The missing girls of Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson

 

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House by Heather Atkinson (Boldwood Books) is a historical Gothic novel, with the elements of horror and ghost story.

Alardyce village, just outside Edinburgh, September 1878

As Amy catches the sight of Alardyce House from the carriage bringing her to live with her relatives, a sense of foreboding settles in the pit of her stomach. "She had hoped this place would be welcoming but already she felt as though it didn't want her... She was put in mind of a prison and shuddered."

Amy is right in feeling apprehensive. She hasn't seen her uncle and aunt in ten years, since she was seven years old, but she "had the vague notion that he was boring and pompous and she haughty and cold".  Having lost her parents after their ship went down in the Atlantic, Amy has no option but to move from London to Scotland. The Alardyces are the only family she has left in the world.

Amy's aunt Lenora is a spiteful, venomous woman who detests her niece, while her uncle seems to be happy to bend to her stronger will. There are two cousins, Henry and Edward, who are like chalk and cheese.

As Amy describes her older cousin, "He is terribly handsome but that's where his charms end. I find him proud, arrogant and a little strange". A little strange is an understatement, when it comes to the whole family. Once Amy arrives, Lenora sets her mind on marrying her off as soon as possible so she would be her husband's problem, even without waiting for the decent period of mourning. She invites the eligible bachelors to the house, parading Amy in front of them. "It was a huge breach of protocol on her aunt's part but no one dared object. What Lenora wanted, Lenora got".

Amy strikes friendship with her younger cousin Edward, who seems to be happy to exchange confidences with her and complain of their lot. As the younger son, Edward's perspectives reflect his lower position in the family hierarchy. 

Henry is as conceited as his haughty and cruel mother, Amy despises and detests him with passion. As weeks of the mourning pass, Amy comes to realisation that Lenora has set her heart on getting her hands on her inheritance, having chosen the most despicable groom to be.

On top of the personal drama, something sinister is lurking behind the respectable facade of Alardyce House. The local girls are being brutally attacked in the grounds, and who is the main suspect but Amy's loathsome cousin Henry?!

Is there anyone in the house she can trust? 

The longer Amy stays at Alardyce House, the more dreadful secrets and abominable designs begin to stir. Is there an escape for Amy?

The main protagonist is not your typical Victorian orphan. She has been groomed by a man 30 years older, and became his lover when she was 15. She doesn't see anything wrong in that. As apparently, men have their needs, and as his wife is incapacitated, so that's all right then.

She openly tells this story to her cousin, whom she barely knows. And then she has sex with a servant. That servant is bad news, he is controlling and manipulative.

The sex scenes are needlessly detailed. 

From the blurb I expected it to be a horror story/dark thriller, and not 50 shades of Lady Grey, with sadistic tendencies and extreme violence. The ruthlessly chilling scenes of torture are horrible to digest.

I didn't like the main character, her disturbing family, or anyone else in the story. Amy is very vocal, and presents unusual ideas, which with her level of education would be rather unrealistic. It is a total anachronism to expect a young lady of her social standing to condemn the expansion of the Empire. Amy claims she reads the newspapers and thus has opinions of her own. Not that we see her reading any papers, but mooning for the handsome servant and plotting her escape from Alardyce House. And then she shouts at her cousin and accuses him of being ignorant. 

"You consider the British Empire ridiculous? he exclaimed. "Yes, I do. It's boastful pride and we can't possibly hold it forever. One day it will crumble and fall... If it's treasonous to consider the oppression of entire peoples in their own countries wrong, then, yes, I am treasonous".

Her base manners and speech are that of a modern dudette. For example, she slags off her cousin, "He's a pompous prig if you ask me. What that man needs is a strong drink and a cheap woman. Loosen him up a bit". That sounds coarse, even for the modern-thinking Amy.

The author is skilful at creating evocative sinister settings. You can feel the foreboding atmosphere of the Alardyce House, from the first glimpses of the house.

The two exhibitions Amy visits on different occasions, set the mood which reflects Amy's inner trumoil and feelings of bewilderment. When she lives at the Alardyce House, her aunt takes her to see the exhibition of the Preraphaelites. Later, she is looking at the paintings of the fairies by the famous artist Richard Dadd who was in an asylum for killing his own father. These little touches, add to the psychological character development.

The Missing Girls of Alardyce House is a harrowing, gut-wrenching story which weaves a dark web of dread. 

The shocking conclusion will lead to the second book in the series.

Potential triggers: extreme violence/torture, murder, rape, sexual abuse etc.

This post is part of the blog tour for The Missing Girls of Alardyce House.

My thanks to Heather Atkinson, Boldwood and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3iMuIeI

Author Bio –

Heather Atkinson is the author of over fifty books – predominantly in the crime fiction genre.  Although Lancashire born and bred she now lives with her family, including twin teenage daughters, on the beautiful west coast of Scotland.  Her gangland series for Boldwood, set on the fictional Gallowburn estate in Glasgow begins with the title Blood Brothers.

 

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