Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Quercus (2013), Paperback, 400 pages
Description
Fin Macleod, now head of security on a privately owned Lewis estate, is charged with investigating a spate of illegal game-hunting taking place on the island. This mission reunites him with Whistler Macaskill - a local poacher, Fin's teenage intimate, and possessor of a long-buried secret. But when this reunion takes a violent, sinister turn and Fin puts together the fractured pieces of the past, he realizes that revealing the truth could destroy the future.
Language
Original publication date
2013
ISBN
085738225X / 9780857382252
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User reviews
LibraryThing member gmmartz
The Chessmen, the last of the Scottish trilogy by Peter May, is a worthwhile read but is the weakest of the group. The writing is excellent and the plot is decent (although I have a fundamental problem with the plane crash victim identification that I won't go into due to spoiler potential), but
On the other hand, the flashbacks did expose us to new characters that could be significant players if the series continues. I know the Lewis books were intended to be a trilogy, but the ending of The Chessmen gives me some hope that perhaps it'll be expanded. I really enjoy May's writing and his description of life in rural island Scotland, and though The Chessmen was a bit of a step backward the characters he's written about to this point would seem to have more stories in them.
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there are way too many flashbacks. They certainly add to character development, but they don't really move the story forward. In fact, the investigation into the main story line consumed a relatively small part of the book.On the other hand, the flashbacks did expose us to new characters that could be significant players if the series continues. I know the Lewis books were intended to be a trilogy, but the ending of The Chessmen gives me some hope that perhaps it'll be expanded. I really enjoy May's writing and his description of life in rural island Scotland, and though The Chessmen was a bit of a step backward the characters he's written about to this point would seem to have more stories in them.
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LibraryThing member JorgeousJotts
Books 2 and 3 both have a significant number of holes to them. And it irritates me, because they otherwise have some good things going for them, and they didn't need to have those holes at all. I wish a beta reader or editor had convinced the author to just tweak things to plug them up, and they
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wouldn't be an issue. He could still end up in all the places he wanted to take the story, but in ways that made more sense or didn't require the main character to temporarily become daft or something. Besides those gaps, the ending messed up the pace a bit I think, and that wasn't the note I would have chosen to end on, but otherwise the story was fine. It's just unfortunate that this wasn't made to be as good as it could have been. Show Less
LibraryThing member lostinalibrary
Fin Macleod is fully settled back in his childhood home on the isle of Lewis. He is now working as head of security on the estate of a wealthy landowner. His work, which consists mainly of stopping poachers, brings him into conflict with Whistler, a friend from his childhood. When a natural
The Chessmen is the third and final installment in author Peter May’s Lewis Trilogy and, like the first two books, it’s much more than just a simple thriller. The story alternates between Fin’s past and present. As he searches for the solution to the crime, we learn more about his relationships with the people of Lewis, his early life, and what about this isolated island at the far end of the Hebrides keeps bringing him back. Much of the story takes place off the island as we learn more about why Fin drove Marsaille away when they were at school together in Edinburgh. Like the first two novels, The Chessmen could be read as a stand-alone as each solves a mystery while giving the reader details of Fin’s past. However, The Lewis Trilogy is more than the sum of its parts: separate, each is a complex and fascinating combination of mystery, coming-of-age, and literary fiction but, together, they create a powerful and, admittedly, bleak picture of a unique environment and culture. Throughout my reading of the trilogy, I developed a strong sense of the island and the people who inhabit it and, although I was anxious to see how Fin’s story would play out, I will sorely miss them.
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phenomenon drains a nearby loch, the two discover a small plane which had been owned by musician and friend, Roddy McKenzie, and which had disappeared some two decades earlier. Inside the cockpit, they find a corpse and clear indications that whatever happened all those years ago, it wasn’t an accident.The Chessmen is the third and final installment in author Peter May’s Lewis Trilogy and, like the first two books, it’s much more than just a simple thriller. The story alternates between Fin’s past and present. As he searches for the solution to the crime, we learn more about his relationships with the people of Lewis, his early life, and what about this isolated island at the far end of the Hebrides keeps bringing him back. Much of the story takes place off the island as we learn more about why Fin drove Marsaille away when they were at school together in Edinburgh. Like the first two novels, The Chessmen could be read as a stand-alone as each solves a mystery while giving the reader details of Fin’s past. However, The Lewis Trilogy is more than the sum of its parts: separate, each is a complex and fascinating combination of mystery, coming-of-age, and literary fiction but, together, they create a powerful and, admittedly, bleak picture of a unique environment and culture. Throughout my reading of the trilogy, I developed a strong sense of the island and the people who inhabit it and, although I was anxious to see how Fin’s story would play out, I will sorely miss them.
