Rhys Bowen is The New York Times bestselling author of more than sixty novels – mainly historical mysteries including series such as The Molly Murphy Series. Now if that doesn’t amaze you, nothing will! She has won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Rhys has a new novel – The Castle in the Glen – coming out August 4, 2026, and she’s here to tell us about the inspiration behind the story.
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It’s funny how some vacations stay with you while others were pleasant and relaxing while you were there but all blur together in memory. I think some of the ones that are still sharp and fresh in my memory had some kind of disaster attached to them: the drive through the Himalayas to Ladakh when the road was washed away, the tsunami in Hawaii spring to mind. These are the experiences we draw on as mystery writers. We can reproduce that heightened sense of danger on the page because we have experienced it.
Other vacations stay with me because of the people I met, incredible kindnesses and connections. One summer a friend and I went around Greece with backpacks for three months. We stayed in local homes, chatting with the hosts in our broken mixture of languages and solving the problems of the world. Again as a writer I can draw on my interactions with very different people.
One of the most memorable was up in Kashmir. I was driving in high meadows when I saw a group of shepherd children, no more than eight or nine years old. They backed away as we stopped, the girls covering their faces. I went and sat by the stream. There were smooth white pebbles along the edge of the water. I picked one up, took out a marker pen, drew a face on it and put it down beside me. Soon the bravest boy came. I handed him my drawing. Then all of them were around me, holding out hands for their face on a pebble. We laughed, we chatted with gestures. One of them hugged me. What a special moment.
Another such vacation was spent in Scotland when I had just graduated from university. Three friends and I drove all over Scotland in a beat up old car, staying at small B&Bs, eating large amounts of seafood and taking a few risks for which we weren’t prepared. I should mention that B&Bs in those days were exactly that: a room in a private house, sitting down for a cup of tea with the owner and generally being made welcome.
In the middle of the trip we arrived on the island of Skye. In those days there was no bridge and we came on the ferry. It was a sparkling clear day, the distant mountains etched clearly against a blue sky. We found a bed and breakfast, owned by a Mistress McDonald. She must have been at least eighty, wearing a little white cap that made her seem from another century. She spoke in a gentle whisper. One of my friends was with her boyfriend. She eyed them and then said in that soft voice, “I suppose you’ll be wanting a double bed then?”
What a surprise!
After we settled in we started to explore the island. We did the outstanding features of the north… the famous waterfall and the Old Man of Storr. Then we tackled the fairy pools, climbing up the valley beside them. I should point out that we had done a bit of hiking but none of us was a true outdoor person and we had just come from months of studying for finals. I was in charge of the guide book and read about a fantastic hike around the mountain called Blà Bheinn or Blaven in the English corruption. The guide book states that “a short steep route leads to the summit. A small amount of scrambling is needed to reach the true top of the mountain.”
“We can do that,” we said confidently. After all, the mountains didn’t look that high. We had walked up Snowdon in Wales. We parked the car and set out with optimism and determination. The first part was easy, until we came to the true ascent. A small amount of scrambling did not quite describe it. A lot of scrambling might be more accurate, or even bloody well hauling ourselves up a rock face.
We were still making good progress when Judy noticed clouds moving in from the north. In what seemed like seconds we were enveloped in a mist so thick that we could hardly see each other. The rock beneath our feet was wet and there were sheer drops beside the path. There was no way of going on but going back wasn’t much fun either. It took us several hours to get down, feeling our way cautiously for most of it. That feeling of being completely isolated in a place of danger still haunts me.
I had intended to write about Skye for some time but other ideas always pushed it out of the way. But then I had an idea for a book. What if a very famous writer was diagnosed with dementia and couldn’t finish her last book? She hires a promising young writer to finish it for her, and the book is set on Skye. So the young woman goes to research and finds the mystery might actually be a true story… thus putting herself in danger. It was delicious but complicated to write about. First I had to write the part of the book the writer couldn’t finish. In her style. In her style with dementia. Then I was juggling the fictitious story with the true one. Two sets of characters. I do like to give myself challenges.
But one of the most important aspects of the book is that the Isle of Skye is a character. The landscape dictates the story. The danger is ever present. It all came back to me so clearly and now I’m delighted to share it with you.
The book is called The Castle in the Glen and it publishes on August 4, 2026.
Many thanks, Rhys. The Castle in the Glen is sure to be an exciting story! Your adventure has reminded me of a hike on Skye with my husband – and just like you, a sudden mist came down and we were lost and frightened.
For more on Rhys Bowen, read her take on What Makes Historical Fiction Tick .
The Castle in the Glen by Rhys Bowen
A ghostwriter plunges into danger as she unravels the dark secrets of a powerful Scottish family in a thrilling novel of romance and mystery by the bestselling author of Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure.
Australian writer Emma Callander has been recruited to complete the final historical mystery in a series by celebrated author Iris Blackburn. It’s 1965, and Iris’s memory is fading. She’s certain that only Emma can do justice to her novel about a murder on the Isle of Skye. When Emma ventures to Scotland for research, she discovers the story is not fiction at all but rather a true crime, unsolved for more than fifty years.
It was 1904 when a couple’s suspicious drowning led to the disappearance of a mysterious young woman the locals called the Wild Girl. To this day the mystery is unforgettable, especially among the descendants of an aristocratic family who’ll do anything to keep their secrets buried. From the misty Highlands to a medieval castle, Emma and Tony Gordon, Iris’s handsome lawyer, work ever more closely to uncover them.
But while Iris may be known for her fiendishly clever twists, there’s one not even Emma could have seen coming.
FOR MORE ON READING & WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION FOLLOW A WRITER OF HISTORY. There’s a SUBSCRIBE function on the right hand side of the page.
M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel THAT WAS THEN is a contemporary thriller. Mary’s other novels, THE ADMIRAL’S WIFE, PARIS IN RUINS, TIME AND REGRET, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook or on her website www.mktod.com.
