The Blackhouse: A Novel

Written by Carole Johnstone

Narrated by Joe McFadden and Eilidh Beaton

From the author of the “dark and devious...beautifully written” (Stephen King) Mirrorland comes an “atmospheric, thrilling, and utterly captivating” (Booklist) gothic tale set on a remote Scottish island where the locals are hiding a deadly secret.

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, Maggie announced that a man on the remote island of Kilmeray in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides—a place she’d never visited—was murdered. Her unfounded claim drew media attention and turned the locals against each other, creating rifts that never mended.

Now, nearly twenty years later, 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, the island’s legendary and violent storms begin to rage again and Maggie’s own life is in danger…

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

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jan 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797149660

Carole Johnstone

Carole Johnstone grew up in Lanarkshire, Scotland, and in her twenties relocated to Essex to work as a radiographer. She has been writing as long as she can remember and is an award-winning short story writer. She now writes full-time and lives with her husband in an old farmhouse outside Glasgow, though her heart belongs to the sea and the wild islands of the Outer Hebrides.

Reviews for The Blackhouse

[Danielle Avila · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story was very interesting and a bit different from other books I have read. There was a lot of detail in the landscape and weather, smells, and sounds. I enjoyed the old Norse background and generally was intrigued by the story and where it was headed. The detail was amazing. The problem I had was toward the end where it felt like the story was being dragged. The detail was still fantastic, I saw very vividly the scenes playing out in pictures in my head, but it went on and on. Toward the end I was just hoping for the story to ends. It is worth the read and/or the listen, I do not regret listening.

[Shelly Quick · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Purple prose, a highly convoluted plot and pithy, sentimental ramblings about life.

I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't. Still, I stayed with it until the end, so there must have been something redeeming about it ; that's why it gets two starts rather than one.

[D Wade · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I didn’t hate this story, but a lot of unanswered questions.

[Tammi Leon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked the twist and turns of the story line. Kept me guessing.

[Keura Langston · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was in love with the idea of this book...but it didn't quite go the way I would have thought.... still a pretty decent read