The Outer Hebrides is a major character in this book and by the time I finished reading it, I wanted to learn more about this part of the world. This book is the first in a trilogy set on the Isle of Lewis. The main character, Fin Macleod was born and raised on Lewis and his parents were killed when he was a boy. He moved down the road to his aunt’s house but his aunt, while not unkind, did not want children and while she provided the necessities of life, there was little else she gave Fin including affection or encouragement. Fin could hardly wait until he finished school and could leave the island. He attended university for a couple of years but then dropped out and joined the Edinburgh police force eventually becoming a Detective Inspector. While he is working on a murder that occurs in Edinburgh, a similar murder occurs back on the Isle of Lewis. As Fin is familiar with the residents of Lewis and speaks Gaelic, Fin is selected to go to the Isle to determine whether the two murders are connected. While Fin has a hard time going back home, it is also a bit of a relief to leave Edinburgh as his young son recently passed away and his marriage has broken down.
Fin arrives on the island and soon starts seeing people from his past including his childhood best friend, Artair Macinnes and Fin’s old girlfriend, Marsaili Macdonald. Artair and Marsaili are now married and have a 17 year old son. As he investigates the murder on the Isle to determine whether it is connected to his Edinburgh killing, he keeps remembering things from the past and the story flips between the past and the present with old secrets being revealed.
I really enjoyed spending time with Fin and learning about his past and I look forward to reading the other two books in this trilogy.
indydriven 
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