I really enjoyed this mystery. The past and the present intertwine really well. I started picking up on the clues the author left about the ending, which made me quite excited to be proven right, I enjoyed Meg's character and the many different connections between characters and the asylum were intriguing. The 'haunting' part of the title feels more like a misdirect, in my opinion. The Ghosts of Abney Heights would have been a nicer title, truer to the story. Can't wait to read more from the author!

I would like to start with clearing up the real theme of this book. I would definitely not call this horror, it is more gothic mystery. Because of the descriptions saying that it would be horror I couldn't help but be a little bit disappointed. But I must say that the story was very unique and I really enjoyed the different characters, they are people you don't read about very often and I appreciated that! And even though I liked the jumps between present and future, since you could see several parts of the story, it all felt a bit slow. It was quite hard to get into and not much really happened until the ending. The ending also seemed to try to make up for the lack of action in the rest of the book, which made it a bit rushed. But, because I got invested in the actual mystery of what happened I kept reading, the author created a great mystery that kept me interested in the book.

Ah where to even begin with this book? I have so many good things to say about it that I don't even know where to start. I rarely give 5-star ratings but this book deserves each of all the 5 stars.

Stories about the supernatural have always interested me so this book was right up my alley. This was my first Cat Thomas book and I can confidently say that I will be looking for and reading more of her work. This book got me hooked right from the start and it had all the perfect ingredients that I couldn't put it down, housework and mommy duties be damned.

An old asylum, two unsolved and mysterious deaths, and radical therapies administered on asylum patients; exactly the things I want in a book. The Haunting of Abney Heights starts with a genealogist named Meg who was commissioned by a woman named Betty to unravel what happened to her great aunt Ella, once a patient in the asylum.

What Meg uncovers include spiritualism, steampunk machinery to communicate with the dead, child abuse of sorts, and a discovery connecting Meg to the past which she has been trying to avoid for so long.

What makes this book work is Meg and her Scooby gang. They are some of the most refreshing, delightful, and entertaining characters. There's never a dull moment with them.

I cannot recommend this book more to fans of Edwardian history, murder mysteries, and of course, haunted asylums.

I would not necessarily label this book as being part of the "horror" genre, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Instead, I would say that it is something more akin to a gothic historical fiction. Though it is a slow read, The Haunting of Abney Heights is also full of drama and intrigue. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. Don't get me wrong the Main protagonist was great and very refreshing and in some instances relatable; and the relationships with the othe characters were great as they were all fun and had a great dynamic. However, I just found the story to be a very slow burn and quite underwhelming. No real action happens until the very end of the book with that little twist. This book should not be classified as horror as it very much lacked in that part, there was nothing scary within this book at all unfortunately. I would just classify it as a historical mystery. I loved the idea of this book as I love historical fiction, horror and mystery; however it unfortinately just fell short of my expectations. I will say I do love Cat Thomas's writing style as it is very descriptive and I do love that style of writing, I feel more immersed in the book that way.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

This had a good premise, but it's marred by unlikeable, poorly developed characters, the inclusion of unnecessary plotlines and points, and a lot of very vague and unclear writing as to character identity, emotions, and motivations. A couple of rounds of developmental editing and rewriting would have made this a lot stronger.

Meg, genealogist and archivist is braver than I as she delves into the history of Abney Heights, a former asylum while boarding there.
This is a creepy gothic murder mystery as her digging reveals links to spiritualism and the unexplained deaths of 2 inmates a century before. With insight to life for those incarcerated for treatment, it gives a chilling narrative using excerpts from character's journals.
An enjoyable and original read, with many twists and loops that kept me captivated and turning the page until I discovered the truth.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Haunting of Abney Heights presents itself as a historical mystery, set in an asylum in London both in present day and in 1907. A housing development has been built on the site of a former asylum, and Megan, a genealogist has come to search its records after being contacted by a woman looking into her family history. She learns that two women at the asylum died on the same day, and begins to question the reason for their deaths, and through this becomes engrossed in the mystery of it all. Alongside this she deals with her own past as people from it become involved with her and in turn the mystery.

The book takes on a dual timeline, with some chapters set in 1907 and others in present day.

I was very intrigued by the book upon reading its description, horror, historical fiction, queer romance? What more could I want? Unfortunately I found that this book fell short of my expectations on nearly all fronts. Nothing of it came close to what I would label as horror, and the queer romance was barely a sniff. Not did the book ever particularly feel like there was much “haunting” going on, and considering the title I would have thought that would be key.

The writing style is good and it makes for easy reading, if not the most intriguing read.

2.5/5

I read a lot of these sorts of novels and this one I found very disappointing the characters lacked depth and the story went on a bit too long

I really didn’t like this book. It was really boring to me. I struggled to stay focused and it got to the point where I just had to put my kindle down because it wasn’t interesting enough for me.

The Haunting of Abney Heights just pulls you in! Not a horror novel but more of a historical mystery with a modern timeline too. A former site of an asylum, old diaries of former patients - see how the mysteries of the past affect the happenings of today. Very interesting story that slowly unfolds before it gives us it's answers. Really enjoyed it!

Spoiler alert! This book is proof that I can read an entire book that I don't love the content of, and still enjoy reading it because it is fascinating and well-done.

Ella was a fascinating character, and I sure wish she had gotten a happy ending. Overall, this book was dark, and characters were deceiving and the sense of darkness and mystery was well done. If you enjoy historical mystery with a overtones of spiritualism and seances, you would enjoy this book.

Not my cup of tea, but well done.

LGBTQ+ representation. Mild language, difficult topics of child abuse and mental health. No romantic scenes

Megan is a British genealogist and researcher hired by an American scholar/author, Betty Gardiner, who wants to examine her family's history. Specifically, she is looking for information on Emmanuelle (Elle) Murray, a gentlewoman inmate at the Abney Asylum who died on the institution's grounds in 1907.

In the present day, the Abney Asylum is now a luxury apartment complex called Abney Heights. Along with her friend Antoine, Megan dives into reading diary entries from the head doctor, and this soon leads them on a mystery to discover what truly happened to Elle.

I was unsure if I would like this book based on the first chapter as I found it a bit rough going on the historical backstory. However, once I hit the second chapter, I was speeding along due to the change in tempo with the present-day storyline. While this wasn't the most gothic or literary read I have ever read, it was a fun and diverting weekend read. I recommend it to readers who also enjoy watching British tv cozy mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy!

I found this book underwhelming, and it was slow, especially in the beginning. I loved Megan. She was an interesting and complex character and was ultimately what kept me invested in the story. The setting was also atmospheric and eerie, but I wouldn’t say it was scary. The plot itself was so so, and I wasn’t particularly impressed with the way everything unfolded. I’d still recommend this book but for me, it was disappointing. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

My cousin lived in Stoke Newington and I have actually walked through Abney Park as it exists today, so I was excited to read this book.

This book goes back and forth between the events of 1907 (told from a few different perspectives) and the present-day storyline. Meg is visiting Abney Heights to do some genealogical research and help archive the old paperwork from back when the newly developed condos were a psychiatric hospital. The Abney Heights building and cemetery proved to be a very atmospheric setting.

My biggest gripe with this book was that the title didn't align with the story. There wasn't really a haunting. The story progressed with a lot of interludes of present-day storyline that didn't always feel relevant and dragged down the story and pacing. Moreover, the ending was rushed and extremely far-fetched.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gwillion Press for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I was attracted by the blurb and the gorgeous cover. There's potential and it could have a great story but there's too much characters and plot.
I think that the author has talent but some editing would help.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

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.