Scottish authors have ploughed a rich crime fiction furrow over the years, with the likes of William McIlvanney, Val McDermid, Ian Rankin and Chris Brookmyre taking up the Tartan noir cudgel. Andrew Raymond is another one on that list with his DCI John Lomond books, set in Glasgow. Now, we can raise a wee dram at the arrival of The Long Isle, first book in his new Hebrides series.
The book’s title is inspired by one of the many names for the Outer Hebrides archipelago, and opens in dramatic fashion when the body of a young local priest is found brutally murdered on a deserted beach on the island of South Uist. Father Brendan’s hands have been nailed to a wooden beam, the tide lapping away any evidence of who did it.
In scenes reminiscent of last year’s The Silent Ones by Anna McPartlin, a bunch of city cops are sent over from the mainland to handle the case – after all, this is South Uist’s first ever murder. But it’s to their credit that the Glasgow gang have the sense to bring along someone with local knowledge, in the shape of Detective Constable Mairead Maclean, who must return to the island she once called home and hasn’t been back to in over 20 years.
With her teenage daughter, Jean, reluctantly in tow, Mairead meets up with the formidable Detective Chief Inspector Barr, a man with a reputation for getting results, whatever the cost. They’re chalk and cheese – a DC overflowing with compassion versus a DCI who is tough and without emotion. How is this going to work? That feeling of duality makes its presence felt again and again in this book; Glasgow and the Hebrides, loyalty and deceit, religion and politics, truth and lies…
It also applies to Mairead, who is welcomed with open arms by some of the islanders, shunned and outright detested by others. Nevertheless, she proves herself to be a vital member of the team and soon the investigation is in full flow – but are they looking in the right direction? Hard to tell when the islanders close ranks and lips and seem hell-bent on hindering rather than helping the police.
The Long Isle is an immersive read with an abundant sense of place. Reminiscent of Ann Cleeves’ Shetland books, there’s a real feeling of insularity and claustrophobia that keeps the reader fully engaged. The resulting ‘tiny world’ sensation also brought to mind Michael Connelly’s new Stilwell series, set on Catalina. Raymond’s lyrical prose ebbs and flows like the tide, mimicking the lilting accents of the South Uist residents in the process.
Characterisation is also spot on, with the yin and yang of Mairead and Barr acting as touchstone to everyone else featured here. Whether bit part players or important pieces of the puzzle, everyone is beautifully drawn and scarily lifelike. The cleverly woven plot also keeps the reader on their toes, with multiple strands – including one that involves Jean who, we are to discover, is not the only one with something to hide.
It’s clear that this author has a love of, and familiarity with, the locations he is describing – right down to a scene on the ferry across from the mainland that will resonate with anyone prone to seasickness! This is much more than a police procedural, and fans of crime books that use location as an extra character are going to love The Long Isle.
Rather than stretch the bounds of reality by inflicting multiple crimes on one small place, Raymond’s plan is to island hop to offer a different location for each book in this series – with Skye as the next destination. Let’s hope it isn’t too long before we’re making that journey together.
Watch the author reading an excerpt from the novel over on our YouTube channel, Video Evidence, and you’ll get a good flavour for it.
Vinci Books
Print/Kindle/iBook
£3.99
CFL Rating: 5 Stars
