The Haunting of Abney Heights
By Cat Thomas

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book to review!

A well written Gothic style mystery, with plenty of twist and turns. Told in duel time lines originating in 1907, a former insane asylum, Abney Heights is now a modern building complex, recently renovated into luxury apartments.

Meg, a genealogist, is given the task of researching the historical archives of the former asylum for an elite development corporation in London. She has also been hired by a private individual to locate information on the person's ancestor who was once committed to the asylum and died under mysterious circumstances.

While living at the site of her research, Meg and her associates uncover a disturbing history including odd events and some very unusual characters, past and present. The team unravels details of life as an inmate in the asylum during the early 1900's. Detailing cruel and unusual procedures and a disturbing account of what the committed had to endure.

I especially enjoyed that the author included spiritualism into the account of the asylum's history. Holding seances to contact the dead was a popular activity at the turn of the century and it added a unique element to the asylum's back story.

I really enjoyed this book. It has all of the ingredients of a good mystery and a creepy atmosphere.

A revamped haunted asylum, possessions, vampires, a Edwardian plot, a sapphic romance (very minor), and a few triggering plot points.. This book had absolutely everything but as the saying goes Jack of all trades, master of none.

I feel this book attempted to be overly ambitious and for me, fell way short of the mark. If this book had been solely the 1907 asylum storyline with Ella and Lucy as the main characters I think I would be completely hooked and obsessed with the entire story. However too much was going on and I felt my attention was split across too many vary story lines that i never had the chance to be invested in any of it.

I wanted to enjoy Meg's story arch and her big revelation in the end but I just felt no emotional attachment, even the part about her dad, I felt had zero relevance to the story, it was left unresolved and unfinished.

I really enjoyed this book. I like something with an historical element, I also enjoy books about hospitals, or in this case asylums. I was a nurse for over forty years. The book ticked many boxes for me and it did not disappoint.
The book switches between Edwardian England and today, which makes it easier to appreciate.

Set in 1907, it is a murder mystery based on a diary written at that time. Recently Meg, a freelance genealogist is trying to uncover what happened when two women were found dead.. I can imagine that there are events like this that are waiting to be uncovered and the research behind any investigation is immense, whether it is true or not. I had to get to the end and at times I couldn't put the book down. I would also recommend it to anyone interested in family history.
I will be looking for more books from this author.

This was an interesting read, with an intriguing plot - the mysterious death of two women in a North London Asylum - and genealogist Megan’s attempts to uncover the truth about their deaths.
Told through a combination of present day, and past diary entries, it’s a slow burn, with a few twists and turns.
I definitely wouldn’t class this as Horror, just mildly spooky towards the end, and more of a mystery.
Overall I enjoyed it, though it did feel as if too much was crammed into the last couple of chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

#TheHauntingofAbneyHeights #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book from the moment I picked it up. The setting of an old asylum being renovated into apartments, and the main character Meg hired to archive documents from the aylum's past while doing some geneaological research on the side all appealed to me. As I read, the story unfolding of 2 women who were patients at the asylum was fascinating. The mystery of their deaths kept me guessing until the end. The only complaint I have is that the reveal at the end involved a complete personality change of one of the characters, but I suppose that is what a twist is all about. Overall, though, this was a realy great read and I hope to see more from this author.

Thanks #NetGalley and #BooksGoSocial for providing an ARC copy of this book.

The cover of the book is what initially caught my attention, so pretty! While I did see this classified as horror, I tens to think it's more mystery, ghost story. I always like a dual timeline, but at times it felt hard to keep my interest. I was drawn to the historical elements and life inside the asylum though.

'The Haunting of Abney Heights' was a strange book, one I didn't really enjoy. There was a lot going on which often, I feel, didn't make sense. Meg is a genealogist who has been employed to uncover the mystery of two patient at the former Abney Heights Asylum. The novel is told through a series of diary entries from Meg and Dr Wood with modern day featuring throughout. Meg and the dubbed 'Scooby Gang' work to uncover the mystery of what happened to Meg and Lucy. Who were they really? Were they simply companions, or were they something more?
I felt like some of the threads weren't fully explained, like the marks on Lucy's neck. There is no mention of vampires throughout the story yet it seems odd that it is hinted at throughout that Lucy herself is a vampire. I found the ancestral link quite odd as well and it felt too convenient. Lastly, it strongly reminded me of 'The House at Phantom Park' which is similar in that an old house is being converted into apartments. I struggled with 'The Haunting of Abney Heights' and there seemed to be a lot of characters throughout. I also didn't enjoy the third person reflective speech as it often pulled me from the story.