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LibraryThing member Schatje
This is the last of The Lewis Trilogy; unfortunately, it is a disappointment.
Fin Macleod and a friend, Whistler Macaskill, discover a body in a plane at the bottom of a loch after it is drained. The body is identified as that of Roddy Mckenzie, a successful musician and friend of Fin and Whistler
One of the problems with the book is that characters are introduced who are never even mentioned in the previous two books. Whistler, for example, has been arguably Fin’s closest friend from childhood yet Fin never visited him when he returned to the Isle of Lewis? Fin’s time as a roadie for a Celtic band was also not detailed previously, though that was apparently a significant event in his life at university. Introducing so many new characters in the last of a trilogy suggests poor plotting.
Another weakness is the backstory of the band. Almost all the bandmates vie for the attention of the female lead singer, Mairead. Not only is their bickering rather juvenile, it seems a too-obvious ploy to add to the list of possible suspects in Roddy’s murder since Roddy and Mairead have an on-again/off-again relationship with Mairead turning to other band members when she and Roddy quarrel.
There is also some obvious plot manipulation which is unfair to the reader. Fin suspects Whistler has some information which he is not divulging, but he never directly confronts him to learn what he knows; he “allowed the issue to drift, failed to confront it” (265). Then, as Fin gets closer to the truth, he refuses to tell George Gunn, his policeman friend, what he suspects. He says, “’You do [deserve to know], George. And I promise, you’ll be the first. But not yet’” (225). He even repeats this later: “’I can’t tell you, George. Not yet’” (231). And to his lover, Fin says, “’I’ll go to [the police] when I know the truth. The whole truth’” (243). Withholding information from the reader is a cheap shot.
The resolution to the mystery is rather unbelievable. Most readers will come to suspect the truth but will dismiss that possibility as too incredible. The resolutions of the other stories carried over from the first two books seem rushed and contrived as well.
What I did enjoy is the historical elements. The references to the Lewis chess pieces and the sinking of the Iolaire had me researching more information. I had also never heard of a bog burst.
In looking back, I wish I had read only The Blackhouse and skipped the other two books in the trilogy since they just don’t measure up to the standards of that first one.
Fin Macleod and a friend, Whistler Macaskill, discover a body in a plane at the bottom of a loch after it is drained. The body is identified as that of Roddy Mckenzie, a successful musician and friend of Fin and Whistler
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who disappeared seventeen years earlier. The remains indicate Roddy was murdered. As Fin sets out to investigate, he slowly uncovers several long-hidden secrets. Interspersed with the mystery are flashbacks to Fin’s youth as a roadie for Roddy’s band, Sòlas, a band in which Whistler was also a member. One of the problems with the book is that characters are introduced who are never even mentioned in the previous two books. Whistler, for example, has been arguably Fin’s closest friend from childhood yet Fin never visited him when he returned to the Isle of Lewis? Fin’s time as a roadie for a Celtic band was also not detailed previously, though that was apparently a significant event in his life at university. Introducing so many new characters in the last of a trilogy suggests poor plotting.
Another weakness is the backstory of the band. Almost all the bandmates vie for the attention of the female lead singer, Mairead. Not only is their bickering rather juvenile, it seems a too-obvious ploy to add to the list of possible suspects in Roddy’s murder since Roddy and Mairead have an on-again/off-again relationship with Mairead turning to other band members when she and Roddy quarrel.
