Review: THE LEWIS MAN, by Peter May

THE LEWIS MAN by Peter May, first published overseas in 2012, my copy was published by Quercus in the United States, 2014.

My husband loves chess, so while I was dropping my daughter off to go to the University of Nottingham in England, I kept seeing the signs for Peter May's book called the THE CHESSMEN. I was immediately intrigued because of the reference to chess, I am a little crazy that way when it comes to finding books. I asked at all the bookstores, including the one at the Heathrow, they just looked at me as if I were nuts. So I was on my own. I came home looked at my local book store, nada. Went online where I did find it, but realized it was part of a series. In fact it was the third book in the series. If you are like me, you do not start a book in the middle or end of a series. So I set about finding the first book, THE BLACKHOUSE. It was not in the stores, I find that retail stores never seem to have the first book of any series. However, my library had the first book, one copy which I had to have shipped to my branch. The opening caught me and it was here that I met the Inspector Fin Macleod for the first time. An inspector who comes back to his hometown to solve a mystery. His visit brings up bad memories and bad relationships, but this crime committed is similar to a crime in Edinburgh that has been unsolved for years. After reading this book, I knew that I had to find the next book in the series. I however, could not find the book anywhere, not in bookstores, not in the library, only on-line being shipped from the United Kingdom. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement.

Then about a week ago, I was in the bookstore and found THE CHESSMEN. Now I really had to find the second book, surely someone would have it. I looked in the bookstore and nothing. I looked online and still nothing in the States. Library, my last resource, boom, we have lift off. Only one place had it and so once again I had to order it to my local branch.
I love the way that Peter May opens a story, he kind of slowly pulls you into it and then you are hooked. In this story, we open up with a little girl heading into the bogs to help harvest the peat. We find her in the kitchen getting ready and we see what she sees, even what her father and brother do not wish her to see hidden in the bog. Then we jump headlong into the book who is this mysterious man, is he one of the bog men from hundreds of years ago that have been preserved in the peat, or something newer. Our Inspector Macleod has left his job in Edinburgh and has come back to fix up his family home, he is no longer with the police. But this does not stop him from looking into the body and asking some really important questions. Like who is Tormod, the father of  his love interest Marsaili, and how is he related to the body in the bog.

This book deals with not only solving the murder, but also dealing with someone who has dementia. Trying to get a person who is lost in their memories, who cannot function or remember to even get up and go to the bathroom, how can they possibly aid in the investigation. Another topic brought up is teenage pregnancy, how do you deal with a baby when you want to go to school and the whole world seems against you. Lots of good topics wrapped up in one pretty good mystery.

I cannot wait to read THE CHESSMEN, and yes I know it is not about chess. But that title led me to a great read. Look Peter May up, he also has another series, which I am going to start to read.