I liked this book. The plot is original. Meg is a great character, well written. I like the mystery, the suspens and how everything turned out. I also liked the British humor, really sarcastic.

I loved the characters and the plot of the story, I will definitely be reading more from this author.

I had to DNF this one. It was hard to get into and maybe wasn’t the book I “needed” at this time.

Thank you for the opportunity NetGally.

This book has a really pretty cover which initially got my attention and then I I started to read the description Below and I only read the first two lines and decided that was all I needed to no I was going to read this book Lol
An old asylum, a hidden diary and a secret that casts long shadows…. AN ATMOSPHERIC HISTORICAL MYSTERY
I was not disappointed I enjoyed this book I found the plot interesting and it Kept my attention. I liked the way the dule timeline was done in 1907 the story is told from diary entry’s and in the present day you follow the story of Meg and her friends.
Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of The Haunting of Abney Heights.
I loved the premise of this book but struggled to finish it.
A few too many characters to keep track of and not quite enough action for me.
The writing is engaging and easy to read but it was just a bit confusing and maybe a little long.
I rate this book as 3 stars.

I enjoyed this book very much and could picture it very easily being made for TV or as a movie. This book kept running through my head at night after I finished reading for the day. The story stayed with me.

It could be that I’m just not in the right headspace at the moment,but I couldn’t really get into this book. The pace was a little slow for me. Will likely come back to it again in future for another go, as is has the mystery and gothic elements I usually enjoy

This novel was a very interesting read. It was part ghost story, part mystery and life in an asylum. The story revealed itself through journal entries and case notes. As you read, you discover the horrible things that went on in the asylum. Some due to the lack of regulations for dealing with mental illness (or what was considered mental illness) and some due to the deviance of men and women. As Meg and her friends dig further into the mystery, other revelations surface that are life changing. When the conclusion comes around the reader is dumbfounded.

Meg, a freelance genealogist, returns to her hometown for a gig. She is researching an early 20th century patient at the former asylum-turned-luxury-condos, and ends up moving into the building for the duration of her work. While Meg is uncovering Ella’s experience as an Abney Asylum patient, she is also forced to uncover the ghosts of her own past. As Meg attempts to exorcize the ghosts of her biological family’s past, her family of choice, a delightful cast of quirky characters, has her back.

The tension builds slowly in “The Haunting of Abney Heights,” but Cat Thomas reminds the reader throughout that something is a little off in both the contemporary timeline and the early 20th century timeline. The atmosphere is dark and moody. The action comes to a head beginning in the last third of the book and is much darker than what I was expecting.

I enjoyed the story and will read more by Cat Thomas. This book would be good for those who like novels with a gothic feel, ghost stories, and early 20th century mysteries.

Content warning: child abuse.

Thanks #NetGalley and #BooksGoSocial for providing an ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own. The book is available now!

What a delightful read. I loved the plot twists!
Aaaand many other literal references were smartly woven into the story: Dickens, Wells, and Bram Stoker to name a few...
The most curious thing about this book is that it weaves a lot into it, however, is very easy to follow and reads really well and quickly. There is history, there are ghosts, there are gothic thriller vibes, and hints of steampunk even… I mean, I can be a fussy reader, but this was really interesting!

Really spooky stuff, but kind of felt a little haphazardly conceived at times. I liked it but didn't love it. The characters are diverse and have lots of different ways they play off each other, but they don't all feel fleshed out and some plot points come seemingly out of thin air. Fun, but not amazing writing.

Historical fiction, part murder mystery and the Abney Asylum in 1907, Sounds a bit haunting but trust me it is not a scary story. But this old asylum is not=w a luxury apartment block and Megan our main character is there to unravel a mystery from long ago.

Now having said all that it wasn't really the book I had expected it to be. I was hoping for some ghosts from the past, a mystery that carries on into the now and I wasn't expecting romance. It just didn't work that well for me I'm afraid.

It is somewhat interesting but didn't really grab me, it didn't take me on the journey I wanted to go on. It was a bit slow and sometimes confusing. Was written quite well but it just wasn't the book for me!

I didn't end up finishing it. Couldn't hold my attention, but still thanks for the arc to the publisher.