The Critic by Peter May

As always Peter May has created a fascinating plot with an abundance of knowledge. This story is centred around wine production and the wine industry.

Enzo is drawn into the middle of a cold case that has just become smoking hot. The body of a wine critic, who disappeared a few years ago in France has suddenly turned up in the middle of a vineyard.

Enzo is known for being like a dog with a bone when it comes to cold cases. The so-called unsolvable ones, the ones with hardly any clues. Well, this case has just taken a turn for the better, if you can call finding a body or two better.

I have to say the information about the production and history of wine making was quite interesting, especially the comparison of the processes then and now.

The modern-day process has become scientific and sterile. The taste of wine can be broken down into the smallest detail and reproduced this way, whereas the old guard still places the emphasis on the territory it is grown in.

The worlds of old and new collide in this murder mystery with the wine taking centre stage. Enzo follows the complicated trail of clues, bodies, family history and romantic entanglements to the surprising conclusion of this murderous page turner.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

The Lewis Man by Peter May

Every time I come away from a Peter May book I always find that I have taken some information from it that I didn't know before. He always manages to create a subtle mixture of fiction and historical fact.

May likes to wade in the complicated layers of genealogy and family dynamics. In The Lewis Man he creates a fascinating crime with a hefty layer of emotions and family secrets.

It isn't that uncommon for grandparents or parents to keep certain parts of their lives completely secret from their children or grandchildren. It might be because the pain and memories are hard to bear or perhaps the secrets are kept to keep the next generations safe.

In this case Fin Macleod's baby mama finds out that her father isn't who she thought he was. The body of a young man has been discovered in a peat bog. Perfectly preserved, and a DNA match to Tormod MacDonald.

May has the reader wander between the past and the present. Following young Tormod before he became Tormod, and the old Tormod to try to discover who killed the bog boy. It isn't quite as easy as it sounds, because Tormod is suffering from dementia, so retrieving information from his muddled brain becomes quite difficult.

I liked the way May integrated the dementia story into the mystery. He shows the difficulty, the pain, the emotional upheaval and the complete desperation of all the people involved. There is no candy coating of some of the more harsh reactions to the disease, which is an honest and realistic approach to the issue.

Once again May also highlights dark mistakes made in certain eras that tend to be swept under the carpet. The displacement, relocation, dumping and mistreatment of orphan children, who were scattered in large numbers over the Scottish Isles.
As always it was a very good read.
I received a copy of this book via Edelweiss, courtesy of the publisher.

Read more about the first book in this series The Blackhouse.

Entry Island by Peter May

What I enjoy most about Peter May's writing is the way he manages to move the reader right into the landscape he is describing. He also knows exactly how to portray the mindset of an islander.

There is a flair of melodrama to the genealogy side of the story. Perhaps a tad too much.

The love story is sweet and gives the author liberty to bring an important part of history into the book.

The evacuation of Scottish tenants by their landlords, from quite a few of the Isles. Many of them ended up on ships sailing for Canada, and having to go via Entry Island before entering the country.

Entry Island was used to quarantine the sick and contagious immigrants arriving via ship. Many thousands didn't survive and were buried in mass graves on the island.

May also references the potato famine, pointing out the important fact that not only the Irish, also the Scottish fell foul of this particular period in history. It is little wonder there was a mass exodus from both Ireland and Scotland to other continents.

I thought the mixture of police procedure, genealogy, romance and fate didn't gel as well as it could have in the story. The ill-fated love connecting in the future via descendants was a little overdone, as were some of the aspects of the first Sime's tales.

The despair, darkness and marital woes of the 21st century Sime makes up for the imbalance between the two story-lines. Despite these hiccups, May is certainly an author worth reading.

I received a copy of this book via Edelweiss.

The Blackhouse by Peter May

Writing a tale of crime isn't as easy as it often appears to be. Creating a whodunnit a la Colonel Mustard with the frying pan in the library seems to be simplicity itself. It isn't, and the crime writers of today have to be able to add a special flavour or essence to it, to stand out from the rest.

In May's case it is that particular brand of imagery combined with realistic characters and the ability to place the reader right there in the centre of the story.

It is almost as if the reader is walking right along beside Detective Fin MacLeod during the read. You can feel the cold wind and the vast emptiness of the island.

I have to admit to not having any prior knowledge about the annual Hebridean guga hunt, This actual real life event plays an important part in this story. I came away from the book with sudden realisation that this wasn't just a fictional sub-plot or a bygone tradition from days of old, and it does in fact still take place in our modern-day and age. There is written confirmation of the event dating back to 1549 probably eve further back.

I believe in sustaining traditions to a certain point, but surely there is a different way to connect to the past without the senseless culling of thousands of chicks each year?

If you have lived in a village you will be well acquainted with the atmosphere in this book. If you weren't born there you are an outsider and will always be an outsider. All problems are dealt with internally and any external influence is frowned upon. On an island this feeling is multiplied to the point of paranoia.

This becomes apparent in Fin's handling of the case. He often acts with the best intention of the islanders at the forefront of his mind. as opposed to handling the situation the way a policeman should.

Perhaps if he had left his emotions at home the murderer wouldn't have been given as much leeway or a chance to create more damage.There is no such thing as objective when friends and family are involved.

I have to say I really enjoyed May's particular style of creation and plot weaving.
I received a copy of this book via Edelweiss, courtesy of Quercus.