The Blackhouse (The Lewis Trilogy, 1)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read this as the January Book of the Month with Scotland Book Club. A small-town crime and mystery novel based on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland follows the return of Finn Macleod, now a DI with Edinburgh police, to his hometown and the ghosts of his past, to investigate a murder of a larger than life childhood bully. This novel is filled with fact, ways of life on Lewis, and historical interest references. I found myself making copious notes on points of interest and then Googling information surrounding mentions in this book, from the actual Isle of Lewis, Blackhouses, Lews Castle, the Brahan Seer and the Lewis Chessmen through to the reality of the Guga Hunt and images of Leith Walk. This book brought a remote area of Scotland to life for me. Even though this was a crime and mystery novel, there are so many layers within the story which do not fail to surprise and add extra depth and strength to the characters and the plot. Very well developed in all aspects. I will make time to read the next 2 books in this trilogy. Thank you Scotland Book Club for introducing me to this author. My favourite lines with beautiful words from the novel: ‘And for once it is warm, like breath on the skin, caressing and seductive.’ ‘The sea breathes gently upon the shore, phosphorescent foam bursting silver bubbles over gold.’ ‘And all the regrets of his life rose up inside him like water in a spring, and he knelt beside the boat and wept.’ ‘A blink of moonlight splashed a pool of broken silver on the ocean beyond.’ ‘Real sleep. The kind that wraps all thoughts in black and lowers them gently to the bottom of a deep, dark well.’

I sat up and paid attention when The New York Times Book Review (Marilyn Stasio) raved: “Peter May is a writer I’d follow to the ends of the earth.” So, of course I added this author to my TBR list. The Blackhouse is the first in a trilogy based in the Scottish Hebrides and featuring Edinburgh cop, Fin Macleod. Finn is sent to his childhood home on Lewis where a grisly murder on the isolated island seems to be a copy of a murder he has been investigating in Edinburgh. Our detective is somewhat relieved to leave Edinburgh, as he grieves over the death of his young son, while half-heartily trying to prevent his marriage from crumbling. But first a few warnings: If you’re at all squeamish, you’ll have to tiptoe through; 1) a full and grisly autopsy, and 2) an honored, traditional, but gruesome, gannet hunt on a small island. If you’re expecting a standard police procedural, you’re happily in for more than you bargained for ~~ this thriller has depth and power. Now that you have read the Book Barmy safety warnings, fasten your seatbelts, because you are in for a great mystery read. Mr. May is an extraordinary writer, able to take us seamlessly between two narratives. Masterfully moving from first person to develop Fin’s story growing up on Lewis, and then the third person to tell the current day story– Fin’s broken, disillusioned adult childhood friends, the crime, and its resolution. Mr. May has a gift for developing his characters, all of which are remarkable, but Fin is an especially likeable hero. Having the grand experience of staying in the Outer Hebrides many years ago, I can attest that he also gives the reader unbelievably lovely descriptions of the harsh life in the Outer Hebrides — bleak, windy, and yet starkly beautiful. The plot is a compelling mix of retribution, revelations, and intrigue. High accolades for what turns out to be not only a tightly plotted thriller, but an insightful treatise on growing up, moving away, then coming home — one you thought you’d moved beyond. From the introduction: Three things that come without asking: fear, love and jealousy. A Gaelic proverb And thank you Mr. May for a brilliant ending. See more at BookBbarmy(dot)com

"Blackhouse" is the bleak, yet stellar, first volume in Scottish writer Peter May's Lewis Trilogy. Edinburgh detective Fin Macleod, grieving the loss of his only son and his crumbling marriage, is sent to the Outer Hebrides island of Lewis to investigate a gruesome murder that has similarities in its grisliest details to a seemingly unrelated Edinburgh murder. In the process of the investigation, Fin awakens and confronts many painful memories of his early life on the island: the early deaths of his parents and subsequent life with a flaky aunt, bullies and teachers who harass him for his Gaelic speech, a former best friend with whom he has lost touch, and (of course) his first love. Fin's most compelling and painful memory involves a real Lewis tradition that is still carried out today: twelve men make a perilous journey to Sula Sgeir, an island in the North Atlantic that consists of a hard gneiss rock, ledges, and caves, and rises several hundred vertical feet above the ocean. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sula_Sgeir). The purpose of the journey is to capture, kill, butcher, and process several thousand young gannets, who used to be a food staple, but are now a delicacy. During the expedition, the men live in an ancient blackhouse, or botha, on the island. May alternates chapters about Fin's contemporary investigation and, in the youthful Fin's voice, his painful childhood. May introduces elements of Scottish natural history, seafaring history, geology, and folklore, such as the predictions of the Brahan Seer Kenneth Mackenzie and St. Ronan's sister, Brenhilda, who was believed to have inhabited and died on Sula Sgeir. Following up on these historic and folkloric elements made reading "Blackhouse" on my Kindle with a Wikipedia app a joy! Best of all, unlike so much crime fiction, the tension and mystery of the story build until the very end of the book's conclusion--one that this reviewer, at least, did not see coming. I immediately downloaded the next book in the trilogy and it is next on my list to read--something I do not usually do. Usually I am ready for a break from the characters and read something else before I return to a subsequent book in a series, but Fin Macleod is such a sympathetic character with such a dark history and unresolved demons that I wanted more right away.

