end. I was trying to think of how it would all piece together and by golly I didn't expect it to go the way it did. I was also shook by the s3x scenes! Wasn't expecting them or for them to be well written and so they were a pleasant surprise.

I'd recommend this one to fans of moody mysteries and dysfunctional families. Read it for the dreamy setting on the Scottish moors alone!

a spooky title. I found myself reading this with the lights on. Sure sign of a good thriller. This author has an imaginative brain and I like her writing.

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I really struggled to get through “The Blackhouse.” While I very much enjoyed the premise, I thought the middle part of the book drug on too long, losing my attention.

Ultimately, I was entranced the final few chapters, as Johnstone brought the plot to its conclusion. Dark, tragic & nerve-wracking, I finally hit my stride with the book & was anxious to see the fates of Maggie, Will, Robert & the rest of the island. If you’re a fan of gothic thrillers, I would recommend giving this book a spot on your TBR.

📚📚 BOOK REVIEW🌟 🌟 💫

Thank you Carole Johnstone, Scribner and Netgalley for the ARC copy.

This one is a Gothic mystery with some terrific atmospheric vibes. It uncovers Maggie Mackay ‘s journey back to the small village of Blairmore, 2 decades after she visited the same places as a kid claiming to be Andrew MacNeil, murdered by someone in the village. The tight-nit community isn’t too receptive of her this time around either as Maggie slowly tries to piece together the puzzle of the Andrew aka Robert’s death while facing the demons of her past in the process. Things get even more spooky as Co-incidentally she inhabits the same Blackhouse Robert and his family lived in all those years ago. However little does she know about the parallel paths Robert and her life take in this island- will she meet the same end though?

As mentioned earlier, this was a dark atmospheric read which takes its time to set up the town, the characters. It can be drawback too since it’s not one of those fast, “chill at each turn” type of book- it’s a well written psychological thriller. The Gaelic introduced, though tough in some cases (explained in most cases) add authenticity to the plot. The relationship between Charlie and Maggie is another highlight. On the downside the romantic interludes was a let down and as was the reveal in the end which felt a bit forced. On the whole, The Blackhouse, though less than 350 pages long, isn’t a quick 2 days read- but worth the time.

#NetGalley #TheBlackhouse

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for my digital advance review copy.

Twenty-five year old Maggie MacKay travels to the Outer Hebrides to the village of Blairmore. This isn't a leisure trip, however. When Maggie was five, she claimed to be a man named Andrew who was murdered in this very village, provoking a media storm that ultimately yields nothing substantial. Now, as an adult, Maggie is determined to separate fact from fiction and determine how much (if any) of what she believed as a child is true.

I thoroughly enjoyed Johnstone's MIRRORLAND, so I was excited to see this pop up in my approvals. Johnstone's writing is beautiful, detailed, and atmospheric. It was easy to picture myself in a place where I have never actually been before. She did a wonderful job of sustaining a sense of unease, melancholy, and darkness throughout the novel.

I think this may have been a case of 'wrong book, wrong time' for me because I really struggled with this one. It took me a whopping eight days to finish, and only that quickly because I skimmed/speed-read the last 60% of the book. While I expected a slower start in this Gothic suspense, it never really picked up speed or got more interesting to me. I think the atmospheric and overly descriptive quality to Johnstone's writing coupled with the large cast of characters that the reader must acquaint oneself with made it hard for me to find any connection. I can honestly say that there are a few characters I still don't know.

I really hate to rate this book this low, but I just didn't enjoy it. I encourage you to read the reviews of the many other individuals who loved this one! Not every book works for every reader.

Maggie MacKay had a less than usual childhood. When she was just 5 years old, she started claiming she was a man from Kilmeray who had been murdered. Having never been there before, her story gained media attention. Although nothing ever came of this, it haunted Maggie her whole life.

Now at twenty-five years old, she decides to visit the area again and see if her claims could have possibly been true; or if she some how made it up or was fed the information by her mother, who claimed to be a clairvoyant. While back on the island, it seems like everyone has a secret. And when she begins receiving anonymous threats, Maggie thinks there might be more to this theory than what the islanders are saying.

This was a very interesting and compelling story. I liked how the storyline switched between Maggie's point of view and Robert's. I didn't see the ending coming and that made me want to keep reading into an ungodly hour of the night. It was very intricate and involved so many characters so it could be a bit hard to follow. Overall I enjoyed it, although I did like her other novel Mirrorland better. I'm looking forward to more stories by Carole Johnstone. Thank you Netgalley and Scribner for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.