There’s literally nothing better than a good gothic ghost story, particularly one that takes place at an apartment complex/former asylum! Super atmospheric and creepy and I didn’t see the twist coming!

This was more of a historical mystery than a spooky thriller. It was an easy read, although some of the plot points were just a bit too convenient for my liking. I liked the exploration of women's mental health in the early 1900s and the trauma experienced by the two femail characters in that time. The modern day timeline was fine but there was too many characters in the "Scooby Gang" and some of them felt a bit irrelevant.

This is a very uniquely written book. I had a bit of a hard time getting into it but did enjoy the mystery once I sunk in. I don’t want to give too many details, because what’s the point of a mystery where you know too much, but if you are a fan of that genre of story this is definitely a potential for you!

Initially, instead of referring to "gay women," why not just call them lesbians? Furthermore, the purported gay romance is seldom present. The stories feel more like queer baiting since they feature lesbians but the relationship is flimsy. The suspense and action build gradually; a large portion of this is due to the archives and research.

I found the novel's overall plot and its themes—mental health care and the persecution of sexual orientation—to be pretty enjoyable. It was nice to see historical events presented from a contemporary viewpoint. While the storyline was intriguing, I found the writing to be a bit stilted and the story dragged at points, which made it difficult to get through certain chapters. In general, I felt that this fell more into the mystery genre than anything else because I was expecting more spooky shocks. Still, it was a pleasant read all around.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book!

So, the plot was interesting, but difficult to enjoy as the “reveals” seemed so overplayed and obvious that I was getting frustrated by the pacing. I also found some of the characterizations odd, with the main character acting and talking like she’s 20 and then always talking about how she’s older and can’t fit in with her gentrified (former) community. This wasn’t unenjoyable, but it was not what it seemed it should have been.

It was a very interesting premise, though I did at times feel the story was slower paced than I wanted it to be, which made it harder to be engaged. However, if you are wanting a slow burn spooky book that goes back in time, this is definitely an interesting read!

This is a historical fiction murder mystery. The atmosphere is very dark. The tension builds very slowly. I enjoyed the story and will read more by this author

I don‘t read a lot of books going into this direction of genre but I liked the supernatural suspense.
One of the strong points of this book are the characters. I liked the main character, Megan, and the other characters from her group. They all have a good and refreshing dynamic.
I liked the atmosphere and the outline of the plot aswell as the themes of the novel, however, the execution of it could‘ve been better since the story was partly dull and boring and could‘ve been made more interesting. It was intriguing but nevertheless too dragged out at parts.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Cat Thomas for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Haunting of Abney Heights. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really loved the short chapters and journal format of the book. The writing was good. I just felt the pace was a little too slow for me. I was expecting a little more gothic horror. It wasn’t really scary or spooky for me. I would check out other books by this author.

This dual timeline, part epistolary novel is set in a converted manor house, Abney Heights, which was formerly an asylum during the Edwardian period. The asylum is also the site of the unexplained deaths of two of its former inmates, and this mystery becomes the thing drawing main character Meghan Morgan deeper into the asylum's and her own past.

Meg is a genealogist/archivist and is contracted by a wealthy American woman, Betty Gardiner, to help her find any information on Betty's great aunt Emanuella Murray, who was a resident of the asylum in 1907. Betty has Emmanuella's diary from that time, but it's all written in code, so Meg has an additional task while going through the papers from the asylum's archives.

Meg's childhood friend Antoine lives in Abney Heights; he's a journalist, and is thrilled by the possibilities of Meg's research, seeing an opportunity to write an interesting historical piece about the asylum and the mysterious deaths.

Also staying at Abney is Uzi, an artist who has an unusual way of seeing the world, which influences her haunting paintings. (Amusingly, she also has named Antoine's cats Mulder and Scully.)

As Meg deciphers the diary, she is introduced to Dr. Wood, the psychiatrist treating Emmanuella and Lucy (the two women who died) and the partially innovative and partially kooky ideas he had for treatments. The kookier involved the use of a steampunkish box to deal with hysteria. Ella's diary also reveals that she was a lesbian and suffragette, and had been raped. Her trauma and sexual orientation were why she was at the asylum, and also revealed that she and Lucy developed a very close relationship, even though Lucy was there to deal with her issues prior to her marriage to a stodgy, respectable man.

Meg, Antoine, Uzi, Uzi's lover and Betty all discuss each new revelation from the diary in a series of texts and emails, hypothesizing what could have happened to the two women, a la Scooby Gang. Interestingly, the more time Meg spends at Abney Heights, the more she gets the sense that the place is haunted due to weirdoccurences. And Uzi's certainty there is a ghost present only adds to the tension.

Ella's secrets also begin pointing to a possible connection with Meg's own family, from whom Meg is estranged.

What really happened to Ella and Lucy is fascinating and sad, and it highlights how homophobia has destroyed lives for years. Author Cat Thomas skillfully uses the diary entries to create the heavy atmosphere of the asylum and Ella's fraying happiness. Meanwhile, the group texts of the Scooby Gang provide some levity in a dark story about mental illness and its dubious treatments.

Thomas' gothic manor house and its messy past are well conceived, and there's a growing sense of menace permeating Ella's recounting of her days leading up to hers and Lucy's deaths. There's a great feeling of creepiness in both timelines, and the characterization is well done, helping us sympathize with Meg's reluctance to connect with others because of her family, and with Ella, full of optimism upon her arrival at Abney, to her turmoil near her death. The author balances both the horror of the historical situations and the quirkiness of her present-day characters well; this is a dark and entertaining story.

