The Torments by Michael J Malone

 
I'm so delighted to be joining the blog tour for The Torments by Michael J Malone, The follow up to the first Annie Jackson Mystery, The Murmurs. And this one is just as chilling and spooky as that was! Huge thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my review copy. I've since bought my own paperback.

The Blurb

Hiding from the world in her little white cottage on the shores of a loch, Annie Jackson is fighting to come to terms with the world of the murmurs, a curse that has haunted female members of her family for centuries.

While she is within the ancient, heavy stone of the old dwelling, the voices merely buzz, but the moment she steps outside the door they clamour to torment her all over again, bringing with them shocking visions of imminent deaths.

Into this oasis comes her adoptive mother, Mandy McEvoy, begging for Annie's help. Mandy's nephew Damien has gone missing, after dropping off his four-year old son at his mother's home.

Unable to refuse, but terrified to leave her sanctuary, Annie, with the help of her brother Lewis, is drawn in to a secretive, seductive world that will have her question everything she holds dear, while Lewis' life may be changed forever…

My Review

After coming to terms with the curse that has blighted the women in her family and learning that if she stays inside the sanctuary of her isolated wee cottage, her murmurs stay pretty quiet. She does venture out occasionally to a little part time job in the village cafe, until an incident there isolate her further, and she hides away in the cottage. She is supported by her brother and her adoptive mum, until Mandy asks Annie for help - to find her sister's son, Damien, who has gone missing. Annie agrees to help, together with Lewis, but at the same time is not feeling herself, and is also drawn to a large house they pass one day in their investigations. Neither Annie or Lewis can possibly imagine where their journey will lead them...

Oh, goodness, I feel for Annie. She is doing her absolute best to survive, to make her life bearable by staying out of the way of people when she can as the curse frightens her so much but also because there is nothing she can really do to help. But she is so strong and resilient, especially for such a young woman - I would've folded way before now if it was me! And I love how supportive Lewis is, and Mandy too - I'm not sure Annie would be quite so stable without their support. 

The descriptions of her murmurs and the visions she experiences are so vivid they are really quite chilling. And there is more otherworldly stuff described in this book too : ancient witchcraft and spells, the legend of the Baobhan Sith and the story of the cannibal Sawney Bean - it's all gruesome stuff. And there are some truly awful, evil people featured in the pages of this book - all brilliantly described and sending a chill right through me. 

The story is satisfyingly twisty and tense with an amazing denouement, but it's full of emotion too. Annie and Lewis really care about what they're doing, the people they meet, and it shows. Also, the way Annie is affected, both physically and mentally, by events is brilliantly described. And my opinion of one particular character in the wider cast really changed and he ended up unexpectedly tugging at my heartstrings. 

This is such a fantastic follow up to The Murmurs, I loved catching up with Annie, and Lewis. But I also loved learning about ancient Scottish legends and stories of witchcraft, even if the knowledge might give me nightmares! The Torments is a fantastic peak into that world from a  contemporary standpoint, but also the continuing story of   a very strong young woman and triumph over adversity. 

The Author

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines
throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His dark psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and is currently in production for the screen, and five powerful standalone thrillers followed suit. The Murmurs, first in the Annie Jackson Mysteries series, was published to critical acclaim in 2023. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr, where he also works as a hypnotherapist.