In the Lonely Hours PDF by Shannon Morgan is a gothic novel set in a haunted castle in Scotland. It’s a slow burn and I’ll admit that it took me some time to really get into it, but gradually the characters grew on me and I ended up reading the last third of the story in a single sitting.
It’s an unsettling and creepy tale that’s full of ghosts and Scottish history and lore (probably mostly made up, but still), and I am now extra envious that I never realized my childhood dream of inheriting a castle somewhere in the British Isles. (Sadly, I really never realized any of my childhood dreams, seeing as how I am also not currently married to Captain Kirk* and am not a famous pop star.)
Be forewarned that this book has a whole lot of unlikeable characters. The main characters (Edie, Neve, Mungo, and Lottie) are decent, but several of the other members of the Maundrell family … well, let’s just say that they have their issues. Lady Elizabeth and her plague doctor mask are the things of nightmares.
The mysteries at play (who are Edie’s birth parents and what happened to the Maundrell Red?) are mostly suspenseful and well-written. I did see the answer to the first question coming from very early on, but the second was a complete surprise to me. There are no Agatha Christie-esque twists and turns in this one, but I still found myself anxious for the truth to be revealed.
The Nunns do seem to be rather unbothered by the ghostly inhabitants of their new home, however. I mean, sure, after a while you probably get used to ghosts running around and doing their thing, but on the very first night they were both just kind of “Oh, yeah, there are some ghostly ships floating around on the loch. Neato.”
I am a fairly stoic person, but I’m pretty sure I would have been at least a little freaked out. And there are a lot of ghosts in this castle, lemme tell you. The plethora of spectres is partially explained toward the end of the novel, but it’s almost comical how many ghosts there are and how unfazed Edie and Neve are by their presence.
My overall rating: 3.75 stars, rounded up. If you like unsettling Gothic tales with (many, many) ghosts and castles and curses and witches, this one might be right up your alley.
*This one is probably for the best. He would have been a terrible husband and probably would have broken our marriage vows at least as many times as he did the Prime Directive.
About In the Lonely Hours PDF
| Book Title | In the Lonely Hours |
| Author | Shannon Morgan |
| Language | English |
| File Type | .epub, paperback, .pdf, kindle, audiobook |
| Size | mb |
| Genres | Horror, Gothic |
| Released Date | July 23, 2024 |