Secrets Taken to the Grave (Strathbairn Trilogy #2) by Isobel Blackthorn

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Scottish Highlands, 1893. Ingrid Barker arrives back at Strathbairn to attend the funeral of her old employer, Charles McCleod.

Every bone in Ingrid’s body screams for her to leave, and as she walks from the graveside, she can’t shake the suspicion that Charles was murdered. As she hurries to uncover the truth and get away from Strathbairn, another murder takes place – one that traps her in the very place she is desperate to escape from.

Running out of time and clues, can Ingrid evade the truth of that terrible night up at the abbey the last time she was here, and can she solve the mystery of Charles’ death before his ghost does away with her?

An unputdownable gothic mystery laced with dark family secrets, SECRETS TAKEN TO THE GRAVE is the second book in the Strathbrain Trilogy series of historical mystery novels by Isobel Blackthorn.

MY REVIEW

I jumped at the chance to read book 2 of the Straithbairn Trilogy, with its dark, macabre undertones of murder and malice.

The story picks up with Ingrid, a young widow still reeling from her past and the memories of Straithbairn Hall. It’s been three long years since she and her daughter, Susan, were banished by the nasty Charles McLeod. So, you can imagine the mix of dread and apprehension when they’re summoned back for Charles’s funeral, especially since Ingrid suspects he was murdered.

I was intrigued by Ingrid’s new dynamic in this book. She goes from being a housekeeper to a guest, which, on paper, sounds like a step up. But in reality, nothing has changed in the way everyone treats her. The mistrust and resentment are palpable as Ingrid’s amateur sleuthing reveals family secrets and unearthly interferences. She’s in for a difficult ride with an unruly ghost, malicious servants, and warring siblings to contend with, and the surprises keep on coming. Does she uncover the murderer? Read it and see.

Ms. Blackthorn creates an atmosphere of cold malice and dangerous secrets that pull you right in. You can feel Ingrid’s pronounced sense of entrapment. It’s the last place she wants to be, yet she can’t walk away from the dark history that lingers in the shadows. However, while I was completely absorbed, there were moments where the story felt a bit repetitive. I found myself wishing it would hurry to the conclusion. Nevertheless, the ending is anything but clear-cut, leaving us readers dangling with many unanswered questions. I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for the final book in the trilogy because I need to know what happens next!

I highly recommend reading this trilogy from the beginning to enhance the sense of fear and anticipation of what’s to come. If you enjoy gothic thrillers that blend atmosphere, suspense, and a sense of dread, give this book a try.

Thank you to Ms. Blackthorn for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Strathbairn Trilogy

1. What Happened at the Abbey (2023) – My review
2. Secrets Taken to the Grave (2025)
3. The Haunting of Willows Cottage (2025)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Isobel Blackthorn is an award-winning author of immersive and inspiring fiction. She has penned over twenty-five books including a number of bestsellers.

Among her credits, Isobel’s biographical short story ‘Nothing to Declare’, which forms the first chapter of her biographical novel Emma’s Tapestry, was shortlisted for the Ada Cambridge Prose Prize 2019. One of her Canary Islands novels, A Prison in the Sun, was shortlisted in the LGBTQ category of the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards 2020 and the International Book Awards 2021. The Cabin Sessions was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award 2018 and the Ditmar Awards 2018. And The Unlikely Occultist: A biographical novel of Alice A. Bailey received an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Reader’s Favorite Book Awards.

Blackthorn is the author of the world’s only biography of Theosophist and mother of the New Age movement Alice Bailey – Alice A. Bailey: Life & Legacy. Isobel’s writing has appeared in journals and websites around the world, including Esoteric Quarterly, New Dawn Magazine, Paranoia, Mused Literary Review, Trip Fiction, Backhand Stories, Fictive Dream and On Line Opinion. Isobel was a judge for the Australasian Shadow Awards 2020 long fiction category. Her book reviews have appeared in New Dawn Magazine, Esoteric Quarterly, Shiny New Books, Sisters in Crime, Australian Women Writers, Trip Fiction and Newtown Review of Books.

Isobel’s interests are many and varied. She has a long-standing association with the Canary Islands, having lived in Lanzarote in the late 1980s. A humanitarian and campaigner for social justice, in 1999 Isobel founded the internationally acclaimed Ghana Link, uniting two high schools, one a relatively privileged state school located in the heart of England, the other a materially impoverished school in a remote part of the Upper Volta region of Ghana, West Africa. After working as a teacher, market trader and PA to a literary agent, she arrived at writing in her forties, and her stories are as diverse and intriguing as her life has been.

Isobel has performed her literary works at events in a range of settings and given workshops in creative writing.

British by birth, Isobel entered this world in Farnborough, Kent, UK. She has lived in England, Australia, Spain and the Canary Islands. She now lives and writes in Spain. She is currently at work on two novels composed in Spanish.

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