Despite doing most of my reading on an ereader these days, I still love getting my hands on a good old-fashioned paper-based book. Which is just as well, as I received a copy of The Blackhouse by Peter May as a present recently.
Having now read the book, I have mixed feelings about it. Although its a good read, I found myself distracted as I tried to match May’s descriptions with actual places. You see, the book is set on my home island of Lewis so each description of a location caused me to pause if I didn’t recognise it straight away – except for those that had been fictionalised (if that’s the word). Fortunately I became less inclined to do this as the book went on and I got into the swing of things but this has still coloured my overall impression.
Anyhoo … The Blackhouse is the first of the Lewis Trilogy and tells the tale of how policeman Fin Macleod returns to the island of his birth to investigate a rather gruesome murder, which matches the modus operandi of a case in Edinburgh. Much of the story is concerned with Fin’s experiences as he grew up on the island and these are at times funny, at others touching, and sometimes tragic. There are also events which seem very similar to those I heard of or took part in as a boy in Stornoway, making the story all the more real to me. Something which adds to the realism of the piece.
Throughout the book, the threads dealing with Fin’s younger days and his investigation of the murder twist around each other before merging as the denouement is reached. If you pay attention as things develop the outcome can be predicted – the clues are there – but you do need to pay attention. The characters involved are very well realised (though I felt the characterisation of one police officer was a bit over the top) and as a result you connect with them emotionally. You also grow to understand how their background and upbringing has made them what they are, especially with regard to the role religion, the guga, and remoteness have played in the lives of the islanders. Clearly, Mr. May has done his research well.
Overall this is a pretty good read though at times the tone is rather dark and bleak – a consequence of the subject matter rather than Peter May’s style. So, despite my early struggle matching descriptive passages with reality, I recommend The Blackhouse as a worthwhile read. I’ll also be pressing on with the remainder of the trilogy as I’ve also been given a hardback copy of the next book in the sequence, The Lewis Man.