Two intricate plots encompass The Castle in the Glen, an ambitious, absorbing historical mystery by Rhys Bowen.
The primary story is set in 1965 Scotland, where Emma Callander--an Australian writer stalled in her career--is tasked with completing the final installment in a series of mystery novels written by Iris Blackburn, a lauded Australian expat now losing her memory. Iris’s book centers on a murder that occurred in the early 1900s on the Isle of Sky: two young lovers drown under suspicious circumstances, but it’s the disappearance of another woman called “Wild Girl” who emerges front and center.
As Emma begins to unravel the material Iris has mapped out on the page, she discovers the story might actually true—a real-life mystery that’s remained unsolved for 50+ years. With the help of Iris’s handsome lawyer, Tony Gordon, Emma and he join forces and set off through the Scottish Highlands to learn more, unearthing long-buried family secrets, red herrings, and a host of suspects who might just bridge the past and the present.
Readers
are in for a real treat through atmospheric Scotland, as Bowen (Mrs.
Endicott’s Splendid Adventure, From
Cradle to Grave) entangles a large cast of well-drawn characters amidst
two dark and dangerous plots that entwine to form a well-rendered, intriguing conclusion.
Castle in the Glen by Rhys Bowen
Lake
Union Publishing, $28.99 hardcover, 9781662527210,
429 pages
Publishing Date: August 4, 2026
To order this book on Bookshop.org, link HERE
Learn more about Rhys Bowen HERE