There is also some obvious plot manipulation which is unfair to the reader. Fin suspects Whistler has some information which he is not divulging, but he never directly confronts him to learn what he knows; he “allowed the issue to drift, failed to confront it” (265). Then, as Fin gets closer to the truth, he refuses to tell George Gunn, his policeman friend, what he suspects. He says, “’You do [deserve to know], George. And I promise, you’ll be the first. But not yet’” (225). He even repeats this later: “’I can’t tell you, George. Not yet’” (231). And to his lover, Fin says, “’I’ll go to [the police] when I know the truth. The whole truth’” (243). Withholding information from the reader is a cheap shot.
The resolution to the mystery is rather unbelievable. Most readers will come to suspect the truth but will dismiss that possibility as too incredible. The resolutions of the other stories carried over from the first two books seem rushed and contrived as well.
What I did enjoy is the historical elements. The references to the Lewis chess pieces and the sinking of the Iolaire had me researching more information. I had also never heard of a bog burst.
In looking back, I wish I had read only The Blackhouse and skipped the other two books in the trilogy since they just don’t measure up to the standards of that first one.
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LibraryThing member cathyskye
The atmospheric setting of the Outer Hebrides, the characters, and the story kept me glued to the page. If setting is important to you, Peter May's Lewis trilogy is tailor-made for you. The Isle of Lewis should be listed in the cast of characters, and May always seems able to find something about
The Lewis trilogy has dealt with other secrets, and this final book is no exception. It's as if Macleod has to clear everything up from his past before he can really make a fresh start. (Just as we do in real life.) Here the secrets revolve around his late teens and early twenties when he was a roadie for an up-and-coming Celtic rock band. Whistler Macaskill was a member of the band, and his life has also been shadowed with secrets that will have an effect on his young daughter Anna Bheag ("wee Anna").
It's fascinating to see how the lives of all the various characters mesh together, and how each secret has made a lasting mark on them. The entire book is a feast, but the highlight for me was Fin's speech before the church board at the end. It was filled with truth, it was emotional, and it was oh so right. I would've cheered when Macleod was finished, but the lump in my throat was too big.
You could probably read The Chessmen as a standalone without too much difficulty, but I wouldn't advise it. The entire trilogy is a reading experience that should not be missed.
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it that will illuminate and set the mood. In The Chessmen, it's the frightening and eery bog burst. As the water drains out of the loch, secrets are uncovered, and Macleod will have his hands full with one secret after another throughout the book.The Lewis trilogy has dealt with other secrets, and this final book is no exception. It's as if Macleod has to clear everything up from his past before he can really make a fresh start. (Just as we do in real life.) Here the secrets revolve around his late teens and early twenties when he was a roadie for an up-and-coming Celtic rock band. Whistler Macaskill was a member of the band, and his life has also been shadowed with secrets that will have an effect on his young daughter Anna Bheag ("wee Anna").
It's fascinating to see how the lives of all the various characters mesh together, and how each secret has made a lasting mark on them. The entire book is a feast, but the highlight for me was Fin's speech before the church board at the end. It was filled with truth, it was emotional, and it was oh so right. I would've cheered when Macleod was finished, but the lump in my throat was too big.
You could probably read The Chessmen as a standalone without too much difficulty, but I wouldn't advise it. The entire trilogy is a reading experience that should not be missed.
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LibraryThing member everfresh1
If this would be the first novel I read in this trilogy I would give it five stars. But after reading the first two - and thoroughly enjoying those - I found the same repeating setup kind of old. Once again, past events come to haunt Fin Macleod and his old friends become main characters in
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unfolding dramatic events. However, you start wondering how much excitement could be squeezed out of early years of Fin's life, how many best friends he could have, how many serious romances he could go through. Otherwise, once again, excellent writing and good plot, rich characters and amazing atmosphere of Isle of Lewis. Show Less
LibraryThing member DowntownLibrarian
At one point i got a little bogged down in the descriptions of nature, but I read on and I'm very glad I did. No mere puzzle, this is a terrific mystery and a complicated morality tale. Very much recommended.
LibraryThing member caitemaire
My least favorite of the trilogy. Too many long, not totally relevant, flashbacks and way too lite on the mystery.
LibraryThing member caitemaire
My least favorite of the trilogy. Too many long, not totally relevant, flashbacks and way too lite on the mystery.
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
Thus concludes the Lewis trilogy but never despair. I am told that the Enzo series is just as good and as my husbands spoils me silly he gave me one for Christmas. Whew! Just when I thought I might have to be without a Peter May book Christmas took care of that.
We learn a lot about Fin Macleod's
We learn a lot about Fin Macleod's
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childhood and teenage years in this book. Fin attended high school in Stornoway and because of the distance from his home in Ness he lived in a dormitory from Monday until Friday. So did many others from farther parts of the island and Fin made friends with a number of kids from Uig. His best friend was Whistler, a big lad with a smart brain. He and some of the others from Uig had a band. Whistler played the flute, Mairead was the singer and fiddler, Roddie was the keyboardist and, with Strings, songwriter. Fin was dragooned as a roadie to help pack up and set up when the band played around the island. Then they graduated and went to Glasgow for university except Whistler who had decided to stay behind. The band got to be quite well known and Fin continued to work for them. He also had a fling with Mairead whom everyone was in love with but who had an on and off relationship with Roddie. Then Roddie was flying his little plane and it crashed never to be found again. Until Fin was back on the island 20 years later and was up in the mountains with Whistler. A loch drained suddenly and there was Roddie's little plane. When Fin and Whistler investigated they found a body inside the plane with an obvious skull fracture. Although Fin is no longer a policeman he can't help but try to solve this cold case which brings back the memories of his youth. Show Less
LibraryThing member jtck121166
I read The Lewis Man first, and was absolutely blown away. It has taken me too long to return to May (after an ill-advised foray into the woeful China series).
This is excellent, though without, obviously, the pleasure of enjoying the author's style and approach for the first time. He is brilliant
By the time you've read three of them, though, perhaps, like me, you'll have had enough of the alternating past/present, first/third person narrative.
Really enjoyed it - but can we have something else now, please?
This is excellent, though without, obviously, the pleasure of enjoying the author's style and approach for the first time. He is brilliant
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on the shadows cast upon the present by the past, and in his descriptions of the physical effects of aging on the men of the Hebrides.By the time you've read three of them, though, perhaps, like me, you'll have had enough of the alternating past/present, first/third person narrative.
Really enjoyed it - but can we have something else now, please?
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LibraryThing member sushicat
This last installment finds Fin employed as head of security on the XXX estate. His focus is to crack down on grand scale poaching. But before he can go after the big players, he needs to nail down his old friend Whistler who's run afoul of the landlord. They end up in a shelter high in the hills
The last entry into the Lewis trilogy follows the same structure as the other two books: an event today triggers a revisiting of the past. In this case it's the discovery of that airplane. We learn more about Fin's history, revisit some old friends and encounter new ones. I will miss these books, their vivid sense of place, revisiting the flawed characters that have become dear to me with all their issues and the way somewhere along the ride I get emotionally engaged.
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and when they get up in the morning the loch below them has emptied out and at its bottom sits an airplane that went missing decades ago, inside it a corpse that obviously did not fly there himself.The last entry into the Lewis trilogy follows the same structure as the other two books: an event today triggers a revisiting of the past. In this case it's the discovery of that airplane. We learn more about Fin's history, revisit some old friends and encounter new ones. I will miss these books, their vivid sense of place, revisiting the flawed characters that have become dear to me with all their issues and the way somewhere along the ride I get emotionally engaged.
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LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
In the conclusion to the Lewis trilogy, Fin MacLeod is no longer a police officer, but works as head of security on a private estate, a job which brings him back into contact with an old school friend, Whistler Macaskill, a poacher who knows every blade of grass on the island. When an unusual
The discovery prompts Fin to think back over the people and experiences which bound the three men together as teenagers. As teenagers, the group were united in their desire to get off it the island but by middle age, all were drawn back or had never left. Interspersed with flashbacks to happier times, when Fin worked as a roadie for Roddy’s band, the book weaves along with everyone operating in a state of functioning unhappiness, while Fin works to unravel the mystery of Roddy’s death. The promise that life beyond the island once held for a gang of teenagers has evaporated for each one of them and there’s a sadness as we close in on the final chapters.
