The Howling (The Annie Jackson Mysteries Book Three) by Michael J. Malone

 

The Howling (The Annie Jackson Mysteries Book Three) by Michael J. Malone.

Published 11th September 2025 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

Two men, centuries apart, dream of being a wolf.

One is burned at the stake.

Another is locked in a psychiatric hospital for most of his life.

And Annie Jackson is about to find out why…

Vowing once again to remove herself from society, Annie is back living alone in her little cottage by the shores of a loch. But when an old enemy – now locked up in a high security hospital – comes calling, begging her to find the son that she was forced to give up at the age of seventeen, Annie is tempted out of seclusion. The missing boy holds the key to ending Annie’s curse, and he may be the only chance that both she and Lewis have of real happiness.

Annie and Lewis begin an investigation that takes them back to the past, a time etched in Scottish folklore, a period of history that may just be repeating itself. And what they uncover could destroy not just some of the most powerful people in the country, who will stop at nothing to protect their wealth and their secrets, but also Annie’s life, and everything she holds dear…

Dark, immersive, and utterly compelling, The Howling is a story of deception, betrayal, and misplaced power, and a reminder that the most public of faces can hide the darkest of hearts…

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After yet another brush with death, Annie is back living alone in her remote cottage on the shores of the loch, but her peaceful seclusion does not last for long. Her twin brother Luke arrives with mixed news - he is overjoyed to tell Annie that his partner is expecting a child, however, this is tinged with an unwelcome request from Sylvia Lowry-Low, the distant cousin who is now locked up in secure hospital.

Reluctantly, Annie must leave her haven and risk experiencing the overwhelming visions of death that plague her once more. She finds herself back in the presence of Sylvia, the woman who tried to sacrifice her to raise a demon, listening to her nemesis beg for help. Sylvia tells Annie about the son who was taken from her at seventeen, and who she has not seen since. She believes he may hold the key to banishing the curse that affects both sides of their family, ensuring Luke's child will not suffer the same fate.

Annie and Luke embark on a new investigation that takes them back into Scotland's past to the time of witches and wolves. Their discoveries threaten to bring down the rich and powerful people behind The Order - people who will stop at nothing to prevent their secrets from getting out.

Annie Jackson is back in a third adventure that beautifully brings together the threads of books one (The Murmers) and two (The Torments), which you should read before you embark on this cracking novel. 

With her twin Luke once again by Annie's side, Malone spins a story that revisits their family history from the 18th century, when jealousy between sisters resulted in the curse that rebounded to afflict females on both sides of the bloodline. Injecting new detail about the rivalry that led to tragic ends, Malone tells of the boy Andra McClean, who bonded with a wolf before he was burned at the stake with his mother and sister, and whose legacy lingers on into the present in new character Drew. Dovetailing into this storyline, Malone also brings back evil Sylvia Lowry-Low whose supernatural ambitions almost brought about the end of Annie and Luke, with more detail about her sinister past with The Order.

With intricate choreography, Malone's literary dance moves back and forth in time, and between the narratives of a number of characters, to create an unsettling performance steeped in mystery, folklore, family ties, and the manipulation of others. Supernatural whispers that ripple through time mix nicely with the grit of a modern day thriller steeped in power hungry greed and depravity, and there is plenty of edge-of-your-seat action Malone-style to keep the tension stakes high.

If well-woven contemporary gothic thrillers, with a touch of cinematic Hammer House of Horror, are your bag then this series needs to be at the top of your reading pile. Perfect for spooky season!

The Howling is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can support indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and the critically acclaimed House of Spines, After He Died, In the Absence of Miracles and A Song of Isolation soon followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager at Faber & Faber, he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr.