I have spent a fair amount of time researching Edinburgh's delicious dark past as old Scottish superstitions battled against propriety and the age of reason ("fur coat and nae knickers"), so was thrilled at the prospect of reading a book centred around the mysterious Thomas Weir. Sadly that wasn't to be, as he is barely even referenced in the book (just quite literally his house, which is no longer standing, hint hint). What we have instead is a fast paced tale of the dark underside of Edinburgh society and a cult conspiracy to bring evil forces into the world.
The characters chosen for the book, the real world Johnson and Boswell, felt a little too old to be running around the city on a whim - which I guess is why Ambrose Parry invented some younger characters to accompany James Young Simpson or to do all his running around for him. But that's the price you pay for historical fiction I suppose. Having looked into the pair, it is clear a fair few areas of poetic license were adopted to fit them into the story (the timing of the Nor Loch being drained - a major event in Edinburgh's dark past - seemed to conflict with other events for example), but none of these put me off too much.
I did find some of the dialogue a bit hard to place into historic Edinburgh (nobody calls it "High Street", it's always "the High Street"), and at times it felt like the city was being written about by someone looking at google maps, rather than having spent time in and around it (I have lived here since 1999), which i have come across before and find it quite jarring.
A solid story with good twists and turns and some lovely glimpses into Edinburgh's murky past.

Edinburgh, 1773.
This book follows James Boswell and Dr Samuel Johnson.

Johnson arrives in Edinburgh on a visit. He is considered a genius in the fields of supernatural and the occult. Soon, a spur of thefts rages the city, behind them a secret and nefarious organisation. Both Johnson and Boswell investigate the crimes with the knowledge that their lives will be in danger...

Meanwhile, Mrs Boswell, James's wife, arrives at St Agatha's orphanage with her daughter Veronica to drop off some goods for the orphaned children. Mrs Boswell discovers that some misdeeds occur there and begin to ask questions. She finds herself locked in the attic, and her young daughter is told that their parents abandoned her and she is 'the chosen one'. Chosen for what?

Unfortunately, this book didn't quite pan out for me. I usually like stories set in the past with a supernatural flare, however, this time I couldn't get to grips with the narrative. I felt like some of the chapters didn't quite gel together, and the only storyline I cared about was of Mrs Boswell's and Veronica's fate.

It wasn't for me, but it might be for other people! Sorry!

I'd like to thank the publisher for approving my NetGalley request to read and review this title.

An intriguing supernatural/detective novel. The mash up of genres works well and the atmosphere is suitably murky and eerie. The protagonists' odd couple relationship is also interesting.

*Copy provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I was a bit disappointed.
The setting of the story Macleod created, as well as his Sherlockian style characters and intrigues, as well as a dive into horror and conspiracies were funny to read about, but just that.
The book by itself, even though fast paced, didn't feel like it developed through the pages, and I was pretty much predicting what would come up page after page.
That said, if you are new into this genre it could be a fun way to open the door to other books, and to decide if this is for you or not.

I loved every minute of this. A totally absorbing ghostly tale which gradually builds from ghoulish mystery to horrific chiller. I enjoyed it so much I read it twice

There is only one person who can assist when reports of ghouls haunting Edinburgh’s ancient town circulate. Dr. Samuel Johnson was an author, lexicographer, and esoteric and mystical genius. Dr. Johnson sets off on a mission with his excellent friend and partner, James Boswell, to solve the city’s heinous riddles. But what they find is darker and more dangerous than they could have imagined, a diabolical scheme that threatens not just the people of Edinburgh, but the entire world. Because underneath Edinburgh’s Old Town lies a dreadful secret. Doctor Johnson and James Boswell, the scourge of the 18th century’s secret, supernatural realm, existed before Holmes and Watson, before Abraham van Helsing.

The precise descriptions of Edinburgh’s streets and architecture – many of which still exist today – were fascinating. It’s well-written in an omniscient third-person narrative format, with just a few jarring scientific anachronisms like casual references to sterilization and viruses, a century before germ theory was first introduced, and animals employing echolocation, which they couldn’t have known about at that time. There are several moments of gore and terror. It was honestly more frightening and more explicit than I was prepared to take. However, it is quite well written and structured, and the author definitely understands his profession.

With its hierarchical society and extremes of poverty and wealth, the reader gets a distinct feel of the time. The characters are well-developed, with Boswell and Johnson each having a distinct personality. Within a few phrases, the minor characters are unique and brought to life. It was dark and terrifying, but also a lot of fun to read. I appreciate how the author included historical figures in his narrative. Including the letters and journal entries was a brilliant idea. In this work, the author performed an excellent job of showing and working in great detail. This dream really captured me, and I definitely suggest it.

