Why a Booktrail?
2000s: Dare you enter the blackhouse on the isle of Lewis. Remote, desolate and possibly deadly?
The Blackhouse (Lewis trilogy 1)
What you need to know before your trail
A mystery set in the most remote locations in the United Kingdom, inclement weather, a troubled detective named Finn Macleod and some gritty forensic scenes.
Fin was born and raised on the island, but now lives in Edinburgh and has scarcely been back ‘home’ . However, now he’s been assigned to work a murder case in Lewis that may be connected to an unsolved case in Edinburgh.
When he goes back to Lewis he stirs up many strong feelings among the islanders and within himself. He is reminded of events past, painful secrets from his childhood. Returning to this tight knit community is not going to be easy. For there is a secret lurking amongst them. Something sinister.
Travel Guide
The island of Lewis is described beautifully – the people, the weather, the customs and the black houses. There are also descriptions of an ancient Lewis custom – where a group of men brave the sea to hunt birds on a remote island. Written by a man who loves the island and it shows. He also filmed the television series Machair there and although this novel is not in the Gaellic language, this is as authentic as if it were. The sense of the blackhouse is dark and foreboding and a glimpse at the past and the history here.
The island is weather beaten, cold, remote, battered by the winds and ocean currents and lost in a mist of isolation. Only the birds, the gannets are regular visitors to this place. Hunted every year, this is a strong tradition in a proud community which dates back centuries. An insular looking place, and one which might prefer to solve their own problems, look after their own, rather then let an ‘outsider’ take charge. He may have grown up here but the island has changed, the people have changed and life has moved on.
Despite the island being remote and devoid of any trees or plantation of any kind, there is a keen sense of remoteness, isolation and the fear that you are miles from the mainland.
Streetview Maps
1) Port of Ness harbour
Where there is a murder in the novel
Where there is a murder in the novel
1) Port of Ness and the front cover
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Twitter: @authorpetermay
Facebook: /petermayauthor
Web: petermay.co.uk
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