Entry Island - Softcover

May, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1848669666 ISBN 13: 9781848669666

Publisher: Quercus Hardbacks, 2014

Synopsis

When a murder rocks the isolated community of Entry Island, insomniac homicide detective Sime Mackenzie boards a light aircraft at St. Hubert airfield bound for the small, scattered chain of Madeline Islands, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, as part of an eight-officer investigation team from Montréal.

Only two kilometers wide and three long, Entry Island is home to a population of just more than 100 inhabitants, the wealthiest of whom has just been discovered murdered in his home. Covered in her husband's blood, the dead man's melancholy wife spins a tale for the police about a masked intruder armed with a knife.

The investigation appears to be little more than a formality--the evidence points to a crime of passion, implicating the wife. But Sime is electrified by the widow during his interview, convinced that he has met her before, even though this is clearly impossible.

Haunted by this strange certainty, Sime's insomnia is punctuated by vivid, hallucinatory dreams of a distant past on a Scottish island 3,000 miles away, dreams in which he and the widow play leading roles. Sime's conviction soon becomes an obsession. And despite mounting evidence of the woman's guilt, he finds himself convinced of her innocence, leading to a conflict between the professional duty he must fulfill and the personal destiny he is increasingly sure awaits him.

About this title

About the Author

Peter May is the multi award-winning author of the internationally bestselling Lewis Trilogy, set in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland; the China Thrillers, featuring Beijing detective Li Yan and American forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell; and the critically acclaimed Enzo Files, featuring Scottish forensic scientist Enzo MacLeod, set in France. Entry Island won both the Deanston Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and the ITV Crime Thriller Best Read of the Year. One of Scotland's most prolific television dramatists, he garnered more than a thousand credits in fifteen years as scriptwriter and script editor on prime-time British television drama. He is the creator of three major television drama series and presided over two of the highest-rated serials in his homeland before quitting television to concentrate on his first love, writing novels. May lives in France with his wife, the writer Janice Hally.

Review

"A Gordian-knotted plot . . . The final result is a fascinating glimpse into a shameful and frequently overlooked aspect of British history. The author has followed the ties that spread out from the Hebrides to the strong Scottish Gaelic-speaking communities on North America's eastern seaboard and used them to embellish a modern murder mystery."―The Independent

"May is the master of painting a vivid picture of his chosen landscapes and weaving a fascinating plot. The research he has packed in to this well-paced dual tale is impressive . . . An absorbing read from a writer at the top of his game."―Daily Express

"Breathes fresh life into his writing while allowing many of the themes he likes to explore, such as secrets from the past that carry through to the present, to be revisited."―Crimepieces

"May follows his superb Lewis trilogy with an equally absorbing work . . . Mackenzie's historical quest merges rivetingly with his 21st century police work."―Marcel Berlins, The Times

"In a word, superlative and a book to get lost in."―Deadly Pleasures Magazine

"This is a tale of two islands, two mysteries, and two places and times. A tale of misfits isolated within their own cultures, and a tale of cultures battling each other, both in the 1800s and today."―Suspense Magazine

"...a police procedural with elements of romance plus a healthy infusion of historical fiction. That it works so well is owing to May's ability to create atmosphere you can cut with a dirk and to his storytelling prowess that sweeps all before it."―Library Journal

"Fascinating history. May is wonderful at atmosphere."―Booklist

Edition details

• Publisher: Quercus Hardbacks
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1848669666
• ISBN 13: 9781848669666
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 544