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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I'm giving this two stars because while this is objectively a pretty good book, I hated it.
The synopsis for this book promises "A MURDER, A SECRET, AND A TRAP" so, silly me, I was expecting some kind of thriller. The book starts with a discovery of a brutal murder on a tiny Scottish isle which may have connections to a similar murder on the mainland. Good start... and then that storyline is completely abandoned for about 70% of the book, apart from a few paragraphs among the chapters of flash-backs to remind us that present-day Fin is totally still looking for the murderer, guys, pinky swear, but anyway here's some more about his kind of tragic but mostly boring childhood.
As far as "A SECRET AND A TRAP" are concerned, yeah, we get to that about 80 pages before the end of the book. There is a twist. It's a good twist. It does not make up for pages 75-400 of this book.
Again, this is a good book. If it were advertised as more of a contemporary family drama with some mysterious plot points, I probably would have liked it. I've never read anything set on a Scottish isle, or with characters speaking Gaelic and going on dangerous bird hunting trips on cliffs. That stuff was great, but this certainly was not a thriller, and the "EVIL LIES WITHIN" line on the cover is the most hilarious mis-marketing of any book. Ever.
The synopsis for this book promises "A MURDER, A SECRET, AND A TRAP" so, silly me, I was expecting some kind of thriller. The book starts with a discovery of a brutal murder on a tiny Scottish isle which may have connections to a similar murder on the mainland. Good start... and then that storyline is completely abandoned for about 70% of the book, apart from a few paragraphs among the chapters of flash-backs to remind us that present-day Fin is totally still looking for the murderer, guys, pinky swear, but anyway here's some more about his kind of tragic but mostly boring childhood.
As far as "A SECRET AND A TRAP" are concerned, yeah, we get to that about 80 pages before the end of the book. There is a twist. It's a good twist. It does not make up for pages 75-400 of this book.
Again, this is a good book. If it were advertised as more of a contemporary family drama with some mysterious plot points, I probably would have liked it. I've never read anything set on a Scottish isle, or with characters speaking Gaelic and going on dangerous bird hunting trips on cliffs. That stuff was great, but this certainly was not a thriller, and the "EVIL LIES WITHIN" line on the cover is the most hilarious mis-marketing of any book. Ever.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Man får följa kriminalkommissare Fin Macleod som är född och uppvuxen på Isle of Lewis, en liten ö i de Yttre Hebriderna. Polisen i Edinburgh där Fin jobbar har hittat en koppling mellan ett mord på ön och ett mordfall i Edinburgh. Fin skickas tillbaka till ön efter att inte ha varit hemma på arton år.
Samtidigt får man följa Fin från ca 6 år när han börjar skolan och han och bästa kompisen träffar den stora barndomskärleken Marsaili. Berättelsen växer fram lite i taget, ganska långsamt men aldrig långtråkigt. Ser fram emot att läsa fler böcker av Peter May och som tur är så visar det sig att detta är del ett i Lewis-trilogin om Edinburgh-polisen Fin Macleod.
Barndomsavsnitten är skrivna med Fin som "jag" i berättelsen, medan nutida berättelsen är i tredje person. Intressant berättarstil som känns lite ovan, men det fungerar bra.
Betyget blir en stark fyra.
Samtidigt får man följa Fin från ca 6 år när han börjar skolan och han och bästa kompisen träffar den stora barndomskärleken Marsaili. Berättelsen växer fram lite i taget, ganska långsamt men aldrig långtråkigt. Ser fram emot att läsa fler böcker av Peter May och som tur är så visar det sig att detta är del ett i Lewis-trilogin om Edinburgh-polisen Fin Macleod.
Barndomsavsnitten är skrivna med Fin som "jag" i berättelsen, medan nutida berättelsen är i tredje person. Intressant berättarstil som känns lite ovan, men det fungerar bra.
Betyget blir en stark fyra.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Audio
The end of this book was worth the slog of words it took to get there. While I do love an atmospheric setting (the coast in Scotland) there was just WAY too much character building in this for me to give it more than 3 stars. I mean..from all the way back to starting school! And, to be honest, I skipped a few chapters in the last 3rd because I just didn't care. Once I passed yet again another background story and it headed to it's climax, it really picked up and was enjoyable. Would I read another in the series? Not sure. Maybe once I retire (in 100 years) and have lots of time to cuddle up with a blanket, a cup of tea, a fire in the fireplace (because..where else would the fire be?? ) on a stormy winter day. Until then..maybe not so much.
The end of this book was worth the slog of words it took to get there. While I do love an atmospheric setting (the coast in Scotland) there was just WAY too much character building in this for me to give it more than 3 stars. I mean..from all the way back to starting school! And, to be honest, I skipped a few chapters in the last 3rd because I just didn't care. Once I passed yet again another background story and it headed to it's climax, it really picked up and was enjoyable. Would I read another in the series? Not sure. Maybe once I retire (in 100 years) and have lots of time to cuddle up with a blanket, a cup of tea, a fire in the fireplace (because..where else would the fire be?? ) on a stormy winter day. Until then..maybe not so much.
I really enjoyed this, particularly the setting and the main character and I liked how the story was told through flashbacks and contemporary events.
Wow. Powerfully written, with a visceral sense of place. The mystery, while well-done, is secondary to the unforgiving bleakness of the setting and the bittersweet (bitter-bitter?) melancholy coming-of-age and coming-to-terms story. Will definitely read more in the series.
very atmospheric, excellent read for when you are longing for british island settings - a bit gritty, not a cozy at all, but excellently plotted and the characters are complex.
Another example of: I wanted to like this because of the reviews, because of the setting, because of the genre, etc. I dragged my way through it but lost most of my interest after a few chapters. It just wasn't my cup of tea as far as mystery/ detective novels go. I felt the flashback portions were belabored and excessive, the alternating narrative perspective served no real purpose and the book seemed to go on endlessly until the predictable and hastily resolved conclusion. There was very little substance to the actual mystery or investigation that the book was apparently about. Perhaps it's just a case of poor branding and incorrect assumptions or expectations on my part.
I really liked this mystery! It just goes to show you that sometimes you cannot be in the right mindset to read a book and then when you try again you devour it! I liked seeing all the flashbacks in Fin’s life. I could have done without some of all that bird killing, but I understand why it was in there. I’ll definitely read the next book in the series!