(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Ruairidh Macfarlane proposes investing in a small, Hebridean tweed company, his wife balks.  Niamh has business and marketing experience, but still, sinking their life's savings into her husband's dream seems more than a little risky.  Still, the duo manage to make a successful go of it.  When their unique version of Harris tweed catches the attention of some bigwigs in the fashion industry, it seems like everything's finally coming up roses.

Although the business is taking off, Niamh's relationship with her childhood friend turned husband, has gotten a bit rocky.  While on an important business trip in Paris, she accuses Ruairidh of having an affair with Irina Vetrov, a married fashion designer.  Furious, he stomps out of their hotel room.  Moments later, Niamh spies him climbing into Irina's car.  Minutes after that, the vehicle explodes, killing Ruairdh and Irina instantly.  A shocked Niamh soon finds herself the prime suspect in her husband's murder.  Even when she's released and allowed to return to Scotland, she's hounded by police and regarded with suspicion.

While Niamh grapples to come to terms with her husband's violent death, she also searches for answers.  The more she discovers, the more she begins to suspect that the reason for Ruairdh's murder has more to do with local politics than international ones.  When someone makes an attempt on her life, she knows the killer isn't satisfied yet ...

I'm a big fan of Peter May's thrillers, especially those that take place in the moody, broody Hebrides.  May has a keen way of making the locale come alive for me in all its stark, striking glory.  His newest, I'll Keep You Safe, is set mostly off-island, which might explain why I didn't love it as much as some of his others.  Like a true Hebridean, I'm leery of outlanders and prefer an all-local cast.  This novel also seems more graphic to me.  May uses a different format for this novel, which provides an interesting contrast.  Still and all, I'll Keep You Safe remains a tense page turner that kept me riveted from start to finish.  I saw the killer coming, but a couple of the story's twists did catch me by surprise.  So, while this isn't my favorite of May's, I'll still read anything of his, especially if it's set in the always-fascinating Hebrides.

(Readalikes:  Other Hebridean thrillers by Peter May; also books by Ann Cleeves)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, depictions of illegal drug use, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of I'll Keep You Safe from the generous folks at Quercus.  Thank you!

  

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Hetty Deveraux inherits her crumbling ancestral home in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, she decides to transform the dilapidated edifice into a hotel.  Never having seen the property before, she's shocked at the ruinous state of Muirlan House.  Even if she sinks every penny she's got into the place, it won't be enough.  With potential backers in London, Hetty decides to go forward with the plan anyway.  

Hetty's project goes awry almost immediately.  She's meeting resistance from locals who don't want their quaint island turned into a fancy tourist destination.  Then, bones are discovered at Muirlan House.  With police crawling all over her property, she doesn't know what to think.  Who could possibly be buried in the old house?  

As Hetty digs into the house's history, she learns it once sheltered Theo Blake, a distant relative and a skilled painter of some renown.  She also discovers that the bride he brought to Muirlan House disappeared without a trace in 1910.  Could the bones be those of Beatrice Blake?  If so, what happened to the couple's seemingly happy marriage?  By listening to local gossip and studying Theo's increasingly dark, disturbing paintings, Hetty hopes to find answers to explain the past and guide her future.

Thanks to Peter May, I'm all in for novels set in the wilds of the Outer Hebrides.  Initially, that's what drew me to The House Between Tides by English author Sarah Maine.  The novel's premise did the rest—I'm always up for a family secrets novel set in a mysterious old house in the middle of a moody, broody landscape.  And you know what?  The House Between Tides did not disappoint.  With it's atmospheric setting and tense, suspenseful plot, it sucked me right in.  Yes, I saw the big reveal coming, but there were other twists that caught me by surprise.  Overall, I enjoyed this one and will definitely be checking out Maine's previous (and future) books. 

