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quixote430's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
indydriven's review against another edition
4.0
The Lewis Man is book 2 of the Lewis trilogy. A mummified body of a man has been found in the peat. It is obvious that he was a victim of foul play, however, thoughts are that he may have been in the peat for centuries until an Elvis tattoo is revealed when they start wiping his body down.
Fin, our main character, has recently given up his job as a policeman in Edinburgh and has returned to Lewis to live. His plan is live in a tent on his parent’s property and fix up their old house so that it is once again liveable. The furthest thing from his mind is getting himself involved on the mystery of the “bog man”, however, his involvement evolves organically out of spending time with Marsaili, his girlfriend from when he was a young man. When a DNA test is done on the bog man, a hit is returned showing that Marsaili’s father is a direct relative to the deceased. Unfortunately, her father is suffering from dementia and cannot shed any light on the connection between him and the dead man.
Peter May has again done a wonderful job with this story. I love how as the reader, we learn a great deal of the story from the memories of Marsaili’s father that he has while lost in the fog of dementia. It is also encouraging to see Fin start to develop a relationship with his son and granddaughter. Part of me wants to jump into book 3 (The Chessmen) immediately but knowing that it is the last book in the trilogy makes me also want to wait to savour it as much as possible.
Fin, our main character, has recently given up his job as a policeman in Edinburgh and has returned to Lewis to live. His plan is live in a tent on his parent’s property and fix up their old house so that it is once again liveable. The furthest thing from his mind is getting himself involved on the mystery of the “bog man”, however, his involvement evolves organically out of spending time with Marsaili, his girlfriend from when he was a young man. When a DNA test is done on the bog man, a hit is returned showing that Marsaili’s father is a direct relative to the deceased. Unfortunately, her father is suffering from dementia and cannot shed any light on the connection between him and the dead man.
Peter May has again done a wonderful job with this story. I love how as the reader, we learn a great deal of the story from the memories of Marsaili’s father that he has while lost in the fog of dementia. It is also encouraging to see Fin start to develop a relationship with his son and granddaughter. Part of me wants to jump into book 3 (The Chessmen) immediately but knowing that it is the last book in the trilogy makes me also want to wait to savour it as much as possible.
hwpw92's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookstashan's review against another edition
5.0
A truly gripping novel, with a brilliant setting and creative style. Being Scottish myself, with connections in Ness, Stornoway, Oban and Edinburgh, the book really came alive.
Can't wait to read the other two books in the trilogy.
Can't wait to read the other two books in the trilogy.
lazygal's review against another edition
4.0
When I read The Black House I knew I wanted to read more by Peter May... now I've read the second of his "Isle of Lewis" mysteries and need to finish the trilogy. As with Camilla Lackburg's books, each story has a modern mystery that is dependent on older information, an older story, to be solved.
In this case, Fin MacLeod has quit his job with the Edinburg police, divorced his wife and moved back to his parents decrepit croft, thinking to make some sort of life on Lewis. In the previous book, he reestablished relations with Marsaili and learned he was the father of her child - so now what? Well, there's a bog body that turns out to not be thousands of years old but somewhat more recent and related to Marsaili's now-demented father. The local policeman, Gunn, asks Fin for his (extremely unofficial) help and the result is an exploration of Scotland's sectarian issues, life on the Hebrides and personal identity.
It's that last that really intrigued me, as an adoptee and as someone who has seen others change their names and try to start over as a new person. Did John/Donald John/Tormond really succeed or, in the end, was he still the same person he was as a child?
ARC provided by publisher.
In this case, Fin MacLeod has quit his job with the Edinburg police, divorced his wife and moved back to his parents decrepit croft, thinking to make some sort of life on Lewis. In the previous book, he reestablished relations with Marsaili and learned he was the father of her child - so now what? Well, there's a bog body that turns out to not be thousands of years old but somewhat more recent and related to Marsaili's now-demented father. The local policeman, Gunn, asks Fin for his (extremely unofficial) help and the result is an exploration of Scotland's sectarian issues, life on the Hebrides and personal identity.
It's that last that really intrigued me, as an adoptee and as someone who has seen others change their names and try to start over as a new person. Did John/Donald John/Tormond really succeed or, in the end, was he still the same person he was as a child?
ARC provided by publisher.
anetq's review against another edition
4.0
Another fine story about life (and a death) on the Scottish isles. Past and present weaves into one another as Fin and friends try to find out how Marsail's dad, lost to dementia is related to the body found in the peat... And as a curiousity for the danes: Tollundmanden makes an appearance!
Just like the first book of the series: Great plot, unexpected twists and a lot of island life realities to go with the story.
Just like the first book of the series: Great plot, unexpected twists and a lot of island life realities to go with the story.
kirsty147's review against another edition
4.0
I liked May's first novel in this series and was looking forward to the second. I like May's writing style, it is quite understated and he doesn't use twenty words when 10 will do. Fin is a nicely developed character and the rest of the characters are an interesting bunch. I did feel that the ending could have been developed a little further, I thought it was over far too quick!
bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
I read half of this flying today from DC to Detroit and Detroit to Madison, WI. It was hard to put down once I got into it. Set in the Western Hebrides, the author brings in a lot of detail of island life, and doesn't romanticize it. I am not sure that some of the details on sweaters and patterns are correct and it will take a bit of digging to find the information. Claiming that Hebridean fishermen had unique patterns on their guernseys so they could be recognized after death is the same myth that circulates about Aran sweaters. Nevertheless, an excellent mystery with a bang up ending.