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A review by jennifer_c_s
The Lewis Man by Peter May
4.0
‘I don’t need to look at the clock to know the time.’
A body is found in a peat bog on the Isle of Lewis. Initially the finders thought that the male Caucasian corpse might be over 2000 years old, until they saw the Elvis Presley tattoo on his right arm. It’s clear that the man has been murdered: but by whom, and when? Fin Macleod, former policeman, has left his wife and his job in Edinburgh. He’s returned to the Isle of Lewis, and is trying to make his long-dead parents’ cottage habitable.
Tormod Macdonald, father of Marsaili, is elderly and suffering from dementia. His wife and daughter have always believed him to be an only child, so how can it be that a DNA test shows the corpse to be a relative of Tormod’s? Fin McLeod has time on his hands, and an interest in the Macdonald family. He’s happy to help the local police while they await assistance from the mainland.
‘There is always a moment of internal silence after being in the presence of death. A reminder of your own fragile mortality.’
Who is the dead man? Who killed him? And how is he related to Tormod? The story unfolds with Fin’s detective work in the present taking the story back into the past, while flashbacks from Tormod’s past provide a poignant dimension. Tormod has his own secrets as well, and his dementia is an added complication.
I kept turning the pages, keen to learn why the man was murdered and by whom. I was also interested in learning more about Tormod MacDonald’s past.
This is the second novel in Peter May’s Lewis trilogy. While it is possible to read this novel as a standalone, I’d recommend reading it after the first novel. The past, in this series, is always important. I’m now looking forward to reading the final novel in the trilogy.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
A body is found in a peat bog on the Isle of Lewis. Initially the finders thought that the male Caucasian corpse might be over 2000 years old, until they saw the Elvis Presley tattoo on his right arm. It’s clear that the man has been murdered: but by whom, and when? Fin Macleod, former policeman, has left his wife and his job in Edinburgh. He’s returned to the Isle of Lewis, and is trying to make his long-dead parents’ cottage habitable.
Tormod Macdonald, father of Marsaili, is elderly and suffering from dementia. His wife and daughter have always believed him to be an only child, so how can it be that a DNA test shows the corpse to be a relative of Tormod’s? Fin McLeod has time on his hands, and an interest in the Macdonald family. He’s happy to help the local police while they await assistance from the mainland.
‘There is always a moment of internal silence after being in the presence of death. A reminder of your own fragile mortality.’
Who is the dead man? Who killed him? And how is he related to Tormod? The story unfolds with Fin’s detective work in the present taking the story back into the past, while flashbacks from Tormod’s past provide a poignant dimension. Tormod has his own secrets as well, and his dementia is an added complication.
I kept turning the pages, keen to learn why the man was murdered and by whom. I was also interested in learning more about Tormod MacDonald’s past.
This is the second novel in Peter May’s Lewis trilogy. While it is possible to read this novel as a standalone, I’d recommend reading it after the first novel. The past, in this series, is always important. I’m now looking forward to reading the final novel in the trilogy.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith