Today I’m joining the blog tour for The Howling. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the tour and to Orenda Books for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

Two men, centuries apart, dream of being a wolf. 

One is burned at the stake.

Another is locked in a psychiatric hospital for most of his life.

And Annie Jackson is about to find out why…

Vowing once again to remove herself from society, Annie is back living alone in her little cottage by the shores of a loch. But when an old enemy – now locked up in a high security hospital – comes calling, begging her to find the son that she was forced to give up at the age of seventeen, Annie is tempted out of seclusion. The missing boy holds the key to ending Annie’s curse, and he may be the only chance that both she and Lewis have of real happiness.

Annie and Lewis begin an investigation that takes them back to the past, a time etched in Scottish folklore, a period of history that may just be repeating itself. And what they uncover could destroy not just some of the most powerful people in the country, who will stop at nothing to protect their wealth and their secrets, but also Annie’s life, and everything she holds dear…

Dark, immersive, and utterly compelling, The Howling is a story of deception, betrayal, and misplaced power, and a reminder that the most public of faces can hide the darkest of hearts…

Review:

I have loved this series so far, but The Howling is my favourite. I love Michael J Malone’s writing style, which is easy to read yet poetic, particularly during the historical scenes which really bring the mythological aspects of the story to life.

It was great to be back with Annie and Lewis Jackson. These characters are characters I feel I have come to know well over the rest of the series and I really wanted to know how things would work out for them. I found it particularly interesting that Lewis now has a partner and a life separate to Annie, and I wanted to see how this would develop. However, it is the antagonist that the author writes best. Sylvia Lowry-Law really got under my skin and I had no idea when she was being truthful. The dynamic between Sylvia and Annie is brilliantly drawn and creates a palpable tension that made it very difficult to put the book down.

The plot of The Howling is quite complex, but it comes together in such a satisfying way. I thought I could guess where the story was going – but absolutely not! – and I loved the sense of surprise as I was reading. I was completely hooked from beginning to end and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next!

I’m fairly sure that there is still more to come in this story, and I really hope that we get to read it!

The Howling is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: