ARC REVIEW: The Murmurs – by Michael J. Malone

Title: The Murmurs
(Annie Jackson Mysteries #1)
Author: Michael J. Malone
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal
First published: September 14th 2023
Publisher: Orenda Books
Finished reading: March 27th 2024
Pages: 276

“To everyone else it was just a normal day, but she was forever changed. Death was no longer an abstract. It was touchable. Heartbreakingly real.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Orenda Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

REVIEW

I loved my first experience with Michael J. Malone‘s writing back in 2020, and I’m still not sure why it has taken me this long to pick up more of his work. I admit I have more than one backlist title waiting to be read, but I couldn’t resist the lure of his newest story The Murmurs. I was drawn to the premise of this gothic thriller with its supernatural horror vibe in the form of the family curse and the premonitions, and I’ve been looking forward to dive in. There is no doubt that The Murmurs turned out to be an atmospheric and multi-layered thriller that focuses on so much more than just the curse… A bit slow to start, but once the ball starts rolling there is no stopping it.

Somehow it’s hard to put The Murmurs into just one neat little genre box. It is definitely a gothic thriller, but it also has a paranormal/supernatural horror vibe. Moira’s memoir is more historical fiction with a touch of the supernatural, while there is also plenty of family drama to be found in most of the plot. Add plenty of secrets to be unraveled and almost a cult vibe in certain parts of the plot, and this story is very much multi-layered indeed. Somehow the different elements are well balanced though and together they form a cohesive and intriguing read.

I think part of the reason The Murmurs wasn’t a 5 star read for me personally had nothing to do with the story itself and everything with one of my personal pet peeves. I’m never a fan of religion in my stories, and there is a lot of religion and religious bigotry to be found in The Murmurs. In fact, parts almost felt cult-like with how certain characters seem to be under the spell of the pastors… I can’t deny the element was well incorporated, but it’s simply a topic I never enjoy reading about (and especially when there’s bigotry involved). There was also a tad too much family drama going on along the way, but again that is probably mainly a personal pet peeve.

I did adore the Scottish setting though, and both the descriptions and incorporation of Scottish words really made the setting come alive for me. True Scottish flavor indeed! The writing style in general is excellent, and I especially enjoyed how the curse and the murmurs were portrayed. I do have to say that the pace was a lot slower than expected, and it took me a while to properly warm up to the story. This might have had to do with the multiple POV structure and the way the story switches between past and present as well as different characters along the way… Although I can’t deny that these POVs did add their little something to the plot. I was a bit sad that I was able to guess part of the truth behind some family secrets right though, but there were also other parts I never saw coming so I guess everything was balanced out in the end.

If you are looking for a creepy, ominous and atmospheric gothic thriller that mixes family drama and religion with a family curse and lot of secrets, this first book of a new series The Murmurs is a great option.