The Blackhouse

The Blackhouse is the first novel of The Lewis Trilogy[1] by the Scottish writer Peter May. A suspense thriller,[2] the action takes place mostly on the remote and weather-beaten Isle of Lewis off the coast of northern Scotland. The protagonist, Detective Inspector Finlay Macleod (known as Fin), a native of the island, is sent from his Edinburgh police station to investigate the murder of a man who, it transpires, was the bully at Fin’s school. The modus operandi of the crime resembles a murder that Fin recently investigated in Edinburgh, so there is the possibility of a common perpetrator.

The Blackhouse
Paperback edition
AuthorPeter May
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Lewis Trilogy
GenreNovel
PublisherQuercus
Publication date
2011
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)
Pages475 pp (paperback)
ISBN978-1-84916-386-6
Followed byThe Lewis Man 

The story unfolds as the chapters alternate between present-day events, written in the third person, and Fin’s childhood, written in the first person. As the narrative progresses, it emerges that Fin and his childhood story are intimately linked with the murder.

In 2011, The Blackhouse won the 2011 Cezam Prix Littéraire Inter CE, a readers' prize for best novel by a European author, published in France.

Peter May with the 2013 Barry Award for Best Novel, for his book, The Blackhouse.

In 2013, The Blackhouse won the Barry Award for Best Novel of the Year at a ceremony at Bouchercon, in Albany, New York, US.[3]

The novel was adapted as a full-cast BBC Radio serial consisting of four 30 minute episodes. Cal MacAninch starred as Fin.

References
  1. Quercus Books web site
  2. Book Review New York Times, 16 November 2012
  3. "2013 Barry Award Winners". Crimespree. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
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