The Chessmen: The Lewis Trilogy

By: Peter May

Narrated by: Peter Forbes

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's summary

Marilyn Stasio in The New York Times raved, "Peter May is a writer I'd follow to the ends of the earth." Among the many honors received, The Blackhouse, the first novel in May's acclaimed Lewis trilogy, won the Barry and Crime Thriller Hound awards.

Now, with The Chessmen, Peter May gives us a dramatic conclusion to his award-winning Lewis trilogy.

Living again of the Isle of Lewis, the ex-detective inspector Fin McLeod is working as a security officer for a local landowner. While investigating illegal activity on the estate, Fin encounters elusive poacher and former childhood friend Whistler Macaskill.

But while Fin catches up with Whistler, the two witness a freak natural phenomenon - a "bog burst" - that spontaneously drains a loch of its water, revealing a mud-encased light aircraft with a sickeningly familiar moniker on its side.

Both men immediately know that they will find inside: the body of Roddy Mackenzie, a friend whose flight disappeared more than 17 years before. But when Whistler's face appears to register something other than shock, an icy chill of apprehension overtakes Fin. What secret has Whistler been hiding from him and everyone else on the island? Fin is unprepared for how the truth about the past will alter the course of the future.

©2015 Peter May (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"This intriguing story alternates between the present, the past, and the distant past, skillfully introducing all of the characters and motives that will play an integral part in the solution of the mysteries. It is powerfully written, both in the descriptions of the barren landscape and the complicated and constantly changing relationships of the primary people involved." ( Mystery Scene Magazine)

"Peter May is a writer I'd follow to the ends of the earth." (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times)

"Poetic...the atmosphere is altogether magical." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Super

Beautiful writing. Great characters. Well plotted and a great listen. Hope there are more Finn stories.

enjoyable

well written, appropriate length and I love the setting
It was worth finding the first volume in this series (which is not available on Audible except in German for some reason) and read all three in order.

Brilliant.

Beautiful narration. Compelling characters. Engaging plot. Vividly described setting in the Hebrides Islands. I loved learning more about Scotland from this trilogy.

Best of the three.

There was a better balance between the character dialogue and background stories. There was too much background story telling in the first novel. I don’t know. Maybe all that background information carried over into the other novels so that there was only a need for background on the current characters. But, it made for a better story.

The Lewis Trilogy

The writing in these three novels far exceeds that of a typical "mystery" or crime novel. The author captures the character of this remote Scottish island in every sentence. The narrator of the audiobook brought nuance and mood to these marvelous works.

wonderful stories and writing!

Peter May consistently writes mystery infused with passion and poetry. His stories are engaging and he paints beautiful pictures with words and Scottish flare.

"Masterpiece Mystery" lovers will love this!

Thoughtfully developed characters, stunningly beautiful unique setting, secrets, plot twists, it has everything we love. Each book of the trilogy built on the one before, I couldnt put it down. The third book finale was perfect and completely satisfying. Love the author, love the narrator, I must go now and find more of their works.

Excellent story, well told

Good mysteries always bring more to the reader/listener than who Dunn it. Certainly this one did, with its fine details about life and history - distant and more recent- in the Scottish Hebrides.

Great Listen

But perhaps a few too many “incidents” toward the end of the novel. Otherwise another great Peter May listen.

What a fantastic trilogy

Chessmen was well worth the wait. Peter May writes so you feel like you are on the island and that you have known the characters all your life. He interweaves the childhoods of his characters with their "present day" adult lives allowing you to feel like these are people you grew up with. He is a fantastic story teller. The characters are flawed and yet likeable. Very worth the time to listen. I could not tun it off. Will listen to all three books again