Review: Coffin Road by Peter May

Coffin Road
by Peter May
Published by Riverrun
Crime, mystery, thriller, contemporary

In his latest mystery set in Scotland and the Outer Hebrides, award-winning author Peter May spins a tale about three disparate cases that may or may not be linked... 

On the remote Isle of Harris in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, a man washes up on a deserted beach, hypothermic and completely disoriented. He has no idea who he is or how he got there. The only clue to his condition is a map of the island showing a desolate, ancient path called the Coffin Road. With a sense of dread and no clear idea what lies at the other end, he knows he must follow the trail if he has any hope of discovering his identity. 

Meanwhile, homicide detective George Gunn makes the rough ocean crossing to a remote, sea-battered lighthouse on a rock in the northern Atlantic, twenty miles west of the Outer Hebrides, to investigate a brutal murder. Despite its isolation, the tiny island has seen its share of tragedy: more than a century earlier, three lighthouse keepers disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again. And now there is a new tragedy, and Gunn must figure out what happened.

At the same time, a teenage girl lies in her Edinburgh bedroom, desperate to discover the truth about her father's death. Two years after the discovery of the pioneering scientist's suicide note, Karen Fleming still cannot accept that her father would willingly abandon her. And the more she discovers about the nature of his research, the more she suspects that suicide had nothing to do with it.

Coffin Road is a second Peter May crime novel, which I have read, and I've grown to like his writing style and atmospheric setting. What definitely draws me in is the location; this time it's Isle of Harris in Scotland. The life on the western isle has it's own idyll but also dangers, because the storms are merciless and the waters treacherous. For me, it only adds to the mystery and thriller aspects of the story. Some parts of the story is also set in Edinburgh, which is one of my favourite cities and I loved to see the characters roam around the city.

Coffin Road was a captivating mystery. Switching point of views and even timelines at times kept the mystery going, and every time I thought I had it figured out, something new and surprising came up and mixed it all again. It's almost impossible to see who is the bad guy here - or if everyone is a bad guy and no one particular is truly good and righteous. May writes beautifully flawed characters in that way, and it just feels so real. And a nod to the cameo from the Lewis Isles trilogy: Detective Gunn is a familiar face from them and it was nice to see him as a lead detective in this case. Overall, I just liked Neil, the man who wakes up on a beach without memories of who he is. It was fascinating on following his journey and his struggle to figure out who he is and what has he done.

If you're yearning for some Scottish crime fiction, then I recommend to check Coffin Road out. I'm not an expert on crime fiction, but the story was thrilling, complicated and captivating, and as such, I do recommend it.

4 of 5 stars

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