The Thin Place by C.D. Major

source: free review copy via NetGalley/Amazon Publishing UK
title: The Thin Place
author: CD Major
published: April 15, 2021
genre: mystery thriller
pages: 319
first line: She stands on the bridge.
TW: child abuse, dog death and death of a loved one
rated: 3 out of 5

about:
She has to know the truth about Overtoun Estate, but there is a reason it has stayed buried for so long. When journalist Ava Brent decides to investigate the dark mystery of Overtoun Estate—a ‘thin place’, steeped in myth—she has no idea how dangerous this story will be for her. Overtoun looms over the town, watching, waiting: the locals fearful of the strange building and the secrets it keeps. When Ava starts to ask questions, the warm welcome she first receives turns to a cold shoulder. And before she knows it, Ava is caught in the house’s grasp too. After she discovers the history of a sick young girl who lived there, she starts to understand the sadness that shrouds it. But when she finds an ominous old message etched into a windowsill, she is forced to wonder—what horrors is the house protecting? And what will it cost her to find out? With her own first child on the way, Ava knows she should stay away. But even as her life starts to unravel, and she receives chilling threats, the house and the bridge keep pulling her back…

my thoughts:

The Thin Place by CD Major is a slow burning mystery thriller revolving around an old mansion called the Overtoun Estate. The title The Thin Place refers to the place where heaven and earth meet, where the veil is lifted. The story alternates from the POV’s of three different characters; Marion in 1929, Constance in 1949 and Ava in the current day.

Marion is unhappily married to Hamish West, Constance is a sick bedridden child and Ava is a reporter working on a piece about the estate. The Overtoun Estate is the thread that binds these three together and throughout the entire book you feel the large house looming in the background ever present. In this way, the estate is a character in and of itself.

I found the storyline started off slowly but once it got going I was invested in what was going on. The author writes the alternating POV’s seamlessly from past to present day. She does a good job at leaving one chapter off at a little cliffhanger before starting another.

I found Ava to be the most fleshed out character of the three and as the story progresses we get to see her family and her everyday life. She has become somewhat obsessed with the Overtoun Estate and it seems to call to her. I didn’t particularly like Ava because I dislike characters who start to behave cluelessly and who should know better. I’ll leave it at that in order to avoid spoilers, but I kept wondering about her actions. I felt bad for poor Constance and it was hard reading what was going on with her.

Now while I enjoyed reading The Thin Place, I did have some qualms. First of all, I do have to mention trigger warnings for child abuse, dog death and death of a loved one as this was a very heavy read. I even found that an unnecessary scene was added at the end of the book almost in order to really get the reader before the final page is turned.

Also there was an awkwardness between Ava and her mother. It just didn’t sit quite right with me and the main issue between them felt almost forced as far as how her mother was behaving. There was also weirdness going on with another supporting character had me scratching my head in confusion. I didn’t find any of it fully explained and I found it was a little all shoved under the rug at the end so the story could be wrapped up.

Unfortunately the reason given that Ava was drawn to Overtoun Estate made no sense to me. I felt a little bit cheated with that. Also of note, the Overtoun Estate is a real place in Scotland, I thought that was interesting.

While I had some issues with this one I think if you enjoy dark, mysterious thrillers that move at a slower pace, you might enjoy The Thin Place by CD Major. Even though I had a few qualms with it, I was up late nights reading and I enjoyed the creepy atmosphere surrounding the estate.

“The house sees me. The bridge guards my secrets. I feel them both, like solid arms around me, drawing me to them.”The Thin Place by CD Major.


Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. My copy of The Thin Place came via Amazon Publishing UK.