I really enjoyed this book though it was not something I would normally read. Thanks to Andrew Neil Macleod's writing style, I finished it. It was interesting reading about old Edinburgh through the eyes of Dr Johnstone and Boswell though I am convinced the Boswell family would have had at least one maid, with all those spare orphan girls.

This is a review of The fall of the House of Thomas Weir by Andrew Neil MacLeod. I did find this book interesting in a religious aspect. Theology has always been interesting to me. It's certainly not terribly suspenseful or thrilling to me and did not leave me on the edge of my seat. That could be due in part to my having read and watched movies and books in the horror genre for decades and it takes quite a lot to keep me up at night. Although it did not deliver in the horror category, I remained interested none the less on a theology/demon front. 3 stars, good content, possibly need to put it in a different genre.

This wasn't a bad read as historical detective fiction goes but it wasn't great either.

And aren't we sick of turning real historical figures into fictional detectives yet? It's become passé.

The Fall of the House of Thomas Weir is a historical horror novel set in 1700s Edinburgh. The story gets more interesting with each turn of the page. The fictitious parts of the story weave together well with actual historical events. I am looking forward to the next installment of the story.

Took a while to get going but once it hooked me it was firm!
A investigative duo end up looking into some things in Scotland, ending up deep in the occult surrounding the Thomas Weir house and involving themselves and family members in the journey.
I felt the occult elements were slightly rushed through and the set up longer than necessary but I had very little prior knowledge of the Thomas Weir House so that might have been my fault.
I hope there will be more investigations to follow from this pair.

Let me start by saying this is not my usual genre. I was intrigued by the description and Sherlock Holmes-style reference. But no, this isn't some sort of clever supernatural mystery. I only made it 39% of the way through, so perhaps matters changed later on. But I found I just could not suspend my disbelief at the horrors found beneath the streets of Edinburgh, nor the apparent fact that things had gone on for so long without notice. I didn't want to suffer through all the gore for a plot I couldn't accept. I gave it three stars because the author's prose style was very readable, so aficionados of the genre might well enjoy it.

An unexpected journey into the Age of Reason.

Set during a visit by Samuel Johnson to Boswell in Edinburgh, the story diverges from the well-known trip to the Highlands to become a foray into the darker aspects of the city.

I was wrong footed a bit by this book because I thought it would take an “Age of Reason” approach to the supernatural, but instead ghouls, satanic rituals and almost-zombies are given full credence. The history of Edinburgh is also rearranged for dramatic effect. The relationships between the various characters, especially Boswell and Johnson, is more realistic.

I think I would have enjoyed more a story where there were real life reasons for the strange occurrences, but it’s still an exciting read.

It was nice. I think the book had potential and kept me guessing on what was going to happen. There are few issues that I think bring the book down a bit. Still not a bad read.

I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of old Edinburgh and everything associated with it, including the portrayal of all things eighteenth century.
The narrative was a little slow, to begin with, and it took time for Johnson to actually take things seriously. But then the pace picked up.

Good stuff!
Quite a few things tick off the boxes for me: historic fiction, Scotland (it takes place in Edinburgh), element of dark fantasy, I even sense a little bit of Anne Rice influence (I might be wrong but I do feel a slight echo from Vampire Chronicles).
Well paced, well researched book with a twist.
Also, it seems it's the first in the series, so I am now looking forward to the second one!

Historical fiction mixed with misery and thriller! What more could I want! The gloomy setting is everything! Highly recommend!

I chose this book because I'm supposedly a descendant of Thomas Weir or one of his siblings, so I've been kind of obsessed with reading anything I can about him. Also, I love books set in Scotland! This book was just OK - I found it a bit tedious and slow and struggled to get through it. The story of Thomas Weird is definitely interesting and it had that, but the writing style just wasn't for me. I felt like I was reading something written 300 years ago. It just needed more umph. I would recommend this for any history buffs or fans of the occult / hauntings. And I did love the descriptions of old Edinburgh and trying to put together where these locations are today.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Fall of the House of Thomas Weir is a strange little book. I thought it started out great and I was getting a historical, gothic mystery with two real life historical figures in Johnson and Boswell. There was a spectre in a graveyard, some thefts and secret societies so far so good but then the wheels started to fall off about half way through and it turned into the weird historical, pulp, sci-fi novel with Lizards from space, that were also shape shifters and cannibals. Everything and the kitchen sink was chucked at this thing, historical accuracy was out the window, everyone spoke like they were in an action movie and a hot chick got her kit off (her body had been appropriated at the time of course) but the orphans were saved hurrah! Yeah, he couldn’t decide which button to push so he just pushed all of them. It’s a way to go I suppose.

It took me a while to get into this book and I was very confused by what was happening in it until about halfway through the book. I have never read a book quite like this before and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was very well written and I think anyone who loves books that make you think.