Vivid descriptions of the barren landscapes and cruel weather will have many faithful readers dreading the last of Fin and of the series that’s made Lewis almost as much of a lead character as the troubled ex-cop. The Chessmen is well up to the high standard of its two predecessors with tight plotting and complex characters. This series was a pleasure to read and I'll definitely be looking for more Peter May books.
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phenomenon causes a loch to drain and the wreckage of a small plane containing a body is revealed, Fin and Whistler realize that it must be keyboard player Roddy Mackenzie, who disappeared without a trace in his plane seventeen years earlier. There's enough of Roddy left to tell them that his death was not an accident, and soon an investigation is under way. The discovery prompts Fin to think back over the people and experiences which bound the three men together as teenagers. As teenagers, the group were united in their desire to get off it the island but by middle age, all were drawn back or had never left. Interspersed with flashbacks to happier times, when Fin worked as a roadie for Roddy’s band, the book weaves along with everyone operating in a state of functioning unhappiness, while Fin works to unravel the mystery of Roddy’s death. The promise that life beyond the island once held for a gang of teenagers has evaporated for each one of them and there’s a sadness as we close in on the final chapters.
Vivid descriptions of the barren landscapes and cruel weather will have many faithful readers dreading the last of Fin and of the series that’s made Lewis almost as much of a lead character as the troubled ex-cop. The Chessmen is well up to the high standard of its two predecessors with tight plotting and complex characters. This series was a pleasure to read and I'll definitely be looking for more Peter May books.
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LibraryThing member Bookmarque
If you’re the kind of reader that emotionally invests in characters, you will probably have a love/hate relationship with this book and the others in the Lewis series. May has no compunction killing off characters; the body count is high. The characters, though, they’re the heart of the books
If this is the end of the Lewis books, I don’t mind. Things wrapped up for many of the islanders, Fin included, but are open enough to imagine life going on for everyone. Well, the people May left alive at any rate. The books are satisfying on a lot of levels; the writing is sound, the location is a character itself, pacing is good, not breakneck and not ponderous and dialog rings true. Even if there are no more Lewis books, these won’t be the last I read from this author.
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and Fin is at the center of some pretty tangled connections. Again there is a murder, but this one is almost two decades old. It’s Fin’s old friend from college, Roddy, and he’s found in his small plane which was only found because the bog became unstable and drained a small lake.What appears to be a straightforward accident turns out to be much, much more. If this is the end of the Lewis books, I don’t mind. Things wrapped up for many of the islanders, Fin included, but are open enough to imagine life going on for everyone. Well, the people May left alive at any rate. The books are satisfying on a lot of levels; the writing is sound, the location is a character itself, pacing is good, not breakneck and not ponderous and dialog rings true. Even if there are no more Lewis books, these won’t be the last I read from this author.
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LibraryThing member JW1949
A very enjoyable book. This is a well-crafted story, bringing in a lot of the characters and storylines from the previous books. The writing is super, very evocative of the place - or at least the place as I try to imagine it.
There is a small element of sentimentality in the relationships between
PM is excellent & I would love to believe that he has left enough openings for a follow up at some later stage. I know it was a trilogy but would really really like more, please!!!
There is a small element of sentimentality in the relationships between
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the characters, but I recognise the slightly dour, mean nature in the Scottish characters.PM is excellent & I would love to believe that he has left enough openings for a follow up at some later stage. I know it was a trilogy but would really really like more, please!!!
