The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone

 

Title:  The Blackhouse

Author:  Carole Johnstone

Narrated by:  Joe McFadden and Eilidh Beaton

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 13 hours and 41 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio.  Thank you @simonandschuster #BookClubFavorites for the free books!

 Do you believe in reincarnation?  If you could be reincarnated, what would you like to come back as next time?  I’ve always thought it is an interesting concept and love to read books about it.  

Maggie Mackay has moved back to Kilmeray in Scotland to try to solve a mystery from her past.  When she was five years old, she announced that she was a reincarnated man who had been murdered on Kilmeray. "I am Andrew McNeil, and I was murdered." The problem was, no one of that name had died on the island.  As Maggie investigates, she starts to uncover many secrets on the island.  Will she find what she is looking for?

In the 1990’s, Robert Reid and his family have moved to Kilmeray to make a fresh start.  Robert grew up on the island, but after his father’s death at sea, he has decided to be a farmer and to forget the past.  The past hasn’t forgotten him though.  What will his fate be?

I liked this dark and gothic novel.  It had many twists in the storyline.  Maggie and Robert were both narrators of different chapters and both were unreliable narrators.  I loved the atmosphere of this novel and the terrific setting.  I also enjoyed getting to know the community and all of the characters in town.  The buildup of the way of life on Kilmeray is a large part of the story and the reveal which I don’t want to spoil.  This book had a bit of everything – romance, thriller, suspense, grief, revenge, and a bit of the supernatural.  I enjoyed it.