The Black Loch

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the three books in the Lewis Trilogy by Peter May - The Black House, The Lewis Man and The Chess Men. The Black Loch is a sequel to the Lewis Trilogy (or number 4 in the series).

Fin MacLeod and his wife, Marsaili, arrive back on the island of Lewis after they are informed that their son, Fionnlagh, is under arrest for the murder of an eighteen year old girl, Caitlin Black. Fin cannot believe that his son is guilty and sets out to establish what really happened. Having grown up on Lewis he encounters a number of people he went to school with. Most are not pleased to associate with someone whose son might be a murderer. Fin no longer works as a policeman but he is able to use his detective skills to help him determine the truth.

Much of The Black Loch by Peter May deals with environmental issues including large-scale salmon farming and the occasional mass beaching of pods of whales. Descriptions of the island are an important part of the book as are the present and past interactions of the characters with with Fin. At the end of the book Fin and Marsaili decided to move back to Lewis from Glasgow to live. Perhaps there may be another book in this series in the future.

Hebrides

Hebrides is written by Peter May, author of the Lewis Trilogy, plus photographs by David Wilson. This pictorial work concentrates on the islands of the Outer Hebrides - Lewis, Harris, North and South Uist - locations where most of the action in the three novels occurs.

As well as providing an introduction to the geological history of the Outer Hebrides, a short history of the islands' people plus the author's association with the area, there are sections showing the locations that featured in  The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man and The Chessmen. It is great to see pictures of many of the buildings and scenery that feature prominently in the three novels.

As a note, I read this book on Saturday and, among the many other images, noted a photograph of the Callanish stones located on the west coast of Lewis. Next morning the travel section of The Age newspaper (8 March 2020)  had a photograph of the Callanish stones accompaning an article by a reader describing her special visit to Lewis and Uist. I hope that she has read the Lewis Trilogy.

The Chessmen

The third book in the Lewis Trilogy by Peter May is The Chessmen. When Fin MacLeod and his former school friend, Whistler, discover a small aeroplane in the middle of a dried up loch, caused by a 'bog burst', a web of stories from the past resurface to impact upon the lives of Fin's friends, particularly Whistler.

Whistler lives in seclusion in the hills and earns a tentative living carving replicas of the chess figures found buried in the sand. He is also in a custody battle for the right to look after his teenage daughter. When the plane is discovered with a body inside, Whistler disappears and Finn needs to find out what really happened. As in the other two books the reader learns of Fin's past, this time his involvement with a band in Glasgow many years before.

As well as involvement in the complex lives of the people living on the Isle of Lewis, the environment in which they live plays an important part in the telling of the story. I really did enjoy sharing in this world for a short time while reading these novels.

The Lewis Man

After his divorce and his decision to leave the police force, Fin McLeod returns to the Isle of Lewis where he spent his childhood. He decides to rebuild his parents' home which has not been used since their death in a car accident many years previously. However he also needs time to reconnect with his son, Fionnlagh, plus Marsaili with whom he has a long history. Then his plans are disrupted when a body is found buried in the peat on the shore. Who was this man and what is his connection with Tormod Macdonald, Marsaili's father? This is another crime novel by Peter May where the setting and the people are just as important as solving the crime.

As this is a cold case the police in Edinburgh will take time to arrive on the island to investigate so Fin and Detective George Gunn work on solving the mystery. Tormod Macdonald has dementia so we learn some of the story via his occasional, often jumbled, memories of his past. Gradually some of  the clues finally begin to fall into place but Tormod's story becomes further complicated when it becomes apparent that he is not the person everyone thinks he is.

As in The Black House, the reader learns much about the present and past life of the inhabitants of the islands that form part of the Outer Hebrides off the Scotland coast. Divisions between religious groups is important particularly in the mid-twentieth century when some of the events in this story occur. A major theme is the treatment (often mistreatment) of orphaned children who must learn to exist in a world without parental love. The understanding and care of older relatives is another theme as is the evolution of friendships formed many years ago. But it is the story of solving the crime committed in the mid 1950s that weaves the sections of the novel together. Another book difficult to put down.

The Blackhouse

A friend recommended this trilogy of books set on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, and I must thank her very much for introducing me to another great series of Scottish crime novels.

Detective Inspector Fin McLeod had been trying to solve a murder in Edinburgh when he was sent to Lewis Island to investigate a crime that may have been committed by the same person. Lewis Island is where he grew up, the place that he left eighteen years previously and had only returned to once in that time to attend the funeral of his aunt.

The victim of the latest crime was one of the bullies when Fin was at school and, as he investigates the death, memories of his past life on the island are revealed. This novel is about Fin rediscovering himself and re-evaluting his life as well as solving the crime. As the  story unfolds Fin discovers that he has been lured back to Lewis Island for revenge, but why?

I enjoyed reading this book and must thank the NBN for once again not working, providing me with a day without the internet that could be spent reading.