BLOG TOUR: The Black Loch - Peter May

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.

 

What did I think?

I love Peter May books but I haven't read the The Lewis Trilogy (yet) so I can say for definite that you can read The Black Loch as a standalone as I absolutely loved it.

Fin Macleod could never have imagined that he would return to the Isle of Lewis under such disturbing circumstances: his son is suspected of murdering a young girl with whom he was having an affair.  A tangled web of deceit and lies leads Fin to unofficially investigate who really murdered Caitlin and he uncovers a link to a long buried secret in his own past.

There's a lot going on in the book and it's clear that Fin has a lot of history on the island but I didn't feel that I was at a disadvantage at all, having not read The Lewis Trilogy.  It has certainly made me want to read the trilogy as soon as possible to revisit these wonderfully drawn characters and the stunning setting.   

What I love about Peter May's books, apart from the fantastic storylines of course, is the level of research and highlighting of unexpectedly thought-provoking subjects.  My heart was breaking as I read about the salmon farm because this part of the story isn't fiction.  I do like to eat salmon but it's certainly made me think more about where it's come from.

Hugely atmospheric, impeccably researched and flawlessly written, The Black Loch is an outstanding twisty mystery that captivated me from start to finish.  Unputdownable and unmissable - very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

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BLOG TOUR: A Winter Grave - Peter May

From the twelve-million copy bestselling author of the Lewis trilogy comes a chilling new mystery set in the isolated Scottish Highlands.

A TOMB OF ICE

A young meteorologist checking a mountain top weather station in Kinlochleven discovers the body of a missing man entombed in ice.

A DYING DETECTIVE

Cameron Brodie, a Glasgow detective, sets out on a hazardous journey to the isolated and ice-bound village. He has his own reasons for wanting to investigate a murder case so far from his beat.

AN AGONIZING RECKONING

Brodie must face up to the ghosts of his past and to a killer determined to bury forever the chilling secret that his investigation threatens to expose.

Set against a backdrop of a frighteningly plausible near-future, A WINTER GRAVE is Peter May at his page-turning, passionate and provocative best.

 

What did I think?

Peter May has done it again!  This is an author who is consistently at the top of his game and his new crime thriller, A Winter Grave, is outstanding (and a little mind-blowing).

One of the things that I've remarked on in the past is Peter May's attention to detail and the depth of his research, but this book is set in 2051.  How do you research the future?  If anyone can, the Master of Meticulous Research can.  This is no Back to the Future style fun with hoverboards and flying cars, this is a highly imaginative and scarily realistic future based on fact and environmental warnings that should not be ignored.

With a strong emphasis on climate awareness throughout, this is a gripping crime thriller.  The discovery of the body in the prologue is unforgettable - it's so vivid and unusual that I think it has been seared into my brain.  The story has several facets that intrigue and entertain from start to finish, particularly the fractured relationship between two characters: the daughter who discovers the body and the father who is sent to investigate the murder.

I just loved everything about this book: the stunning, multi-layered plot, the character relationships, the remote and chilling location, the flawless writing and the powerful and incredibly sobering message.  We must act now before it's too late; this is a future that we should all hope doesn't become a reality.

A Winter Grave is a futuristic thriller that chilled me to the bone, so wear your thermals to read this one.  It's an absolute must-read and I can't recommend it highly enough.  It's jaw-dropping, it's mind-blowing, it's exceptional, it's Peter May!  An easy five stars.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Don't miss the chance to see Peter May in real life!  He has a number of upcoming events in Scotland.  Click on the location to order tickets:

Monday 23rd January – Glasgow

Tuesday 24th January – Inverness

Wednesday 25th January – Perth

Thursday 26th January – Waterstones Dundee – formal signing at 12 midday – 1pm

                                         Toppings, St Andrews at 7.30pm - event

Friday 27th January – Waterstones Edinburgh – formal signing at 3pm – 4pm

                                    Toppings, Edinburgh at 7pm

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Lockdown - Peter May

 

'They said that twenty-five percent of the population would catch the flu. Between seventy and eighty percent of them would die. He had been directly exposed to it, and the odds weren't good.'

A CITY IN QUARANTINE

London, the epicenter of a global pandemic, is a city in lockdown. Violence and civil disorder simmer. Martial law has been imposed. No-one is safe from the deadly virus that has already claimed thousands of victims. Health and emergency services are overwhelmed.

A MURDERED CHILD

At a building site for a temporary hospital, construction workers find a bag containing the rendered bones of a murdered child. A remorseless killer has been unleashed on the city; his mission is to take all measures necessary to prevent the bones from being identified.

A POWERFUL CONSPIRACY

D.I. Jack MacNeil, counting down the hours on his final day with the Met, is sent to investigate. His career is in ruins, his marriage over and his own family touched by the virus. Sinister forces are tracking his every move, prepared to kill again to conceal the truth. Which will stop him first - the virus or the killers?

Written over fifteen years ago, this prescient, suspenseful thriller is set against a backdrop of a capital city in quarantine, and explores human experience in the grip of a killer virus.

What did I think?

I bought Lockdown as a lockdown 2020 gift for my parents as they are both fans of Peter May.  I love the fact that Peter May wrote this book in 2005 but the publishers thought it was too unrealistic to publish whereas now it is all too realistic as we're living it.  There's actually a rather gruesome part of the book that I found to be a little unbelievable but it certainly wasn't anything to do with the depiction of the pandemic.

The main character of Jack MacNeil is having a bad final day at work: the discovery of a bag of bones have halted construction of a much needed hospital and once again Jack puts work before his family with devastating consequences.  How the story links together is nothing short of brilliant and I was on the edge of my seat throughout but I'll say no more as I don't want to release any plot spoilers in my review.

It's Peter May so it goes without saying that it's well-written but his ability to weave an engaging yet somewhat complex story is second-to-none.  The characters are believable and so incredibly flawed that you can't help rooting for them and the plot is simply breathtaking.  Of course, you can't help but compare and contrast this imaginary pandemic to our very real one but at the end of the day this is fiction and if I wanted to read a book about a real pandemic I would look in the non-fiction section.

It would have been an absolute tragedy for Lockdown to remain unpublished so if there's one good thing to result from the Coronavirus pandemic, this is it!  It's also a stark reminder to pay attention to that all-important work/life balance, which I think many of us have reassessed over the past 18 months.  Brilliant, gripping and stomach-churningly realistic, Lockdown is a must-read for thriller fans.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon