Review ~ The Black House by Peter May

Quercus
2011

Detective Inspector Fin Macleod returns to the place of his childhood on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.  After an absence of almost eighteen years, Fin finds the island relatively unchanged, but investigating the unexplained death of one of his childhood friends is never going to be easy, and old secrets, long buried, now threaten to disturb the equilibrium, not just for Fin, but for the whole of the Lewis community.

The story draws you in from the beginning, as the murder mystery, at the centre of the story, is complex and convoluted and there are many elements to consider. The writing throughout is very good, the plot is tight and tense, and no detail is spared and no emotion is left uncovered. The Isle of Lewis, in all its stark and uncompromising beauty comes alive in the imagination. You feel the tension in the air, you walk the same streets as Fin and rediscover the secrets of his childhood and as the story is uncovered piece by piece, you discover almost as much about Fin’s character, as you do about the modus operandi of the killer.

The Black House is the start of the Lewis trilogy of novels which continues Fin Macloed’s love/hate relationship with the Isle of Lewis in - The Lewis Man(2011) and The Chessmen (2012). 

It’s important to note that whilst the books can be read as standalone novels, there is much more enjoyment to be gleaned by following the story from the beginning – believe me ,you won’t be disappointed.

About the Author

The Lewis Trilogy

  

Quercus

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Review ~ The Ice Twins by S K Tremayne

Harper Collins
January 29th 2015

A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah Moorcraft move to the tiny Scottish island Angus inherited from his grandmother, hoping to put together the pieces of their shattered lives.

There’s so much about this book which captured my imagination, but to reveal the plot would say too much and therefore deaden the impact of the story. Suffice it to say, that this is no ordinary book about twins and when the book is ended, and its story is told,  you will look on the whole concept of the irreversible bond between identical twins in a whole new light.

The power of the book, for me, came in the strength of the writing. This is obviously a writer who has the ability to manipulate a complex and convoluted plot, whilst at the same time allowing the emotional fragility of his protagonists to evolve. In setting The Ice Twins on the idyllic Isle of Skye, with its wild and windswept coastline and the intimidating closeness to nature only emphasises the inherent feeling of brooding menace.  And believe me the book is menacing, the irrational grief is palpable, and the loss and confusion of a family at odds with itself, is so beautifully done, that by the end of the story I was an emotional wreck.

Sometimes a book leaves such a strong impression, that even days after finishing the story, snippets of it come back to you and you wish that you could read the whole thing again in the hope that things might turn out differently. This is one such book.

I think this will be on my Book of the Year list for 2015.

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About the Author

S. K. Tremayne is the pseudonym of a journalist and bestselling writer, who lives in London.

My thanks to  Louise Swannell and the team at Harper Collins for my ARC of this book.

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This book counts as one of my Read Scotland Challenge

Read Scotland Challenge 2015

Read Scotland 2015 is here!

Hosted by Peggy Ann at PeggyAnn's Posts

Challenge levels:

Just A Keek (a little look): 1-4 books

The Highlander: 5-8 books

The Hebridean: 9-12 books

Ben Nevis: 13-24 books 

Back O' Beyond: 25+ books

Read and review Scottish books -any genre, any form- written by a Scottish author (by birth or immigration) or about or set in Scotland.

Challenge runs January 1 to December 31,2015

Once again here are some sites to help you find books for this challenge...

List of Scottish Writers

100 Best Scottish Books of all Time

Five New Scottish Writers 

Just Scottish Women Writers

Fantastic Fiction - Scotland Authors

Books From Scotland - Author List

Find a book set in Scotland @ Book Set In...

and the ultimate search site...

Stop, You're Killing Me! 

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