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LibraryThing member johnwbeha
I have decided that I will try and read series books that I have access too fairly close together; so as to ensure I remember what has gone before. In this came I read books 1 and 3 of the trilogy within a month or so and it proved my point (to me, at least). In this series the lead protagonist
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remains the same with some of the supporting cast, but in this book the four key additional characters are new to us and as in the other books a substantial part of the book is narrated by Fin McLeod, remembering the parts they played in his life; whilst the current story is told in the third person. This device works well. As I said in regard to the other books, I now think that I know quite a lot about the island of Lewis and the author really places you right into the locale. I will now be following Peter May's books avidly; fortunately he is quite prolific; without slipping into the "auto-writing" practised by some other authors, who shall be nameless. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarian1204
I couldn't wait to get my hands on the last of the Lewis Trilogy. I hope there will be more. There should be as I think there are some loose ends that did not get sorted out. Once again this book goes back and forth in time using the characters from the previous 2 books. The island, and the people
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who live there are center stage. Show Less
LibraryThing member icolford
The Chessmen concludes Peter May's Lewis Trilogy, which follows the adventures of Detective Inspector Finlay Macleod (ex-Detective Inspector in the final two novels) as he solves puzzling murders, settles old scores and chases personal demons on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland's Outer Hebrides. In
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this book Fin has resettled on Lewis and is living with his childhood sweetheart Marsaili Macdonald--though their relationship is still somewhat tenuous--as he continues restoring the house where he grew up. The previous novels dig into Fin's past, and The Chessmen does the same, exploring the time Fin spent as roadie for a Celtic band called Solas. Fin has re-connected with Whistler Macaskill, a friend from his youth who played flute for the band but later quit when the band left the island to seek fame and fortune on the mainland. Whistler has been eking out an existence poaching on an estate where he lives in a rented croft and Fin has been hired to provide security by the estate's owner and put an end to the poaching. In May's novels the past is usually better left lying where it rests, and the main action of The Chessmen is set into motion when an unusual natural occurrence known as a bog burst empties a loch of its water, revealing a crashed small plane which has obviously been there for a long time. Fin and Whistler recognize the plane as the one flown by their friend and the leader of Solas, Roddy Mackenzie, who went missing with his plane 17 years earlier and, though his body was never found, was presumed dead. The discovery of the plane, and the conclusion of the medical examiner that the body inside was the victim of murder, set into motion a series of events that bring Fin into conflict with Whistler and others involved with the band as he tries to find out what happened to Roddy. As with The Black House and The Lewis Man, The Chessmen (the title refers to the Lewis chessmen, a set of 12th-century chess pieces discovered in the 1830s on the Isle of Lewis) the writing is often brilliantly atmospheric and the story satisfying on several levels. However, the sheer amount of flashback often cripples the story's momentum, and some passages are weighted down by excessive detail. The result is a novel that is perhaps longer than it has to be and somewhat less compelling than its companions in the series. But this takes nothing away from Peter May's accomplishment in The Lewis Trilogy, which remains significant and noteworthy. Show Less
LibraryThing member viking2917
I love the Lewis Trilogy. Brooding landscapes, broodier (is that a word?) characters, especially the troubled Fin McLeod. This isn't the strongest of the three books but they're all great.
LibraryThing member N.W.Moors
Fin Macleod has left his police job to become the head of security at a nearby estate. He's living with Marsaili and catching up with old friends. He's investigating his old pal Whistler for poaching when they discover the wreck of an airplane with a body inside. They both recognize the plane as
This is such a great series. While each book is a discrete story, the three books tie together into a cohesive unit that not only tells the story of Fin's life but a compelling view of life on the Outer Isles of Scotland. The writer does such a wonderful job of describing Lewis and the other islands:
Village after village drifted past Fin's windows in the rain. Wet and dark, and stretched out along the road like so many little boxes strung on a thread, treeless and naked, exposed to the elements. Only a few hardy shrubs grew in the peaty soil where hopeful souls had made vain attempts to hack gardens and lawns out of unyielding moorland.
I can't recommend these books enough. The mysteries are interesting, but the real heart of the books are the characters and settings. And the writing - oh, I love the writing. I'm a bit sad to have finished this trilogy, but at least Mr. May has a whole catalog of books left for me to discover.
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one belonging to Roddy McKenzie, another old friend and famous for a Celtic rock band who disappeared many years ago. This is such a great series. While each book is a discrete story, the three books tie together into a cohesive unit that not only tells the story of Fin's life but a compelling view of life on the Outer Isles of Scotland. The writer does such a wonderful job of describing Lewis and the other islands:
Village after village drifted past Fin's windows in the rain. Wet and dark, and stretched out along the road like so many little boxes strung on a thread, treeless and naked, exposed to the elements. Only a few hardy shrubs grew in the peaty soil where hopeful souls had made vain attempts to hack gardens and lawns out of unyielding moorland.