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The Edge of the Earth by Christina Schwarz as well as Hebridean mysteries by Peter May and novels by Kate Morton)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The House Between Tides from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

A dazed, hypothermic man walks out of the sea on the Outer Hebrides' Isle of Harris with no recollection of his name, address, or occupation.  Gradually, he learns that he's Ian McLean, he lives in a seaside cottage in Luskentyre, and he's a writer working on a book about something called the Coffin Road.  According to his neighbors, Ian moved to the island 18 months ago to write.  It's curious, then, that he can find no evidence of a manuscript-in-progress anywhere in his house.  Has he been suffering from a massive case of writer's block?  Or is something else going on here?  Nothing that Ian has learned about himself feels right.  Who is he, really?  And what's he been doing in the Outer Hebrides?

George Gunn, a detective sergeant from Stornoway, also has a mystery on his hands.  The body of an unidentified man has been found on a tiny, sea-soaked island where a century ago a trio of lighthouse keepers disappeared without a trace.  George doesn't recognize the corpse, but Ian thinks he does.  The details are very murky in Ian's mind, but he believes he might have been the one to kill the man.

Karen Fleming, a 17-year-old Goth girl living in Edinburgh, is also trying to piece together a mysterious puzzle.  Her father, a scientist, vanished two years ago.  His apparent suicide doesn't sit well with her.  The more Karen finds out about the work her dad was doing before he disappeared, the more convinced she is that he didn't kill himself.  But if he didn't, who did?

As these three mysteries unfurl, it's up to the principal characters to figure out what in the world is going on.  When the different threads become tangled together, it's apparent that something very sinister is happening on the Isle of Harris.  Can Ian and George weave it all together in time to save themselves?  Or will they, too, become victims in the dangerous game being played out before their eyes?

Like Peter May's other Outer Hebridean mysteries, Coffin Road is a tense, intriguing mystery set against a broody backdrop that lends an otherworldly eeriness to the story at hand.  This one gets maybe a little far-fetched, but who cares?  It's a twisty, compelling tale that kept me turning pages well into the night.  If you're a fan of intriguing mysteries set in remote, atmospheric locales (which I am), definitely give Peter May a go.  I've read a number of his books over the last year or so and I've enjoyed them all.  Coffin Road is no exception.

(Readalikes:  other mysteries by Peter May, including the Lewis Trilogy [The Blackhouse; The Lewis Man; The Chessmen] and Entry Island)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, and references to illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Coffin Road from the generous folks at Quercus (a division of Hachette Book Group).  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for Red Bones, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from earlier Shetland books.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Hattie James, an English post-graduate student working on a PhD in archaeology, is as surprised as anyone when she discovers human remains at her Whalsay dig site.  The locals are intrigued—is this an ancient skeleton or one with a more recent pedigree?  When an old woman is killed nearby, accidental though the death seems to be, the spot seems cursed.  Not long after, Hattie's dead body is discovered in one of the trenches at the site.  Everyone knew the intense young woman loved Shetland—did she commit suicide so she'd never have to leave it?

Three deaths in the same locale cannot be coincidental.  Detective Jimmy Perez knows there's something more to the story.  But what?  What did Hattie dig up?  Did her discovery lead to her death?  Perez is determined to find out whose bones were buried at the site and what, if anything, they had to do with the other deaths.  In the process, he'll discover lurid secrets kept bottled up by tight-lipped islanders.  Can he use this insider's knowledge to crack the puzzling case?  With his girlfriend away in London, Perez has all the time in the world to solve it ... or does he?

Red Bones, the third book in Ann Cleeves' mystery series set in the Shetland Islands, is another compelling, atmospheric thriller.  Blending an intriguing plot with complex characters and fascinating glimpses at island culture, it's an engrossing read.  Although the story builds slowly, it's never boring.  I cared about its people and was surprised by the identity of the killer.  I've enjoyed the first three books in the Shetland series; I can't wait to see what happens in the last four.  

