Thanks to Quercus Books for this review copy. I have previously read the Lewis trilogy and hadn't realised how many books Peter May had written. I loved the Lewis trilogy but this book was even better! Hooked to the storyline throughout and loved the side serving of family life and love. Highly recommended.

Having read the Lewis Trilogy last year and thoroughly enjoying it, I kept telling myself I was going to pick up more Peter May books whenever I was given the chance. Sadly, it took me around about ten months to pick up another of his books. I almost picked up one of the Enzo Files books a few months ago only to find out that it was not the first, meaning it took me even longer. Finally, however, I have managed to get my hands on another great read by Peter May. Entry Island starts off slower than the Lewis Trilogy and for a while I feared it would not be as good a book as any of the three I had already read. But, of course, I was wrong. The fact that it took slightly longer to get into is something that you soon forget about once the story gets going: the story really will grip you from start to end. I’m willing to say I enjoyed it almost just as much. Peter May really is a great storyteller. Throughout we are told two stories: that of Sime the detective who is sent from Montreal to work a murder case, and that of his ancestor who travelled from Scotland to Canada. The former is the criminal aspect that people know and love when it comes to Peter May whilst the latter is more of a romance (although, it does contain the suspense and the degree of mystery that you would expect). In fact, I’m willing to say these two differing stories that are told within the book suggest that Peter May could easily write outside of his usual should he wish. That being said, the stories of the past and present mix together throughout, with Sime’s murder case being affected by the stories he knows regarding his ancestor. Is there a link between the past and the present or has Sime’s insomnia along with the recent developments in his life simply crowding his judgement? You’ll be second guessing to the end with the twists and turns and the shocking revel at the end. With great characters and unpredictable moments (excluding a few exchanges between Sime and his ex, a point which I only made simply as a passing criticism solely so that I am not just singing the praises of the book), you will be unwilling to put the book down. For old fans of Peter May or those simply looking to get started with his books I would certainly recommend Entry Island.

Stunning Canadian Murder Mystery Peter May has used and interesting use of Scottish history of the Highland Clearances of the nineteenth century on modern day murder in Canada. The blend of the historic and the modern at first seem unrelated but as the story builds one is able to see the story coming full circle and that an historic promise of forebears is finally delivered by an investigating detective to the wife of the victim. Who committed the murder? Well you will have to read the book to find that out yourself and there is a wonderful twist that I had not seen coming when the reveal happens. Detective Sime McKenzie is an English speaking detective in the Montreal Police department and one of those who is completely bilingual, he also happens to be an insomniac. It is not until his captain sends him with a French speaking homicide team to investigate a murder on Entry Island the only English speaking island amongst an archipelago of French speaking islands that the two competing stories really do start to merge together. For some unknown reason he feels drawn to the murder victims wife Kirsty who he is sure he knows or at least has seen somewhere before. The homicide team really do want to get away from the islands as quickly as they possibly can and it really is through the tenacity of Sime that the murder is solved and the historical and present stories entwine into one. This for a murder mystery book is actually an enchanting read and I never thought I would say that about any crime novel but it is and it is a great read at the same time.

Following the sucessful and highly enjoyable Hebridean trilogy comprising The Black House, The Lewis Man and The Chessmen, Peter May returns with a new standalone, which again reflects the strength of his storytelling and the precision of his building of atmosphere and location. Using a split narrative, May carefully weaves the themes of time and history into an interlocking plot, comprising of real life historical events and a contemporary murder mystery… I don’t usually read other reviews of a book that I am planning to review myself, but I was very interested to see other’s perceptions of the effectiveness of the dual storyline at play. The central character of the piece, disillusioned Montreal detective Sime Mackenzie, an interloper through his nationality, Scottish and a man set apart from his work colleagues both socially and professionally, is used as the conduit for both aspects of the story- a modern police procedural influenced by the events of the past. As Mackenzie seeks to unravel the possible mariticide of an influential island dwelling businessman, he becomes more than a little involved with the chief suspect, and therein slowly unfolds the possible historical connection between himself and the accused. May begins to reveal the history of Mackenzie’s forebears through a series of diaries and dreams, tapped into by Mackenzie’s sleepless nights in the wake of his marriage break-up, charting the enforced immigration, in the same way as the more well-documented Irish exile, sparked by the illegal foreclosure and clearance of Highland farms many years previously. This is where the real strength of the story lies for me, not only in the sheer interest that these people’s struggle raises up in the reader’s consciousness, but the fact that it gives full vent to May’s undoubted prowess in the depiction and merging of location and history, so evident in his previous Hebridean trilogy. I was totally immersed in the troubles of Mackenzie’s predecessors, making the harsh journey to Canada, and the obstacles awaiting them in establishing new lives abroad. I found the gradual unfolding of this slice of history totally engaging throughout, that the more contemporary aspect of the book was as just a small interuption in what I perceive as the more important and well drawn facet of the story, depicting a cruel and unnecessary fate of decent folk at the hands of the English oppressor. It was beautifully rendered due to the strength of May’s control of the portrayal of these events, which strike an emotive chord with reader. Other reviewers prefer the contemporary storyline, but I just found it a little drawn out and the ending a little hackneyed, as much as May’s sense of setting breathed life and interest into this plot. Indeed, I found Mackenzie and his infatuation with the victim’s wife more than a little irritating, but appreciate that this was the key to May’s central remit of the resonance of the past in our contemporary existence. Overall a satisfying read, with the historical aspect of the novel in particular coming to the fore.