The Lewis Man by Peter May

Val Penny ♦ December 31, 2019 ♦ Leave a comment

The Lewis Man is the second book in Peter May’s acclaimed Lewis Trilogy. I found it for sale in a charity booksale and chose it because I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Blackhouse, so much.

The story finds Fin return to Lewis after the death of his son and the collapse of his marriage. He has left the police force and returns to the place with which he feels the strongest connection.

The local force investigate when a body is recovered from a peat bog on the Isle of Lewis. The male Caucasian corpse is initially believed by its finders to be over 2000 years old, until they spot the Elvis tattoo on his right arm. The body, it transpires, is not evidence of an ancient ritual killing, but of a murder committed during the latter half of the 20th century.

The reader follows the investigations and also the rambling thoughts of a local man, Tormod Macdonald, who is suffering from dementia. The juxtaposition of the two is brilliant and affords the author many occasions to misdirect the reader.

Peter May is a clever author who well commands his place in the proponants of tartan noir. He must never be unerestimated. This would be an excellent book group read. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading the third novel in the trilogy in due course.

Val Penny