Rhys Bowen knocks it out of the park again with this year’s standalone novel The Castle in the Glen. Set in 1960s London and early-1900s Isle of Skye, the parallel plot follows the adventure of young Australian author Emma Callander. Having published her first book, she is undecided about her future. Should she stay in rainy London to write her next book or give in to homesickness and return to sunny Australia? Her publisher solves her dilemma by introducing her to well-known mystery writer Iris Blackburn. Blackburn, dealing with age-related memory issues, wants to write one last book in her popular series but needs help finishing it and decides Emma should be her co-author/ghostwriter.
Emma agrees to read the book-in-progress before deciding if she can help finish it and moves into Iris’s guest cottage. The plot, set in the past, involves the death of the Laird’s daughter on the Isle of Skye. Emma finds the plot intriguing but knows nothing about Scots, Scotland, or the Isle of Skye. Iris convinces Emma to visit Skye and there the parallel plot begins. While visiting the places mentioned in the book, Emma starts to notice similarities between Iris’s book, real people on Skye, and possibly a real crime. Iris claims to have only spent a few days in Skye in the 1930s but her novel hints otherwise. How much does Iris know about the real crime on Skye in the early 1900s? Was the Laird’s daughter murdered or was her death accidental? How much of Iris’s plot is true and does Emma’s research of the island and its history put her in in danger? Could Iris have intended that outcome and why?
When I opened the book and saw two casts of characters, I knew this was the kind of book I love: parallel plots, complex connections, and great descriptions. I’ve never been to Scotland but the vivid imagery in this book made me feel like I was there. I loved learning about Skye, the food, and the way of life there. To make things even more fascinating, there is a third set of characters listed in the front of the book: the real-life people Bowen based Iris’s book on! Watching Emma learn about Skye, Iris, and work out her own future was a pleasant mental vacation. Like all Bowen’s standalones, this one ends far too soon. — Cathy Akers-Jordan