“Highland Gothic”: A Review of What Happened at the Abbey (The Strathbairn Trilogy, Book 1) by Isobel Blackthorn
(Next Chapter, 2025). ISBN: 979-8272238542 Five years ago, I was asked to review The Ghost of Villa Winter , the fourth book in a series written by the talented and prolific writer of thrillers, Isobel Blackthorn. I was deeply impressed by her ability to bring a locale to life, to make it an essential character in a well-crafted, page-turning mystery. Blackthorn does a great deal of research concerning the locales about which she writes (like Stephen King and Castle Rock, Maine), which draws the reader immediately and deeply into the story. What Happened at the Abbey (the first of a trilogy), although the locale, characters, and time period are far different than those of The Ghost of Villa Winter , offers the same opportunity for reader immersion through palpable atmospheres and authenticity of Time and Place. I am a fan (and writer) of thrillers, especially those with a Gothic setting and atmosphere, and the Scottish Highlands offer Blackthorn a perfect canvas and palett...