Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Sep 2014
368 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Marilyn Stasio in The New York Times raved: "Peter May is a writer I'd follow to the ends of the earth." Among the many honors received, The Blackhouse, the first novel in May's acclaimed Lewis trilogy, won the Barry and Crime Thriller Hound awards.
In The Lewis Man, the second book of the trilogy, Fin Macleod has returned to the Isle of Lewis, the storm-tossed, wind-scoured outer Hebridean island where he was born and raised. Having left behind his adult life in Edinburgh - including his wife and his career in the police force - the former Detective Inspector is intent on repairing past relationships and restoring his parents' derelict cottage.
His plans are interrupted when an unidentified corpse is recovered from a Lewis peat bog. The only clue to its identity is a DNA match to a local farmer, the now-senile Tormod Macdonald - the father of Fin's childhood sweetheart, Marsaili - a man who has claimed throughout his life to be an only child, practically an orphan. Reluctantly drawn into the investigation, Fin uncovers deep family secrets even as he draws closer to the killer who wishes to keep them hidden.
Already an international bestseller and winner of numerous awards, including France's Prix des Lecteurs du Telegramme, The Lewis Man has the lyrical verve of Ian Rankin and the gutsy risk-taking of Benjamin Black. As fascinating and forbidding as the Hebridean landscape, the book (according to The Times) "throbs with past and present passions, jealousies, suspicions and regrets; the emotional secrets of the bleak island are even deeper than its peat bog."
"Starred Review. The fast-moving investigation sweeps Fin across the starkly beautiful Hebridean landscape into unexpected byways, back into the darker chapters of Scotland's past, as well as his own - and smack into some very present danger." - Publishers Weekly
"Despite some well-judged surprises, the mystery isn't all that mysterious. But you'll keep turning the pages anyway - not to learn whodunit, but to find out what's going to happen to the present-day characters so deeply, fatally rooted in the past." - Kirkus
"As good as its superb predecessor... not only a good mystery, but also a moving and evocative portrayal of a place where the unforgiving weather is matched only by the church's harsh patronage." - The Guardian (UK)
"Every bit as excellent as The Blackhouse... Peter May weaves his wonderful magic and the story unfolds before you in vivid detail." - Eurocrime (UK)
"[The] plot throbs with past and present passions, jealousies, suspicions and regrets; the emotional secrets of the bleak island are even deeper than its peat bog." - The Times (UK)
"The strength and beauty of this book lies in the exploration of the relationships between people...The plot is intricate and cleverly fitted together...May is currently unveiling a cracking series." - CrimeSquad (UK)
"The depiction of the island atmosphere is as impressive as the action." - The Sunday Telegraph (UK)
"Like all the best crime fiction its interest is not restricted to the investigation... the scenes set in the orphanage in the Dean Village are moving... crime novels may be primarily entertainments, but the best ones always offer something more." - The Scotsman
"May is a masterful story-teller. He skillfully combines pathos and the themes of identity, lost love and family ties to create an exciting, page-turning thriller." - The Irish Examiner
This information about The Lewis Man was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Domi Photographe
Peter May won the Scottish Young Journalist of the Year Award at the age of 21, and had his first novel published at 26. He then left
journalism and became one of Scotland's most successful and prolific television dramatists. By the age of 30 he had created two major TV series, The Standard and Squadron, for the British television network, the BBC. He went on to
gather more than 1000 TV credits in fifteen years, creating and writing major
drama serials for both BBC and ITV in the UK: including the ground-breaking
Gaelic serial Machair, which he
also produced.
Returning now to novels, the six novels in his outstanding China Thrillers series have won critical acclaim. To research the series, Peter May
makes annual trips to China. With an extraordinary network of contacts, he ...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Peter May's Website
The Stone Home
by Crystal Hana Kim
A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
