A brutal killing takes place on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland: a land of harsh beauty and inhabitants of deep-rooted faith. A MURDER. Detective Inspector Fin Macleod is sent from Edinburgh to investigate. For Lewis-born Macleod, the case represents a journey both home and into his past. A SECRET. Something lurks within the close-knit island community. Something sinister. A TRAP. As Fin investigates, old skeletons begin to surface, and soon he, the hunter, becomes the hunted.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'vivid ... fascinating' Literary Review. 'excellent plotting with some beautiful descriptions of the Isle of Lewis ... The story is wonderful' crime pieces.
About the Author
Peter May has over 1,000 television credits to his name, and is the author of fifteen novels, including two series: The Enzo Files and The China Thrillers. He is also the only Westerner to become an honorary member of the Chinese Crime Writers' Association.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The novel is set on the remote island of Lewis far off the coast of northern Scotland. This is an area that the author will know well since he spent several years there producing and filming the Gaelic language TV series, Machair. This gives an authenticity to the very strong descriptions of this remote, rugged, weather-beaten corner of the British Isles. In particular, May's description of the annual guga (gannet) hunt is fascinating both in its detail and in the light it sheds on the island community's strong attachment to its ancient traditions.
DS Fin MacLeod is sent back to Lewis to investigate a murder that resembles one that took place earlier in his Edinburgh patch. Returning home after 20 years away, Fin is thrown into remembering and re-assessing his difficult childhood and adolescence. The book alternates between the present day and Fin's past and it gradually emerges that the shadow of that past may be involved in the current investigation.
At first, I found the alternation between the present and the past irritating as it seemed to break the flow of the story. However, as the links between the two became clearer, the tension gradually mounted and came finally to an unexpected and dramatic climax. Along the way, May describes a community more inclined to deal with problems internally rather than involving the authorities, a place where the young people are beginning to challenge the traditions and strict religious observances of their elders and where dark secrets can sometimes come back to haunt.
DS Fin MacLeod is sent back to Lewis to investigate a murder that resembles one that took place earlier in his Edinburgh patch. Returning home after 20 years away, Fin is thrown into remembering and re-assessing his difficult childhood and adolescence. The book alternates between the present day and Fin's past and it gradually emerges that the shadow of that past may be involved in the current investigation.
At first, I found the alternation between the present and the past irritating as it seemed to break the flow of the story. However, as the links between the two became clearer, the tension gradually mounted and came finally to an unexpected and dramatic climax. Along the way, May describes a community more inclined to deal with problems internally rather than involving the authorities, a place where the young people are beginning to challenge the traditions and strict religious observances of their elders and where dark secrets can sometimes come back to haunt.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Repressed knowledge is the heart of this book. Most of the "detection" that takes place in what is in principle a detective novel is really a process of personal revelation for the main character. The detective is less uncovering the truth than having it revealed to him. that's probably as much as can be said without spoiling it for other readers. I found the way the process is handled to be convincing, which is a big achievement. Many detective novels at some point require you to suspend belief. That isn't the case here although it is an extraordinary story. The physical and psychological landscape of Lewis is well-described and captures the sense of being on the outer edge of the world in a very unforgiving environment where people divide themselves into those who can escape and those who cannot, but, like the Hotel California, its not quite certain that anyone can really leave.I am very surprised this has received so few reviews because it is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an extremely well-crafted, very intelligent novel. It is so much more than a mere murder mystery/police procedural - Peter May can truly develop three-dimensional characters - with both halos and warts - and this author's sense of location is quite brilliant. His sense of mood and mind-set of the Isle of Lewis - one of the outer Hebrides' slands - is splendid, both its bleakness and its wonders. A highly recommended read, and we eagerly await volume two of this new series.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Still with me, months later.
I bought this book an a lark, I think it was part of a Kindle special. I didn't expect much and I was very surprised at how engrossing the story was right from the start. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Kari E. Soares
"What happens on the rock . . ." (Review of Audio Book)
This was a very compelling story in which the murder to be solved took back seat to the human drama played out through the main characters. Read more
Published 1 month ago by JLF
A really great book
This book is beautifully written, with a very good plot and very good rhythm.
I learned a lot about the island of Lewis and the story line was excellent.
I learned a lot about the island of Lewis and the story line was excellent.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs Michelle Gill
Not what I expected
This is not what I expected, i.e. another police thriller. It is however, a wonderfully written story that tracks the return of Fin to the island of his birth and unwinds past... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Harley
The Black House: Book one of the Lewis trilogy
II found this a very unusual read. Not what I expected (A traditional suspense novel)it was more, and I look forward to completing this journey with Fin (The central character) in... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ron Reynolds
The Black House (Peter May)
Excellent Book, this is book 1 of the trilogy, Im 30% through reading the second book and not getting any housework done, I can't put it down. Read more
Published 1 month ago by ellie
LOTS OF SMOKE, BUT NO FIRE
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A STORY WHOSE CHARACTERS ARE ALL IN THE PROCESS OF NEEDLESSLY SCREWING UP THEIR LIVES, YOU'VE FOUND IT. Read more
Published 2 months ago by READ'NWEEP
Good read, but falls flat at the end
The above reviewer has described the premise of this book very well, so I won't repeat that and will concentrate on my opinion of it. The good bits first. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Callida
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