I can't recommend these books enough. The mysteries are interesting, but the real heart of the books are the characters and settings. And the writing - oh, I love the writing. I'm a bit sad to have finished this trilogy, but at least Mr. May has a whole catalog of books left for me to discover.
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LibraryThing member rkreish
Disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher.
This particular installment of the Lewis Trilogy focuses on former detective inspector Fin McLeod's young adulthood, first at school in Lewis and then his first years at university in Glasgow. He was a roadie for a Celtic rock band until one
Looking back at the series as a whole, I prefer the first two installments to this one. The setting of the Isle of Lewis is still vivid in The Chessmen, but it didn't feel as vivid action-wise compared to The Blackhouse and The Lewis Man. While I learned much about the Lewis Chessmen, this particular book did not include a setpiece as stunning as the guga hunt in The Blackhouse. I think, character-wise, it's also difficult to get into this book because the focus is on Fin's young adulthood where he was, understandably, quite self-centered. And part of me is disappointed in the book because I was expecting more storyline about Fin's relationship with Marsaili or his newly-discovered son: those threads are still open as the story concludes. It's still a very good series, but I was not as floored by The Chessmen as I was by the earlier books.
This particular installment of the Lewis Trilogy focuses on former detective inspector Fin McLeod's young adulthood, first at school in Lewis and then his first years at university in Glasgow. He was a roadie for a Celtic rock band until one
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of its members was lost in his small plane. The discovery of the small plane in an ingenious way starts the murder investigation in the present storyline, but the bulk of the book takes place in Fin's past.Looking back at the series as a whole, I prefer the first two installments to this one. The setting of the Isle of Lewis is still vivid in The Chessmen, but it didn't feel as vivid action-wise compared to The Blackhouse and The Lewis Man. While I learned much about the Lewis Chessmen, this particular book did not include a setpiece as stunning as the guga hunt in The Blackhouse. I think, character-wise, it's also difficult to get into this book because the focus is on Fin's young adulthood where he was, understandably, quite self-centered. And part of me is disappointed in the book because I was expecting more storyline about Fin's relationship with Marsaili or his newly-discovered son: those threads are still open as the story concludes. It's still a very good series, but I was not as floored by The Chessmen as I was by the earlier books.
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LibraryThing member piemouth
A big disappointment after the two previous books.
Fin is living on the island and has been hired by estate owner Jamie Wooldridge to catch poachers. In an odd set of circumstances, he and his old friend John Angus “Whistler” Macaskill discover an old plane crash that contains a body with
We learn that the victim, Roddy Mackenzie, was the star of a Celtic band, but disappeared in his small plane. Whistler was a member of the band, and Fin was a roadie.
The stuff about the band kind of came out of nowhere and I could see it was needed for plot reasons but still, it felt forced. We learned more island history, the wreck of a troop ship after WWI in which many local men died, which seemed like it would lead to revelations about Fin’s family but that didn’t go anywhere. I got bored with Fin’s musings about Marshaili and whether he and the girl with cornflower blue eyes could make things work.
The resolution of the murder was fairly preposterous and there were repeats of plot points from the other books (a youthful contest that leads to tragedy, a child held hostage by their father) .
Fin is living on the island and has been hired by estate owner Jamie Wooldridge to catch poachers. In an odd set of circumstances, he and his old friend John Angus “Whistler” Macaskill discover an old plane crash that contains a body with
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injuries that mean murder. We learn that the victim, Roddy Mackenzie, was the star of a Celtic band, but disappeared in his small plane. Whistler was a member of the band, and Fin was a roadie.
The stuff about the band kind of came out of nowhere and I could see it was needed for plot reasons but still, it felt forced. We learned more island history, the wreck of a troop ship after WWI in which many local men died, which seemed like it would lead to revelations about Fin’s family but that didn’t go anywhere. I got bored with Fin’s musings about Marshaili and whether he and the girl with cornflower blue eyes could make things work.
