The Blackhouse

Peter May has blended the past and present seemlessly in this story. I know the island of Lewis well (and have eaten guga) so I had a head start in enjoying the descriptions of its beautiful north and west coastline. A bit dour in places, The Blackhouse intermingles a wonderful chronicle of island life with a different but gripping detective story. It is also beautifully narrated and I thoroughly recommend it!

This was not at all what I was expecting, it is not so much a crime novel but a thriller that moves between past and present with a hugely likeable, sympathetic main character. Evokes the atmosphere of life on the Isle of Lewis, mesmerising narration and a gripping storyline. Can't wait for part 2 in the series.

A sense of place, some novels just don't have it....this does in Spades! The remoteness, the parochial insularity, the feeling of claustrophobia echoed in Artair's breathing difficulties, invade the reader and trap him on the island until the dénouement. A wonderful but exhausting experience. More, please.

A gripping listen due to both the wonderful writing, which evokes the place so well, and the reader who is excellent his reading voice fits the sense of place and is a joy to listen to. Although I knew early on who had "done it" this did not detract from the listening pleasure as it is a story well told. I look forward to hearing the next in the series although sadly I see it is not read by the same reader.

This was quite an involved tale about the life of a detective - Fin, Ok there WAS a murder in it .... but the story was more about the life of our hero rather than the detection of the crime, it was an interesting enough read - but I was disappointed as it was not what I was expecting and I probably would not have purchased it if I had known.

The book starts as if it will be a straight-forward detective novel but develops in a much more complex exploration of how childhood experiences can affect the rest of a person's life. The author's knowledge of life and traditions on the Island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides greatly enriches the novel with authentic details of how tough life can be battling the elements and instills the narrative with an other-world atmosphere. By switching the story back and forth between the childhood of Finn, the visiting detective, to help investigate a murder on the island we learn of the changes that have occurred since he left nearly 20 years earlier. An atmospheric book with some lyrical writing that is unusual in detective fiction. The reader reproduces the different Scottish accents remarkably well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, the complex characters which emerged and the insight into the live of the island..... recommended.

This is a truly remarkable book. It has remained with me for some time. It is almost an assault on the senses, you can hear the cry of the sea birds and feel the bite of the icy wind. The writer has captured the atmosphere and life on the Isle of Lewis in a wonderful and realistic way. Woven between his descriptive narrative is a compulsive thriller involving many different characters. Beware, it is not for the faint hearted but beautifully written and read with style. Very, very highly recommended.

This is so much more than a novel about detective work. this is about life, and death, on the outer Hebrides - its a wonderful, powerful story and the narrator is excellent. I'm now listening to the second of the trilogy and its every bit as good. Its grim and dark, and somehow wonderfully uplifting.



I can't recommend it enough

An unusual Detective Story that swings from present to past mirroring the events taking place. On the Island of Lewis local traditions play a big part in a persons life from birth to death. This was shown superbly in both the writing and the audio narration. .

It brought back memories of living in Ness, the Guga hunters and characters similar to the real hunters.. The smell of the peats, the nicknames and the whole Island atmosphere brought to life in this capturing Detective novel that kept me riveted till the climatic end.