This mystery follows Maggie MacKay as she returns to Kilmeray - a remote island off the coast of Scotland that she visited as a child after claiming to be a man named Andrew who had been murdered there. Now returning as an adult after the death of her mother, Maggie wants to find out the truth of if Andrew had actually existed and, if so, was he murdered. As Maggie begins her investigation, she receives ominous threats that have her questioning just how much she actually wants to find the truth. We're also following Robert, 20 years prior, who has recently moved to Kilmeray. He hopes that this new life on the island with his wife and son will give him the safety and community he craves. However, as he spends more time on the island, Robert starts to unravel and he believes his fate on the island cannot be escaped.
TW/CW: death of a child, drowning, Alzheimer's, suicide, death of a parent, mental health (bipolar)
The setting for this read was phenomenal. The remoteness of Kilmeray is established early and we're reminded often in many different ways which really added to the overall atmosphere of the read. We're told consistently about the dangers of the sea and since we're on an island, the sea is seemingly around all the time. We get a good sense of the small community there and we get a lot of important information while Maggie is walking around the island with various characters. The setting is so atmospheric and I loved how integral the setting is to the plot as well. So many of the plot points are directly connected to the elements and the sea that it just makes the whole story feel so cohesive.
I loved the way the lore and supernatural elements were worked into the story. We get a whole range of elements from Maggie's mother being a psychic, Maggie's reincarnation claims as a child, Norse mythology, and the superstitions of sailors. I loved the way the different elements came together and overlapped in a way that felt very real. Like the people in these remote communities in these dangerous conditions don't necessarily care where the lore came from, only that they believe it will protect them on the boat when a storm blows in or will lead to a good fishing year. For some of these lore elements, the characters aren't entirely sure if these are good or bad things which I found really heightened the suspense of the story. I also loved how we do get some concrete explanation to some of the supernatural elements but others are left a little vague which made it feel overall more realistic in a way. Investigating the truth behind her childhood added an extra layer to the mystery because while Maggie was researching dates and facts and tracking down witnesses, she was also figuring out if her being the reincarnated Andrew was true or not.
The mystery investigation was a little slow to get going but it paid off big at the end. Johnstone really took the time to lay out a solid foundation of this town and Maggie's own backstory and connection to this island. There are a lot of characters and places and they all play a role in the overall mystery investigation so it was good to get such a solid footing at the beginning. I really enjoyed following Maggie's investigation because she isn't like a lot of mystery MCs where they are super clinical or meticulous during the investigation. Maggie is coming to this island after some pretty significant changes in her life and as much as she wants answers, it is obvious that sometimes searching for those answers is also personally taxing so she isn't all go-go-go on the investigation. I also loved how we, and Maggie, think she has found the answer to the mystery about 75% of the way through the book but obviously there is more book to go so there is more to be revealed. The reveals in that last 75% are fantastic and I couldn't put the book down until I had finished.
I wasn't entirely loving the dual timeline aspect until about halfway through the book for the simple reason that I just wasn't as interested or invested in Robert's timeline. We do find out the connection between Robert's timeline and Maggie's timeline fairly early on, but Robert's story was just not where I wanted to spend the time. It felt like his timeline was just following him around the island while he was being moody. But around the 50% mark, his timeline start to pick up and we can see some of the same interpersonal tension like we see in Maggie's timeline. I did enjoy how the timelines were only 20ish years apart which lets us see some of the same characters in each which is always something I find super interesting.
Overall, this was a fantastic, atmospheric, and suspenseful read. I loved the way we get so many seemingly different pieces of this puzzle but they all come together so perfectly at the end.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC. Publication date is January 3, 2023
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