The Blackhouse by Peter May. is the first novel of The Lewis Trilogy. The prologue sets the scene which will become important as the book progresses. Although chapter 1 gets off to a start in Edinburgh where Detective Fin Macleod is dealing with personal tragedy, much of the story takes place on the remote Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

Detective Macleod grew-up on Lewis off the coast of northern Scotland. He is sent from his police station in Edinbugh to Lewis to help in a grisly murder which bears a resemblance to a murder he had investigated in Edinburgh. As this task is assigned to Fin, we learn that the crime not only took place in his native village but he knew the victim.

As the investigation progresses on Lewis, The Blackhouse alternates between the present time and Fin’s past.

I did not immediately like The Blackhouse. It seemed to start as a story that was just interesting enough to keep you turning the pages to see what happened but wondering if it was worth reading all of it. But within a few pages of reading about Fin’s childhood on the island, I was pretty sure that I would read the whole book. I guess it took 20 or 30 pages to get me hooked on the story.

The story is a dark and disturbing one. It is very intense at times. It is moody as is the landscape. It is not one of those action thriller/mystery books. I think it was a very good book and I’d highly recommend it. I plan on looking for the rest of the Lewis series in my library and perhaps other books by Peter May.