DI Fin Macleod returns to work in the
Edinburgh Police following a personal tragedy only to be despatched to the Isle
of Lewis to assist in enquiries into a gruesome murder. Not only does the crime
resemble an unsolved case he investigated recently, but he was born and bred on
the Isle, so he knows the turf and can speak the Gaelic.
However it has been 18 years since he quit the
island and though many of his generation remain they have changed as well as
him. As Fin unpicks the crime’s motives and opportunities, some threads lead
back to the time of his youth, causing him to recall and relate the events of
his formative years.
The contemporary murder investigation
combines satisfyingly with the coming of age tales through well-crafted
linkages. The Isle of Lewis is lovingly described, with the wide open
landscapes and huge horizons contrasting with the claustrophobic nature of
island society, where secrets are held close, strangers are mistrusted and
returning exiles resented.
Added into this is the strange (and
apparently authentic) custom of an annual expedition by a select group of men
to cull or ‘harvest’ two thousand young gannets needed to prepare the local
dietary delicacy of ‘guga’. Fin’s one and only involvement ended in tragedy,
and this year’s trip, almost due, may have a bearing on the case.
The various ingredients provide a heady mix
of topography, mystery, nostalgia, loss and redemption. It is well written and
richly layered with an exciting climax and resolution uncertain until the very
end.
As the first part of a trilogy it will be
hard to follow, but harder to resist.
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