Thank you to Netgalley and to BooksGoSocial for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This was such an interesting book! I really enjoyed this but felt like I was a bit lost at times. I feel like it could maybe use another round of editing but this was still a fun time nonetheless

Clever book. Interesting characters and well written. I got lost a bit a few times but cleared up! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

A mystery surrounding an old asylum and the patients that once inhabited it. A great novel with dual timeline and characters perspective which kept me wanting more. I really enjoyed this sometimes creepy, atmospheric read. Highly recommend!

There's much to parse in this British contemporary/Edwardian Ghostly mystery. The Narrator, a former academic, now a freelance genealogist, carries a trunk load of baggage from childhood and adolescence. She's currently staying in a Renovated Edwardian Asylum while working through the Asylum archives for the Development corporation. It's also the area of London in which she grew up, and the penthouse resident is her bestie while growing up.

Additionally, she is contracted by a San Francisco resident to uncover the mysteries of one of the gentlewoman inmates. There's enough Supernatural Interference to keep the cauldron boiling, which in turn creates danger and potential fatality. Caution: the unraveling of the Asylum narrative reveals some very ugly facts, disturbing to some (many) readers. The reading is not as fast-paced as I would have hoped, as discovering the truths from 1907 is spaced out through journal entries, and our Narrator is constantly involved in her own past drama.


Content warning: child abuse.

"The Haunting of Abney Heights" by Cat Thomas is a captivating journey into the shadows of the past, blending elements of a quirky Gothic tale with a multi-layered murder mystery.
As Meg returns to London, her new residence, a former asylum, becomes an unsettling backdrop for confronting both the ghosts of the building and those from her own troubled history. The narrative takes an intriguing turn as Meg delves into the mysterious deaths of asylum patients, uncovering a world of steampunk spiritualism, genteel gay romance, and radical therapies from the Edwardian era.
Cat Thomas weaves a tale that goes beyond conventional ghost stories, presenting a narrative rich in atmosphere and historical depth. The exploration of the asylum's liberal façade reveals a darker truth, raising questions about the patients' deaths and the malevolent secrets lurking within.
The novel cleverly incorporates a coded document, leading Meg on a journey that not only exposes the asylum's secrets but also unravels shocking truths about her own life. The author skillfully navigates between the present and the dark Edwardian past, creating an immersive experience for the reader.
The characters are well-crafted, and Meg's unraveling reality adds a layer of psychological suspense to the story. The author's use of British spelling and terminology enhances the authenticity of the setting.
"Fans of Laura Purcell, Diane Setterfield, Bridget Collins, and Stacey Halls" will find themselves enchanted by Cat Thomas's unique storytelling. "The Haunting of Abney Heights" is not just a ghost story but a compelling exploration of secrets, mysteries, and the lingering echoes of the past.
*I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing an advance copy of this hauntingly atmospheric book.*

A fascinating mystery with intriguing twists and turns throughout. While the unveiling did not entirely work for me, I was hooked until the last page.

The Haunting of Abney Heights is more than a novel, it is carefully researched and written using historical facts. The first thing you need to do is break the code. When this is achieved you can find out about blackmail and murder through diaries and journals. A well written book with sinister undertones and we find out who in fact is the ‘delicate’ woman.

I absolutely loved this novel.
Such a great story with defined characters and a great plot.
What drew me in the most was how fleshed out the characters were
The writing style was fluid and relateable.
The cover was fascinating as well.
A reviting read overall
Definitely recommend adding this to your TBR!

YUP, quite late with my review but hey, spooky season it is and I had to get it done before another year passed by.

So, once again my favorite genres all around, mystery, dual timeline, haunted house ahem, not just a house, an asylum that too, and a central protagonist who has her own past shadows to fight against. I did plunge in with lots of high expectations. NOPE, I wouldn’t say I was cheated or I didn’t enjoy the story but I and my horror-craving soul wanted a more gothicky atmospheric vibe.

Meghan is an archivist and geneologist and is tasked by a client Betty to look into the history of Abney Heights and learn more about an aunt Ella who had died suspiciously while being treated there. The present day story has Meg and her Scooby gang trying to piece together the events that led to the death of Ella and also another patient Lucy who died on the same day. The author uses journal entries by Ella in coded format which is then decoded by Meg and diary and other technical presentations by the doctor to build the suspense of the deaths of the two women.

As the story alternates between the events in the past and the present, the readers are given a peak into the life of the women in that era and also the societal pressures that govern them. Cat Thomas introduces numerous characters in both timelines who are pretty interesting and adds some spice to the story. The mystery that gets unraveled was surprising, didn’t see that angle of the plot coming into play and I loved how the author used that and added the stunning jaw dropping twist with Meg’s past and finally, the supernatural element which I was looking forward to.

The Haunting Of Abney Heights serves rightly as a dual timeline mystery but readers chasing ghosts or horror vibes are gonna be disappointed. Most of the story unfolds thru diaries so a significant part feels like reading textbooks and the lack of dialogues did get a tad boring for me. In all, a solid historical fiction mystery.

Many thanks to Net Galley, BooksGoSocial and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.