In this final book of the Lewis trilogy ex-DI
Fin Macleod stumbles over another historic crime scene, but this one is
connected to his personal, rather than the island’s past.
Again the device of relating past and
current events in parallel is used to good effect as the connected narratives unfold.
We learn a bit more of Fin’s youth, particularly his college and university
days and circle of friends there, who he needs to track down to quiz about the
mystery. But its solution may have dire implications for their present lives.
Fin’s investigations take him into the rain
and wind swept moors and mountains, lovingly described, while his
introspections continue to confront his personal issues and relationships.
The writing is as tight and compulsive as
the first two books (The Blackhouse & The Lewis Man), but the historic
context grips less – the chessmen are peripheral and the other back story is
less revealing of Hebrides culture. May was wise to keep it to a trilogy; the
impact of landscape and lifestyle loses some impact with familiarity and the
Isle of Lewis was in danger of rivalling Midsomer as a murder hotspot.
Despite these minor reservations, The
Chessmen is well worth reading in its own right and a must to complete the
trilogy, enabling the reader, along with Fin, to achieve some sort of closure.
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