📖 Book Review ~ The Black Loch by Peter May

Riverrun
12 September 2024

Lewis Trilogy #4

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

THE RETURN OF FIN MACLEOD, PETER MAY'S MUCH-LOVED HERO OF THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING LEWIS TRILOGY.

A MURDER

The body of eighteen-year-old TV personality Caitlin is found abandoned on a remote beach at the head of An Loch Dubh - the Black Loch - on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis. A swimmer and canoeist, it is inconceivable that she could have drowned.

A SECRET

Fin Macleod left the island ten years earlier to escape its memories. When he learns that his married son Fionnlagh had been having a clandestine affair with the dead girl and is suspected of her murder, he and Marsaili return to try and clear his name.

A TRAP

But nothing is as it seems, and the truth of the murder lies in a past that Fin would rather forget, and a tragedy at the cages of a salmon farm on East Loch Roag, where the tense climax of the story finds its resolution.

📖 My Review..

I am a huge fan of The Lewis Trilogy and remember reading all three books in quick succession. It’s a real treat therefore to be able to return to the Isle of Lewis and catch up, once again, with Fin Macleod, the character who featured so strongly in the trilogy. Returning to Lewis some ten years later we finds Fin to be an altogether different character, older certainly, but seemingly with more of life’s struggles pressing down upon him, especially as his return to Lewis has been somewhat forced due to his married son, Fionnlagh, being accused of murder.

Expertly described by an author who is passionate about the area, the brooding presence of the Black Loch, with all its bitter memories comes alive and Fin, in his desperate attempt to help clear his son’s name, must confront his own particular demons from the past. There is always a shadowy sense of danger lurking just beyond reach and with so many unanswered questions apparent from the start, this is one murder mystery which has a myriad of possibilities.

The Black Loch was every bit as good as I expected it to be with, at its core, a taut and tight murder mystery however, there is also a definite sense of loose ends being tightened and of old adversaries seeking revenge. Will we catch up again with Fin Macleod, I rather hope we will, but if not, this is a fitting end to a strong story, well told.

About the Author

Peter May is a Scottish television screenwriter, novelist, and crime writer. He is the recipient of writing awards in Europe and America. The Blackhouse won the U.S. Barry Award for Crime Novel of the Year and the national literature award in France, the Cezam Prix Litteraire.

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