Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I normally don’t love thrillers that are built like this but clearly this one was different. It’s slow and builds very gradually. Then all of a sudden, it’s all on the table. Lots of twists and turns. I can see myself rereading down the line.
This was a long, slow read. Partly due to the time of year - Christmas is, after all, an extremely busy time! But partly because I found this book dragging terribly in the middle of the story.
It's billed as a thriller or whodunnit mystery. But it's really more of a family saga / flashback novel, charting the early years of Fin Macleod on the island of Lewis. Macleod is now a policeman in Edinburgh, called back to Lewis when a murder takes place on the island with similarities to case he had investigated in Edinburgh. It's the first time he's been back to Lewis in many years, and ends up meeting up with a lot of his old childhood friends, catching up with their lives since he left the island.
Through a series of flashbacks we learn about Fin's life on the island, as well as a series of tragedies that struck him and his friends when they were young. This all ties in with the murder and the connections to Fin's life.
The book was quite enjoyable, and certainly picked up towards the end. But there was a lot of sidetracks that were unnecessary to the overall story. The language was a little over-used in places, but the descriptions of Lewis were beautiful and evocative. The story was good, it just wasn't what I was expecting which is why it initially disappointed me. But I have more books by May on Mt. TBR, and I will certainly look forward to them.
This review was originally posted on Babs' Bookshelf
It's billed as a thriller or whodunnit mystery. But it's really more of a family saga / flashback novel, charting the early years of Fin Macleod on the island of Lewis. Macleod is now a policeman in Edinburgh, called back to Lewis when a murder takes place on the island with similarities to case he had investigated in Edinburgh. It's the first time he's been back to Lewis in many years, and ends up meeting up with a lot of his old childhood friends, catching up with their lives since he left the island.
Through a series of flashbacks we learn about Fin's life on the island, as well as a series of tragedies that struck him and his friends when they were young. This all ties in with the murder and the connections to Fin's life.
The book was quite enjoyable, and certainly picked up towards the end. But there was a lot of sidetracks that were unnecessary to the overall story. The language was a little over-used in places, but the descriptions of Lewis were beautiful and evocative. The story was good, it just wasn't what I was expecting which is why it initially disappointed me. But I have more books by May on Mt. TBR, and I will certainly look forward to them.
This review was originally posted on Babs' Bookshelf
I just "reread" this via audiobook and upped my rating to 5 stars. I now am able to appreciate the great details of island life, the culture of Lewis and the Outer Hebrides, and the details about the guga hunt were fascinating. This is a tradition that has been strongly opposed by some:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/aug/25/scotland-hebrides-gannet-hunt
However, the main character Finn MacLeod, policeman and island native, tells an outsider who has come to organize a protest against the hunt that the fish he eats suffers far more. After the fish are scooped up from the ocean, they slowly smother in the large nets, and holds of the boats. Another detail that got my attention was the treatment of children who spoke Gaelic in schools as recounted by Finn who recalled what had happened to him only a couple of decades earlier. After his parents were told by the teacher to stop speaking Gaelic to him at home, they switched to English-only. Sad.
I was stuck between giving this 3 and 4 stars. After the ending I decided on 3 stars. I won't throw out any spoilers except to say that I think that INHO the ending shows the difference between what a male author might do and a woman author. I did enjoy the details about life on Lewis and like the main character Fin. As a lover of unusual languages, I love the fact he is a Gaelic speaker as are the people on Lewis (at least his generation). The details of the guga hunting on An Seguir my link text.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/aug/25/scotland-hebrides-gannet-hunt
However, the main character Finn MacLeod, policeman and island native, tells an outsider who has come to organize a protest against the hunt that the fish he eats suffers far more. After the fish are scooped up from the ocean, they slowly smother in the large nets, and holds of the boats. Another detail that got my attention was the treatment of children who spoke Gaelic in schools as recounted by Finn who recalled what had happened to him only a couple of decades earlier. After his parents were told by the teacher to stop speaking Gaelic to him at home, they switched to English-only. Sad.
I was stuck between giving this 3 and 4 stars. After the ending I decided on 3 stars. I won't throw out any spoilers except to say that I think that INHO the ending shows the difference between what a male author might do and a woman author. I did enjoy the details about life on Lewis and like the main character Fin. As a lover of unusual languages, I love the fact he is a Gaelic speaker as are the people on Lewis (at least his generation). The details of the guga hunting on An Seguir my link text.
I have found a new author for my auto-buy list. The cover drew me to this book initially, and once I read the blurb I knew I had to give it a try. I love stories that alternate timelines (past and present) as this one does. We meet the main character Fin MacLeod in the present, but are also treated to first person POV snippets from his past. Those two story lines merge for an explosive conclusion at the end. Aside from keeping me guessing throughout the book about who the murderer was, the author introduced a eclectic group of characters and thoroughly immersed me in the setting. The descriptions are vivid, the plot twisty and multi-layered. Although this is a complete stand alone tale, after reading it, I realized it is also the first book in a trilogy. I will be purchasing the other two books today. Label me a fan!
A solid police procedural with strong, believable characters and some fascinating history and local traditions. The big star, though, is the setting: the island and its changeable weather is like another character who insists on making their presence known whenever possible. It's gorgeously described.
I read this book whilst on holiday on the Isle of Lewis - reading a book set on the island whilst actually spending time here seemed absolutely perfect, and as luck would have it the novel was nestled on the bookcase of the cottage we’re staying in! When I realised it was book 1 of the Lewis trilogy I knew I had to pick it up and hopefully read it over the short time I was here!
This is the first in a trilogy about policeman Fin MacLeod, a Lewis native. He comes back to the island to investigate the brutal murder of an acquaintance and has to face old friends and May old ghosts to rest.
I really enjoyed the fast pace of this book but also the vivid descriptions of the island. Having now spent time here I can really picture the places the author describes and I really enjoyed the way he wrote about Lewis.
I read this book quickly and will absolutely read the other parts of the trilogy.
This is the first in a trilogy about policeman Fin MacLeod, a Lewis native. He comes back to the island to investigate the brutal murder of an acquaintance and has to face old friends and May old ghosts to rest.
I really enjoyed the fast pace of this book but also the vivid descriptions of the island. Having now spent time here I can really picture the places the author describes and I really enjoyed the way he wrote about Lewis.
I read this book quickly and will absolutely read the other parts of the trilogy.
What a fantastic book - four and a half stars from me! The writer sets the scene beautifully with little scottish nuances that were both vivid and comforting (to a Scot like me!) I did guess the murderer at the end but I was surprised by something I won't give away. The only reason it did not get five stars is that it was a little slow to start, but keep with it!
Loved it start to finish. Atmospheric, haunting and hits you right in the guts at many places. Went into it expecting a crime-thriller but got so much more. Would highly recommend!
DS Fin MacLeod is sent to the island where he was born and grew up when a murder there is eerily similar to one he’d been working on in the mainland of Scotland. He’s a mess, when he arrives, due to the death of his son and the subsequent breakup of his marriage. He hadn’t wanted to go but it was go or lose his job, so he went.
From the moment of his arrival, his childhood memories and connections to the murder victim and all the suspects force him to remember things from his childhood he’d buried and did not want to resurrect now. But the longer he stays, the worse it gets, and the more we learn of the murder victim, Fin, and the others on the island.
This is a powerful novel, not easy to read or stomach in parts, Fin comes across as a not very likeable fellow. But as we learn more of his childhood, we see how his past has formed him and how he’s had to deal with it.
The ending is very emotional, and I’d advise abuse victims that there are lots of triggers especially in the second half of the book.
From the moment of his arrival, his childhood memories and connections to the murder victim and all the suspects force him to remember things from his childhood he’d buried and did not want to resurrect now. But the longer he stays, the worse it gets, and the more we learn of the murder victim, Fin, and the others on the island.
This is a powerful novel, not easy to read or stomach in parts, Fin comes across as a not very likeable fellow. But as we learn more of his childhood, we see how his past has formed him and how he’s had to deal with it.
The ending is very emotional, and I’d advise abuse victims that there are lots of triggers especially in the second half of the book.