The Haunting of Abney Heights By Cat Thomas

i have been getting some very unusual and intriguing reads lately, different genres. This was no exception. the story setting is dramatic. Also it was in two time lines 1907 and present times. Megan is a genealogist/archivist and she has been asked to find out whatever she could on a particular inmate of the institute Elle. The present day institute was earlier a asylum, and to Megan resonated with the heaviness and unhappiness of what those institutes were at the time. Delving into Elle's history and sad end, we also delve into the life of Lucy. A person also an inmate of the asylum, admitted for hysteria by her fiancee and family who became very close to Elle. Though not openly spoken of Elle was admitted because she was a lesbian and Dr Wood who was in charge at the asylum worried over the increasingly close relationship between the two women. The story weaving the daily workings of the asylum, with Dr Wood's modern approach of integrating the inmates as much as possible into public life showed up historically the manner in which mental incapacity was treated, the stigma attached to it and for many the hopelessness for the future. The present day building was apartments and Megan lived there whilst unravelling the task she was set to. it had strands of historical fictiin, along with two mystery murders which were solved decades later and altogether was a very interesting read set in Edwardian times. Sent by BooksGoSocial for anunbiased review courtesy of Netgalley.