The resolution of the murder was fairly preposterous and there were repeats of plot points from the other books (a youthful contest that leads to tragedy, a child held hostage by their father) .
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LibraryThing member rosalita
I read [The Blackhouse] (2009), the first book in Peter May’s Lewis Trilogy a few years ago, and I thought it was a solid police procedural whose main attraction was the setting: The beautiful but desolate Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The detective, Fin Macleod, is currently
Last year, I read the second novel (2012’s [The Lewis Man]) which finds Fin having quit the Edinburgh police force and moved back to the Isle of Lewis to fix up his parents’ old home and try to come to terms with his past and present troubles. He winds up assisting with an investigation into the discovery of a bog body that turns out to be not as ancient as first thought (an Elvis tattoo being as effective as carbon dating) and also to have been a murder victim. The mystery mummy turns out to be connected to the family of Fin’s childhood sweetheart Marsaili, and solving the mystery could put Fin and everyone he cares about in danger. I liked this one a bit more than the first, more than enough to look forward to finishing off the series with the final book, which I did earlier this year.
[The Chessmen] (2014) brings some closure to Fin’s story, while leaving the reader enough hints to project into the future for the people on the Isle of Lewis. May once again pulls past mysteries together with the present to create a web of memory and danger that doesn’t seem to care who it ensnares. In this case, Fin takes a job investigating a privately owned hunting estate’s poaching problem. His task is complicated when he learns that a childhood friend may be the responsible party, and another childhood friend, long missing, turns up quite definitely dead and murdered to boot. I found the by-now-familiar melding of past and present storylines to be well-paced, though there’s a bit more jumping back and forth in time than is my usual taste.
Ultimately, I finished The Chessmen feeling satisfied with the story that May had told across all three books. They fit together beautifully, managing to advance the storyline without too much rehashing previous events. The only unanswered question I was left with was when I’ll be able to make my own visit to what sounds like a beautiful part of the world.
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stationed in Edinburgh, but the return to his hometown is complicated by tragedies both past and present. I made a mental note to check back in with the trilogy at some point.Last year, I read the second novel (2012’s [The Lewis Man]) which finds Fin having quit the Edinburgh police force and moved back to the Isle of Lewis to fix up his parents’ old home and try to come to terms with his past and present troubles. He winds up assisting with an investigation into the discovery of a bog body that turns out to be not as ancient as first thought (an Elvis tattoo being as effective as carbon dating) and also to have been a murder victim. The mystery mummy turns out to be connected to the family of Fin’s childhood sweetheart Marsaili, and solving the mystery could put Fin and everyone he cares about in danger. I liked this one a bit more than the first, more than enough to look forward to finishing off the series with the final book, which I did earlier this year.
[The Chessmen] (2014) brings some closure to Fin’s story, while leaving the reader enough hints to project into the future for the people on the Isle of Lewis. May once again pulls past mysteries together with the present to create a web of memory and danger that doesn’t seem to care who it ensnares. In this case, Fin takes a job investigating a privately owned hunting estate’s poaching problem. His task is complicated when he learns that a childhood friend may be the responsible party, and another childhood friend, long missing, turns up quite definitely dead and murdered to boot. I found the by-now-familiar melding of past and present storylines to be well-paced, though there’s a bit more jumping back and forth in time than is my usual taste.
Ultimately, I finished The Chessmen feeling satisfied with the story that May had told across all three books. They fit together beautifully, managing to advance the storyline without too much rehashing previous events. The only unanswered question I was left with was when I’ll be able to make my own visit to what sounds like a beautiful part of the world.
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LibraryThing member kheders
Well written, keeps the reader engaged. Another good mystery and best to start with first of the trilogy. Enjoyed reading about the island, Gaelic culture, the environment and culture. A good story!
LibraryThing member Ma_Washigeri
This very nearly got 4 stars. Up until the last few chapters it was so well written I didn't even notice how the memories of times gone by were all written in the first person, while the ongoing action is third person, giving a very intimate portrait of Fin Macleod. Endings are difficult and it
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didn't quite work for me - the last few chapters felt like a bit of a blood bath although now I look back there was a lot less killing than it felt like. Show Less
Physical description
400 p.
Pages
400