Well. This book was not what I was expecting. Not in a bad way at all, just that ... Well It was a little more "Fifty Shades of Casper" than I had been prepared for. If you know, you know.

The story follows Zoe Adams who has taken a month long break from her life in the US, to try and find herself and recover her artistic flair by hiding away on a remote Scottish island. The house is the ultimate in isolation, located in the north of the island, with no mobile phone or internet connection, the landline her only means of communicating with the outside world, or even her landlord who is based in the main town. Now, that alone should be enough to set the alarm bells ringing, but Zoe is craving the peace, quiet, and solitude that the house, the locally infamous 'McBride house' offers. For readers ... well let's just say that what happens is exactly what you might expect from such a remote location. Then again ... even I was caught unawares by this novel.

The story is rich in atmosphere and has more than a hint of the gothic about it. The infamous house is rich in history and lore, none of which Zoe is aware of when she agrees to the lease. There is a reason that the locals don't think it fitting for a woman to be out in the house alone, especially at night. Whilst local superstition may play more than a small hand in their concerns, it's fair to say that there is a rather dark history which is slowly and carefully revealed to us as readers, keeping the suspense levels high. There are some very tense, if not intense scenes, as well as those that took me, and definitely Zoe, a little by surprise. Let's just say that not everyone was quite so unwelcoming, but just who, or maybe even what, has their focus entirely on Zoe's ... comfort in her new home remains to be seen.

I liked the way that the author has drawn on the dramatic setting and history of the house and the island location to add mystery to the story. We meet so many character in this story, some more eccentric perhaps than others, some more sinister and suspect in their intent, that is hard to know if what Zoe is experiencing is her imagination, or something far more ethereal. There is definitely a sense of the supernatural about this book, times when suspending your disbelief is required, but not hard to do. I found myself drawn into the story, the legend, that the intervention of the corporeal beings far more of a jarring aspect. When it comes to the locals, their behaviour is far more suspect and as for who might have taken against Zoe, the list of suspects is surprisingly long. There are those who made me smile and others who made the skin crawl, but I was never certain that any of them were worthy of my trust.

With a clear case of history repeating itself, and a few surprises in store about why Zoe is really seeking solace in such a dreary hideaway, the book kept me guessing to the end and left me definitely satisfied. I like the 'otherworldliness' of the story, even if some scenes might make a more prudish reader blush. If you like a gothic suspense, rich in atmosphere and tragedy, with a supernatural undertone, this could well be the book for you.