Shannon Morgan

In the Lonely Hours had a setting that I really loved, including an isolated castle with a mysterious past set in a remote part of Scotland. The Maundrell family had many secrets and Edie decided to check out her inheritance as she knew little about her past having been adopted as a child. I found their story interesting as they checked out the castle to get it ready to put on the market, but for the life of me, how they thought they could do this in one week without knowing anything about it, stumps me. And while I love these types of settings, I am now necessarily a fan of the lack of research trope for propelling a story forward. And if you can't find anything on the internet, why not stay in the village or local areas and do it from there.

Edie's daughter, Neve, was a character I preferred over Edie, but the story was told from Edie's perspective. Sometimes I felt like Edie was the daughter as she made some really poor choices. First of all, when Edie inherits the castle, she learns that every member of her family had died there on Samhain and she and her daughter are now the sole survivors. So, what in the name of good parenting would she be doing dragging her daughter to the edge of nowhere, to an area in which she has little familiarity the week before Samhain? And she unquestionably lets strangers stay in her house just because they were squatting there when she arrived. What? Hell, no.

Mungo ended up being my favourite character and he became even more endearing when I learned the author based the character off her own son who is autistic. And while there were many different themes running through this book such as mother-daughter relationships, found family, trust, and homosexuality, the one that stood out to me centered on Mungo and the way autistic people were horribly treated with electro-convulsive therapy. And how it was used for many types of psychological ailments.

I was actually invested in the story for the first half of the book, but all of the ghosts eventually got tiresome. There was a reason for it, but by the time I learned more about the whys and whatnots, I lost interest and was looking forward to the ending. I just thought the plot had too much going on, and I focused mostly on the Mungo-one because it interested me the most. The pacing of the story did slow down somewhat as well, but I think the author was trying to ensure both timelines matched up so we didn't learn too much too early, and this is why I am not necessarily a fan of dual timelines. There ended up being a lot of repetition that was unnecessary. It's too bad as the tension was actually quite high in the first half of the book. And I will mention that I enjoyed the timeline in the past much more than the one in the present.

Verdict
In the Lonely Hours was still a decent book, with a solid mystery. I did love the atmosphere of the old castle as it certainly was remote and dreary enough to meet my expectations, but I still would not call this a horror novel, more of a paranormal mystery. I wasn't a fan of the main character however, and I did find the pacing of the plot to be uneven and somewhat predictable, partly due to the dual timeline. If you like atmosphere, then this book may just be the one for you.… (more)

Edwina “Edie” Nunn is surprised to discover that she has inherited an old castle on a remote Scottish island as the only living descendent of the Maundrell family. Now in her late forties, Edwina, recently widowed, has never known her biological family, having been left at an orphanage as a baby. Her teenage daughter, Neve, is excited at the prospect of inheriting a castle and Edwina is eager to know more about her real family. Neither of them could have been prepared for the ghostly inhabitants (not all of whom are particularly friendly), the deep-buried secrets of the island and the tragic history of the Maundrell family, most of which occurred on Samhain. Nor were they prepared for the mystery behind the Maundrell Red – a diamond that went missing decades ago and, as legend has it, is responsible for the tragedy that befell the family. With Samhain quickly approaching, and the eerie occurrences intensifying, Edie and Neve soon discover that evil lurks in various manifestations in and around the castle and there are forces at play that would keep them from discovering the truth.

With its atmospheric setting and intricate plotting, In the Lonely Hours by Shannon Morgan is a riveting read that combines elements of historical fiction, family drama, supernatural suspense and Gothic mystery. I loved the descriptions of the island, the haunted castle and Loch na Scáthanna, the Lake of Shadows. I appreciated how the author wove an element of folklore into the narrative. Presented in dual timelines (the 1960s where we meet the matriarch Elizabeth “Bitsie” Maundrell, who is pure evil, immediate family and the present-day wherein we follow Edie and Neve), the story initially unfolds at a relatively slow pace but picks up as the narrative progresses. I loved how the past was gradually revealed through old journals, local lore and ghostly visitations and thought the twists were well – executed. The novel touches upon themes of complicated mother-daughter relationships, dysfunctional family dynamics, mental health, neurodivergence, child abandonment, generational trauma, abuse and homophobia. Needless to say, some moments are dark and disturbing, but we also have moments of kindness, empathy and love. The bond between Lottie and Mungo was beautifully depicted and I particularly enjoyed how Neve connects with one other ghostly visitors after getting off to a bumpy start. I enjoyed following the mystery as it is slowly unraveled and was satisfied with the ending, but I did think that certain aspects of the present timeline could have been explored further. I’m not a fan of the horror genre and I was glad that the novel did not venture into territory that would have made it difficult for me to read.

This isn’t a genre I dabble in much, but having read and enjoyed the author’s previous novel, Her Little Flowers, I was eager to read her latest offering. Overall, I enjoyed this well-crafted novel and look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Many thanks to Kensington Books for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on July 23, 2023.… (more)

Having recently booked a 10-day trip to a baronial hall in the Scottish Highlands, it made sense to request a review copy of a book that takes place in, you guessed it, a baronial hall in the Scottish Highlands. How better to get in the mood for my own personal “bewitchingly melancholy, thrillingly modern ghost story”?

Shannon Morgan’s latest book is an atmospheric gothic tale complete with a family curse and more ghosts than even the most blackhearted baron should be entitled to. Maundrell Castle, a moldering edifice in a remote corner of northwest Scotland is bequeathed to single mother Edie Nunn by a supposed family member that she had never heard of. Warned that the castle is cursed and that she should sell it without delay, Edie and her precocious teenage daughter Neve nevertheless set out for Scotland to see what they have inherited.

In addition to the castle, the ghosts and the curse, Edie has inherited a long-missing diamond, the hideously named Maundrell Red, the driving force behind the deaths of many Maundrell family members, all of which occurred on Samhain (pronounced SAW-win, or Halloween, if you are an American).

I’ll leave what happens after this for the readers to discover but I do want to make a few comments about the story. First is the question of plausibility. Suppose that you and your daughter are the sole surviving members of an ancient family. You have inherited a cursed castle full of ghosts in late October and, in addition, learned that every member of your family has died there on October 31st. Is there anything on God’s green earth that would lead you to think that staying in that castle on Samhain would be a good idea? I thought not.

For the most part I enjoyed this story, but I found the plot somewhat cluttered. There were too many ghosts; headless horsemen, grey ladies, witches in wells, spectral Roman galleys, you name it. In addition to the ghost, there were treasure hunters, mad scientists, evil matriarchs, star-crossed lovers, the list goes on and on. There are enough plot hooks to make three books.

Additionally, I found the Scots accents that Morgan gave the local denizens cringeworthy, when not bordering on unintelligible. ”If yer needin’ summat, Am tha’wy tae th’wee c’ttage.’ It’s reminiscient of the negro dialect found in Joel Chandler Harris’s original Uncle Remus tales.

I recommend this for fans of gothic paranormal fiction.

*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.… (more)

4.5 Stars
This author has successfully done it again, written an entrancing and mystical gothic ghost story that's part historical fiction and part social commentary. The plot is chilling (and sad, especially the historical treatment of people with autism), the setting is a character unto itself (I still love you Scotland), and rife with familial trauma. The story gradually builds and intensifies exponentially for the last third of the novel. I'm extremely selective with reading choices for ghost stories/horror, but I'll keep this writer in my "must read" group. If you liked Her Little Flowers, you'll want to pick this one up as well.

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