The Lewis Man is the second book in Peter May’s Lewis Trilogy and the sequel to The Blackhouse, which I posted my views on here.
In this instalment of the trilogy a well-preserved body of a man is found buried in the Lewis peat. At first it is thought the body may have lain in the ground for thousands of years but this idea is soon dispelled following the discovery of a rather more recent tattoo. There are no other identifying marks on the man’s body but it becomes clear he has been murdered. With so little to go on there seems little hope of either finding the man’s identity or solving the crime. Fin Macleod, who has now left both Edinburgh and the police force, has just returned to his home island and finds himself entangled in the investigation. Which he soon finds strikes closer to home than he might like.
What else to say? Well, I enjoyed reading this one more than The Blackhouse. I felt that it was more compelling and kept me turning the pages a lot more rapidly – perhaps as a result of having become familiar with the writer’s style and with the characters themselves. As with The Blackhouse there are moments of humour amongst an otherwise dark and somewhat tragic tale – a tale made all the more real by the use of actual locations from Edinburgh, Lewis, Harris, and Eriskay (most of which I found recognisable).
Overall, a thrilling read and confirmation that time reading this trilogy will be time well used.