(Readalikes:  Other books in the Shetland series [Raven Black; White Nights; Blue Lightning; Dead Water; Thin Air; and Cold Earth]; also reminds me of Peter May's Scottish thrillers)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated: 

for language (one F-bomb, plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for The Chessmen, it may inadvertently spoil plot surprises from the first two books in the Lewis trilogy.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Having left behind his life as an Edinburgh detective, Fin MacLeod is living on Lewis, the Outer Hebridean island of his birth.  While restoring his parents' croft in Crobost, he takes a job as a security officer at the Red River Estate.  It's while chasing poachers there that Fin encounters a blast from his past.  A childhood friend of Fin's, Whistler Macaskill is still as mercurial and unpredictable as ever.  It's while reconnecting that the two witness a bog burst, a rare natural phenomenon that results in the rapid draining of a loch.  When the water disappears, the men are shocked by what remains; stuck in the mud is a small airplane which is immediately familiar to both of them.

Fin and Whistler are not surprised to find the remains of their former friend and band mate inside the aircraft.  A seventeen-year-old mystery has just been solved.  But how exactly did Roddy Mackenzie die?  And why is Whistler being so cagey?  What does he know about the events that led to Roddy's death?  As Fin digs into the past to find answers, he discovers startling truths about his friends and about himself.    

The Chessmen, the last book in Peter May's Lewis trilogy, offers another compelling mystery set against the bleak backdrop of the Outer Hebrideans.  With interesting characters, a twisty plot, and an atmospheric setting, it's a fitting finale to the series.  I'm sad, though, that the series is over as I feel there's still a lot to learn about all of May's story people.  I guess it's good to keep readers wanting more?  Maybe?  

(Readalikes:  The Blackhouse and The Lewis Man by Peter May)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, and depictions of underage drinking and illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for The Lewis Man, it may inadvertently ruin plot surprises from its predecessor, The Blackhouse.  As always, I recommend reading a series in order.)

After returning to Crobost—a small village on the Outer Hebridean island of his birth—to investigate a murder, Fin MacLeod is back for good.  Leaving behind a broken marriage and his position as a detective in the Edinburgh police force, he's focusing on rebuilding his family's abandoned croft.  Marsaili, the woman Fin has loved since childhood, is a recent widow; their son a new father; Fin longs for connection with them all.  

With so much on his plate already, the last thing Fin expects to grapple with is a suspicious death.  When a body is recovered from a Lewis peat bog, the former detective is called in to help with the investigation.  The only clue to the corpse's identity is an Elvis tattoo and a DNA match to Marsaili's father.  Suffering from dementia, Tormod Macdonald can't give Fin a straight answer about the body.  It's up to Fin and Marsaili to delve into the old man's past in order to solve a cold case, one that will bring some hot new trouble down on them all. 

Taking place on the same island as The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man—the second book in Peter May's trilogy set in the Outer Hebrides—brings back the broody landscape, tight community, and intriguing characters that made The Blackhouse such a compelling novel.  Because of Fin's switch from cop to crofter, this second book isn't so much a police procedural as a complex study of the human psyche, both good and bad.  It delves more into the characters' hearts, minds, and souls.  Which isn't to say it doesn't have an engrossing plot.  It does.  These things, plus the story's focus on redemption, forgiveness, and overcoming the plagues of past generations, makes it a deeper, more meaningful novel than The Blackhouse.  Although I enjoyed this whole series, The Lewis Man is, by far, my favorite installment.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of The Blackhouse and The Chessmen by Peter May)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

With its dark, broody weather and desolate, treeless landscape, the Isle of Lewis makes a fitting backdrop for murder.  And this one's as grisly as they come.  Oddly, the crime bears remarkable similarities to a recent killing in Edinburgh.  Because he speaks Gaelic, Edinburgh detective Fin McLeod is sent to the Outer Hebrides to investigate.  Reared on Lewis, the policeman hasn't been back in almost two decades.  He's less than thrilled to be returning now, especially on such an unpleasant errand.

