The Gathering

By: Rachel Lynch

Narrated by: Steve Worsley

I've waited twenty years to kill you...

Two decades ago, something terrible happened. The survivors scattered. The guilty walked free. Now Ada MacGullach is returning to Castle Brora – her beloved Scottish Highland retreat – to renew her vows with her husband Del in front of their closest friends and family. Nestled among fifteen-thousand acres of ancient moorland and mist-shrouded forest, it should be the perfect celebration: old friends, fine whisky and years of marriage honoured in style.

But old friends carry old secrets. And not everyone who turns up has been invited.

Someone has travelled many miles to be here, carrying a twenty-year grudge and a hunger for vengeance that time has sharpened. As the Highland mist rolls in and cuts Brora off from the rest of the world, Ada will begin to understand that the people closest to her are not who she thought they were.

But then again, neither is she…

A darkly addictive thriller for fans of The Hunting Party and Big Little Lies – a story of dangerous marriages, hidden secrets and a weekend celebration that becomes something sinister. Once you start, there's no leaving early!

What readers are saying about Rachel Lynch:

'One of my favourite reads of the year, and that's saying something. I absolutely LOVED the writing style. The ebbs and flows of intrigue just had me hooked completely from the get-go. A twisty, atmospheric, gripping tale that I will highly recommend to anyone who loves a psychological family thriller.' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A fantastic book which had me glued to the page. The plot twists and turns with everyone accusing everyone else and the reader is kept guessing until the very end.' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A deliciously dark story of a fractured family that had me hooked. An extraordinary mix of characters, each one written to perfection.' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'I had to hold my breath for many paragraphs until it reached a twisted surprise ending.' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A compelling storyline... I was gripped from chapter 1 and it does not let up.' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Read this book in 2 days — I spent all my spare time reading it, I was so engrossed.' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A plot that kept me turning the pages dark into the night.' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A captivating read filled with secrets gradually revealed... I just had to keep reading.' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Poe-esque

I didn’t hate this, but I didn’t love it either.

I enjoyed the idea an isolated location cut off by bad weather resulting in a “locked room” type situation, but there were too many characters doing too many things and the book was very repetitive at times.

As my title suggests, I found it very Poe-esque and the overall feel was so successfully dark and gothic that I was always surprised when someone mentioned the WiFi router or some other device of modern day life!

The ending was a bit of an anticlimax for me, and I probably wouldn’t be recommending this as one of Rachel’s better books, but if you want to try something different then you may enjoy it.