By Alice Feeney

So, I have had an issue with Alice Feeney books for a while now. I don’t know why it is, but I have bought and not been able to get through any of the books I purchased. She has some very popular books; Daisy Darker and Rock Paper Scissors to name a few. I couldn’t get through any of them. This book, however, grabbed me quick and kept me engrossed all the way through. I finished it in one night, forgoing some much needed sleep to do so.

Feeney does a great job with her location descriptions; I really felt that I was envisioning exactly what she was describing just the way she intended. Her descriptions of the eerie little island off the coast of Scotland had me creeped out and it was just delightful.

The book opens with Grady, a introverted writer, waiting to hear if his latest book has made it onto the New York Times Bestseller list and also waiting for his wife, Abby, to come home. She works too much as an investigative journalist and again she’s getting home late. Grady is hurt and angry that she isn’t home, supporting him during this monumental moment. Grady gets the call he’s been waiting for and is so excited to tell his wife. He calls her (again) and she says she’s almost home but then suddenly tells Grady that there is a woman lying in the road. Grady pleads with her not to get out of the car, but she does, and Abby disappears.

One year later, Grady and his dog, Columbo are living in a seedy motel and he hasn’t been able to write anything since his wife disappeared. He’s depressed and misses her, she was his muse and he cannot get over his writer’s block. His agent kindly offers up a cabin on a remote Scottish island for him to stay at for a few months to see if he is able to write there. Grady accepts and he and Columbo make the drive to the coast toward their new temporary home and that’s where things really start to get interesting.

The small island, only about 6 miles long and 5 miles wide, has a tiny population of people and outsiders are not allowed to even bring their cars on the island. Forced to abandon his car at the Ferry port, Grady and Columbo start toward the ferry and Grady swears he sees his wife on the boat. In a blink, she’s gone and Grady is worried he’s going crazy.

As Grady starts getting used to the island, more strange things are starting to happen. Every one on the island that Grady has met, acts strangely. They are tight-lipped about themselves and the island and Grady begins to fear he might be in danger. The island seems almost haunted and has a tragic past. The townsfolk are untrusting of new comers and Grady knows he’s not wanted there. When someone starts slipping his wife’s articles under his door when he’s not home. The articles all seem to relate to the past of some of the townsfolk and Grady finds himself trying to unravel the mysteries of the island, all the while feeling a mounting fear of danger.

As always, I’ll stop to avoid spoilers, but oh my goodness guys. This book had me hooked. I was not only incredibly invested, but I was SCARED. I had the creeps and when I got up to get a glass of water and was wandering around my dark house that night. I appreciate books that can make you feel anything even if it was fear. I don’t enjoy fear and I don’t make an effort to make it worse by reading scary books or watching scary movies, especially considering that I’m afraid of pretty much everything.

Even with the creepiness and sometimes scary scenes, I genuinely loved this book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys thrillers or even horrors. This was probably my favorite read of the year thus far and I really don’t have any cons! The ending was a complete shock and it had multiple twists that had me gasping. I will be giving Feeney’s other books another try, because if their endings are as shocking as this one, it’ll be worth the struggle to get through the first half.

Final rating: 9/10 nail bitten fingers!

Photo credit: Corgi photo: Nataba; iStock by Getty Images. Woman Peaking around tree: Habman_18; iStock by Getty Images