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 RECKONING
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.
The Black Loch takes us on a journey through family ties, hidden relationships and unforgiving landscapes, where suspense, violent revenge and revelation converge in the shadow of the Black Loch.
It's my pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for The Black Loch by Peter May today. Many thanks to Riverrun and Poppy Delingpole from Ransom PR for inviting me and for sending me a copy of the novel.
I went into The Black Loch without having previously read Peter May's Lewis Trilogy featuring Fin Macleod, which I knew was a risk. However, even though Fin's personal history is a major part of the book, it can still be enjoyed as a standalone – although I didn't perhaps warm to Fin as quickly as those returning to the series might.
Fin's return to Lewis isn't a happy one; he and his wife, Marsaili are devastated when they learn their son, Fionnlagh is suspected of raping and killing his teenage lover, Caitlin. As her teacher, his actions in having an affair with a student are already reprehensible but despite their shame at his behaviour, they refuse to believe he could be capable of murder. Fin is no longer a serving police officer though, and is warned not to try to interfere with the case.
Of course it's inevitable that he should do whatever he can to discover the truth about such an appalling tragedy, and as he does so, he is forced to revisit painful memories of his own past. Unlike the main narrative, the flashback chapters are written in the first person and help to give us a greater understanding of this complicated man. The tangled relationships between the members of this island community, both in the past and present, loom over everything and although it gives a real sense of what makes Fin the man he is today, it does mean The Black Loch is a slower paced read at times.
Strangely enough, this is the second book I've read recently which features salmon farming – who knew aquaculture could be such a hotbed of intrigue and murder?! Peter May's obvious meticulous research and detailed explanations give readers a thorough understanding of the issues involved and it's a sobering read to consider the impact of major fish farms on the salmon themselves as well as the wider environment.
The island's relationship with the sea is a constant theme throughout the book, bringing both employment and death to its shores. Peter May's immersive rendering of the unforgiving landscape and suffocating communities, still often dominated by the scores of churches, each different denominations of the same religion, is excellent and it's easy to understand why people search for ways to escape, whether literally or in the arms of another. The harsh beauty of the place is evident too, though, particularly at the start of the book when Lewis enjoys an extended period of fine weather.
Ultimately though, this is an exploration of family and friendships torn to breaking point. and in some cases shattered by the sins of the past and merciless acts in the present day. The creeping sense of dread engendered as the multilayered storyline progresses eventually gives way to a nerve-wracking conclusion. This is a sombre read but there is hope here too, with some characters perhaps able to reflect upon their mistakes and rebuild their damaged relationships.
The Black Loch is an intricately plotted, atmospheric mystery with a wonderful sense of place and perceptive characterisation. I thoroughly recommend it.
The Black Loch is published by Riverrun, purchasing links can be found here.
Follow the blog tour, details are below.
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Peter May was born and raised in Scotland. He was an award-winning journalist at the age of twenty-one and a published novelist at twenty-six. When his first book was adapted as a major drama series for the BBC, he quit journalism and during the high-octane fifteen years that followed, became one of Scotland’s most successful television dramatists. He created three prime-time drama series, presided over two of the highest-rated serials in his homeland as script editor and producer, and worked on more than 1,000 episodes of ratings-topping drama before deciding to leave television to return to his first love, writing novels. In 2021, he was awarded the CWA Dagger in the Library Award. He has also won several literature awards in France, received the USA’s Barry Award for The Blackhouse, the first in his internationally bestselling Lewis Trilogy; and in 2014 was awarded the ITV Specsavers Crime Thriller Book Club Best Read of the Year award for Entry Island. Peter now lives in South-West France with his wife, writer Janice Hally.
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