Fin has no desire to revisit his dark past, but he has little choice as he traverses the land he knew so well as a boy.  Questioning old friends and neighbors doesn't help matters.  The more he investigates the murder, the deeper he's drawn into not just the past but also the secretive presents of the tight-lipped islanders.  It doesn't help that Marsaili, the woman Fin has always loved, still lives on the island—with her husband.  Being on Lewis is seriously messing with his head.  Can Fin sniff out a killer when he can't even sort himself?  With a murderer on the loose, will the detective ever leave Lewis?  Or will his homecoming end with his body buried in the cold, hard ground he vowed never to step on again?  

Although The Blackhouse—the first book in Peter May's Lewis trilogy—begins with a murder, the novel really isn't about the crime.  It's about the journey of a man haunted by his past.  Fin is a complex character; his flaws humanize him in a way that makes it impossible not to empathize with his plight.  As he examines the Outer Hebrides, with its unique scenery, culture, and people, the book's setting comes to life, becoming an intriguing character in its own right.  As for the plot of The Blackhouse, it's tense, compelling, and twisty.  On the whole, the novel is dark, depressing, and sad.  And yet, I found myself totally engrossed by it, so much so that I put the next two books in the series on reserve at the library before I even finished The Blackhouse.  I do like a moody mystery set in a unique locale.  Since I've now finished the series, I can say that all three volumes definitely qualify.

(Readalikes: Reminded me of the other books in the trilogy [The Lewis Man; and The Chessmen] as well as several of May's stand alone novels [Entry Island; Coffin Road; Runaway; etc.].  

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, and depictions of underage drinking and illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Although her husband was reared in Unst, 33-year-old Tora Hamilton is a stranger to the remote, weather-beaten Shetland Islands.  She is still getting used to Lerwick, her new hometown, when she comes across a dead body buried on the property she and Duncan recently purchased from a trust associated with the church.  At first, she assumes it's one of the infamous bog bodies—a Stone Age corpse perfectly preserved by the peat.  The post-mortem reveals the truth; not only is the body that of a recently deceased woman, but the victim had her heart cut out.  A few days after giving birth.  

It's this last bit that Tora—an obstetrician who has been trying to get pregnant since she married Duncan five years ago—can't let go of.  Why would someone murder a new mother?  And so savagely?  What are they to make of the runes carved into her body?  Was this a ritualistic killing?  Or something even more sinister?  Obsessed with finding the truth, Tora digs deeply into Shetland folklore and local secrets to solve the mystery.  Everyone warns her to back off, but she refuses to listen.  Even when it becomes apparent that someone will do anything—anything—to silence her.  

I became aware of Sharon (S.J.) Bolton because of her latest book, Little Black Lies.  After being completely blown away by it, I knew I had to read every novel the author had ever published.  So I did.  Sacrifice is Bolton's first novel and it's interesting to compare and contrast it with Little Black Lies.  The former is just as atmospheric, just as unsettling, just as compelling.  It's less sophisticated in some ways, but no less enticing.  With a brave, admirable heroine guiding the story, it's absolutely impossible to look away.  Just like Little Black Lies (which happens to be my favorite Bolton mystery), Sacrifice is a dark, twisty suspense novel that will keep you turning pages until the wee hours of the morning.  Trust me on this—you don't want to start Sacrifice (or any Bolton book for that matter) unless you have all day to inhale it because once you begin reading, you won't be able to stop.  Did I mention that I binge-read all of her books in a matter of days just so I could get on with my life?  Well, I did.  Bolton's mysteries are that addicting.  Consider yourself warned. 

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a bit of Peter May's Shetland trilogy [The Blackhouse; The Lewis Man; and The Chessmen]; also of Ann Cleeves' Shetland mysteries [Raven Black; White Nights; Red Bones; Blue Lightning; Dead Water; Thin Air; and Cold Earth])

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a dozen or so F-bombs plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, mild sexual content, and disturbing content

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find