Review
Rhys Bowen successfully blends historical and crime fiction with The Castle in the Glen. The story-within-a-story takes readers along for the ride with FMC Emma, as she studies storylines and details that lead to a surprising reveal.
The author packs a lot into The Castle in the Glen. We meet Emma and learn the lonely-esque state she’s in, searching for a place to belong. We continue meeting more and more characters, but that just sets the stage at this point. The real meat of the book comes from the story that Emma is reading and asked to help with. Soon enough readers will become invested in two stories for the price of one.
While slow to start, the book’s blend of crime fiction in a historical setting will keep readers engaged and curious enough by the time the third act comes around. That, plus the unique and descriptive storytelling that will make you feel like you’re on the mysterious island with Emma and Iris Blackburn’s detective character, trying to put the pieces together with them.
Rhys Bowen joins the Cantina Book Club Podcast to talk about her extensive writing background and life between countries. Keep an ear out for the interview and pick up a copy of The Castle in the Glen, available now.
Book
Australian writer Emma Callander has been recruited to complete the final historical mystery in a series by celebrated author Iris Blackburn. It’s 1965, and Iris’s memory is fading. She’s certain that only Emma can do justice to her novel about a murder on the Isle of Skye. When Emma ventures to Scotland for research, she discovers the story is not fiction at all but rather a true crime, unsolved for more than fifty years.
It was 1904 when a couple’s suspicious drowning led to the disappearance of a mysterious young woman the locals called the Wild Girl. To this day the mystery is unforgettable, especially among the descendants of an aristocratic family who’ll do anything to keep their secrets buried. From the misty Highlands to a medieval castle, Emma and Tony Gordon, Iris’s handsome lawyer, work ever more closely to uncover them.
But while Iris may be known for her fiendishly clever twists, there’s one not even Emma could have seen coming.
