Read June 2019. Published 6th June 2019.
Ailsa Calder has inherited a house nestled among the craggy peaks of the Scottish Highlands, from her artist mother.
Well, more of half a house really, since the other half belongs to her father. Unfortunately, Ailsa's father went missing years ago, when she was only seven years old and no one knows why - although many believe that he ran away with a fortune in diamonds from his jeweler employer.
Ailsa has returned to her childhood home, with her half-sister (same mother, different father) who she barely knows, in tow, to try to decide what she wants to do with her inheritance - if anything can be done with her father's whereabouts unknown. Some of the locals are far from welcoming and there are strange stories about the history of The Manse.
The Manse holds unhappy memories for Ailsa and she cannot escape the feeling that she is being watched. Is The Manse haunted by tortured souls? Why won't animals come near the house and garden?
When Ailsa encounters an intruder in the middle of the night, and dead creatures keep appearing on her door-step, her feelings of dread become ones of real fear for her safety.
This is actually one of my favourite books this year! It is so creepy, full of suspense and impossible to put down.
Lexie Elliott expertly weaves the supernatural undertones of the story behind The Manse's history with the claustrophia of living in a small, remote town - where everyone seems to know each other, but dark secrets lurk beneath the surface. The past clashes up against the present at every turn and the atmosphere hangs as heavy as a Scottish fog.
I particularly liked the way that each chapter begins with a speculative tale about where Ailsa's father may be living in the present day - and that these stories get darker as the story unfolds, until Ailsa is forced to confront the fear that her father may actually be dead.
I loved this book and if you like an exciting, creepy page-turner, then you will too.
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