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In addition to the Lewis Trilogy, the Enzo Files, and the China Thrillers, Peter was also able to write six standalone novels including his very first novel, The Reporter published in 1978. In this novel, investigative reporter, Colin Anderson, unknowingly puts his life and the life of his assistant, Janis Sinclair, on the line when he begins to uncover what could very well be the biggest international sabotage of all time. Peter’s other standalone novels include Fallen Hero 1979, Hidden Faces 1981 and 1982, The Noble Path 1992 and 1993, Virtually Dead 2010, and Entry Island 2014. Television and Film That sums up how I felt through much of the book. Wet and cold! This part of the world is known for some challenging weather, so it’s no surprise that it’s a feature here. A man washes up on a beach in the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides and has no idea who he is. The story was involved but always intriguing, I enjoyed the characters very much and there was a bit of a twist at the end which I was not expecting. One star lost though for bombarding me with 'scientific' information. If I wanted to know that much detail about bees I would read a science journal and be sure I was reading facts. That's just me though. It seems an eternity before I am able to open my eyes, and then I am blinded by the light. A searing pain in my head, pupils contracting rapidly to bring a strange world into focus. I am lying face-down, wet sand on my lips, in my nostrils. Blinking furiously, making tears to wash the stuff from my eyes. And then it is all I can see. Sand, stretching away to a blurred horizon. Tightly ribbed. Platinum pale. Almost bleached. A man wakes up on a beach, with no memory of who he is or how he got their, he appears to be known as Neal Maclean, though this rings no bells for him.
Book review: Coffin Road by Peter May - Debbish Book review: Coffin Road by Peter May - Debbish
These three aspects come together brilliantly, working together to slowly unfold the main mystery of the book. Parts reminded me of the first China thriller, in the way there was something much larger than any of the individual characters at play, but it was far from a carbon copy of the book. When I took up with crime fiction, I assumed some of the same good things would be at play as in “serious” fiction. I frequently find it is not. Take Coffin Road by Peter May. He uses one of the saddest tropes in fiction or drama: “I have to know.” In this case it’s Neal –or is it? He was washed up on shore in the Hebrides and has no memory. He must find out who he is, for he soon discovers a dead body. Is he the killer?Have read The Lewis Trilogy, The Enzo Files, and just finished the First of he China Books…The research in each book is outstanding. I have enjoyed each book and look forward to reading all of Peter May’s books. Reply I find him an excellent writer who is very descriptive and paints a picture for the reader without boring them. Two other protagonists in the story are a local detective DS George Gunn and a teenage girl, Karen Flemming, in Edinburgh. Eventually their paths cross as the mystery deepens and then begins to unravel.
Coffin Road by Peter May: Summary and reviews - BookBrowse
MILLION-SELLING PETER MAY MIXES MURDER, MYSTERY and MEMORY . . . AND MARKS HIS RETURN TO THE OUTER HEBRIDES Meanwhile, George Gunn, a detective, is on the case, as he too has to cross the sea and he discovers the aforementioned body, Gunn, a man who can't take the sea well, is ridiculed by his colleagues due to his weak stomach, this provided some comical moments in an otherwise serious story. Location is always important for me. I always regard the location of the book as being like one of the characters. When I wrote the China series, China was the third character. Or sometimes it was Beijing, or sometimes it was Shanghai, wherever it was set, that setting would dominate and dictate the shape of the story in lots of ways. So it’s exactly like that for the islands as well. They are absolutely essential to me in placing a story and shaping a story, because the kind of stories that I’ve written which are set on the islands, you couldn’t really set them on the mainland. They are very specific to those locations. So evoking the location, making that real and a living thing for the reader is absolutely essential for me. And then of course when she discovers that he’s got the memory loss, it’s almost then a reverse situation, it’s like being with a stranger. If you’re with somebody that you know well then you’re totally at ease, you know them and they know you, you kind of have shorthand for your relationship. But when the other person has lost their memory and doesn’t know you, then in a way you’ve totally lost touch with them and you don’t know them anymore either. The persona of this guy that she knew was an artificial one anyway, but he doesn’t know that. So it’s endlessly complex that way.Detective Sergeant George Gunn has been assigned to investigate the discovery of a body on the Flannan Isles. He does not know the man's identity, who killed him or why, and begins an investigation that seems to have absolutely no clues. This thriller starts with a man washed up on a beach. As he struggles along the adjacent road, he is recognized by a resident as James McLean and the older woman with her dog walks him to his cottage. McLean doesn't remember who he is or what happened to him. He is greeted by his dog, Bran, is only companion. Later other neighbors drop by and he is able to piece together a bit more. Searching his cottage yields few clues to his identity, and he keeps his amnesia a secret. I thought about dnf-ing this one but then some bee stuff happened and I love bees, so I kept going and then it was too late to abort the mission. Neal sleeps a long time and is awakened by a visit from the couple from next door. He tries to fudge his way through a conversation about the book he is supposedly writing, and a little later there’s a surprising romantic interlude which is even more confusing, but welcome and relaxing. He finds a map with a route along Coffin Road marked, so he figures he might was well go to the end of the mark and see what’s there. His lady friend offers to drive him.
Peter May: An Exclusive Interview on Coffin Road - WHSmith Blog Peter May: An Exclusive Interview on Coffin Road - WHSmith Blog
Coffin Road opens with a man washed up on the deserted Luskentyre beach with no memory of who he is, where he came from or how he got there. Slowly he begins to unravel details of his character and life, but with each revelation comes more questions and confusion. Just who is Neal Maclean and what has happened to him? His life is becoming dangerous, and he has no idea whom to trust. Karen finds herself in similar dicey situations in her quest for answers as well. Nothing is as it appears. Another man lies dead from a head bashing in a small chapel at a lighthouse on Eilean Mor. Detective Sergeant George Gunn is sent from Stornoway on Isle of Lewis to investigate who the dead man is and what he was doing on the uninhabited island and who would want him dead. No small task with no ID on the murder victim. His only lead is the identification of a man seen fleeing the island by a tourist boat captain. The novel’s well written and fast-paced and there are quite a few twists and turns to navigate along the way. (Like the choppy unpredictable waters the characters traverse via boat!) The light at Luskentyre is stunning. The wind is brisk but soft. The land has soaked up everything thrown at it last night by the storm. It has, it seems, an endless capacity to do so. The sky presents itself in torn strips of bI wish all of my Goodreads’ friends a wonderful Holiday whether you are celebrating the Thanksgiving Day in the US or not. Best wishes to all.
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