Giallo molto ben scritto, dall'ambientazione insolita e dal quale si fa davvero fatica a staccarsi fino a quando non lo si è finito. Oltre alla trama avvincente ho apprezzato le bellissime descrizioni dei luoghi (mi è venuta voglia di partire per le Ebridi) e della vita e della mentalità isolane. Per il lettore italiano (o almeno per il sottoscritto) inoltre è interessante l'uso di parole e/o espressioni scozzesi, ed è stata una piacevole sorpresa scoprire che del gaelico è ancora vivo e vegeto come lingua famigliare/affettiva rispetto all'inglese. Leggetelo e non ve ne pentirete, ho acquistato la seconda parte della trilogia appena finito questo libro.

¿Por qué he tardado tanto en descubrir a Peter May? Conocía al autor, conocía su obra, y aún así he tardado demasíado en adentrarme en su literatura. Para el que busque la típica novela de investigación policial, “The black house” quizás no termine de convencerlo. Porque aquí la investigación en sí misma es la parte menos interesante de la trama. Lo que realmente destaca es la narración de todo lo que acontece en la isla de Lewis, su gente, sus costumbres, su idioma gaélico, su religiosidad, y por encima de todo, sus paisajes y su clima. Nos sumergimos en ello con ayuda de una prosa extraordinaria, unas descripciones que te hacen sentir un habitante más de este inhóspito rincón de Escocia. El vaivén entre presente y pasado no sólo no es incómodo, sino que es esencial para el desarrollo de la trama. La historia se desarrolla entre el asesinato que se acaba de cometer, y un incidente ocurrido en An Sgeir, (la isla de los cazadores mencionada en el título en español), 18 años atrás, en el que nuestro protagonista, Fin Macleod, tuvo un papel determinante. Todos los capítulos concernientes a las vivencias del futuro policia en la isla durante su niñez y adolescencia son para mí lo mejor del libro. Una auténtica maravilla. No es una novela perfecta al 100%. Puestos a criticar, hay algunas consideraciones que quizás el autor debería haber terminado de pulir, no siendo la menor de ellas el hecho de que, acabando de sufrir una tremenda tragedia familiar, hay momentos en la novela en los que parece que el protagonista se olvida por completo de su situación. Y en cuanto a su bloqueo mental, me imagino que más de un lector habrá enarcado las cejas. Aún así, Peter May completa una primera parte de la presente trilogía que te deja con ansias de más. Como escritor de viajes tendría el éxito garantizado, pero en su calidad de escritor de novelas de misterio combina ambas con una maestría envidiable. No tardaré en leerme la segunda parte. Es más, ¡estoy deseándolo!

Excellent roman, très bien écrit. Ayant vécu un peu sur cette île j'ai eu le plaisir de pouvoir me repérer et me retrouver dans ce beau pays. Ses descriptions du paysage et du temps sont très justes. L'histoire elle-même est passionnante. Heureusement pour les non anglophones ces livres sont aussi traduits en français. Mais - notez bien qu'il faut les lire dans le bon ordre !

This is the first Peter May book I've read and it certainly won't be the last. I bought this for my Kindle for only 20p, thinking that if it was rubbish at least I hadn't wasted much money. However, I am delighted to say that I've now discovered a brilliant new author and I will be reading the other two books in the "Lewis" trilogy. I have actually been to the Isle of Lewis (Stornaway) as part of a cruise around the Scottish "Highlands and Islands" and reading this book makes me want to go there for a much longer visit. The author's vivid descriptions of the wild and remote landscape, the crofters' cottages, the fishing boats and the tight community are a joy to read. The storyline and the characters are unusual; the narrative is written partly in the present and partly in flashback which is integral to the plot and the characters' relationships with each other. As another reviewer has said, the detailed description of the ancient traditional 'guga' (gannet) hunt which are as much a test of endurance for the men of Lewis as tradition is fascinating and left me wanting to find out more about it (yes, it does happen in real life). All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read and different from your average 'detective' stories.

I just finished The Black House and loved it. The writing is wonderful and the plot intriguing and full of unexpected twists. The Isle of Lewis is an evocative setting which the author capitalises on - it is now on my bucket list to visit. About to download the next in series