"ENTRY ISLAND," by Peter May, Quercus, $26.99, 464 pages (f)
Anyone who lives on Entry Island rarely leaves.
Entry Island by Peter May is a classic murder mystery story. Quebec Surete detective Sime Mackenzie is tasked with finding the killer of a man who lived on Entry Island, which is about 850 miles east of Canadas mainland in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The catch is that Mackenzie recognizes the victims wife, Kirsty, even though hes never met her before.
The first quarter of the book is a strong investigative tale with Sime digging into the matter alongside his ex-wife. Its easy to care for Sime and his friends, and the mystery surrounding the island pulls readers deep into the tale. Its not an easy book to put down.
About 90 pages in, readers are introduced to a new perspective told in first person by Simes distant Scottish relative. This back story helps share a little bit more about how Sime might know Kirsty.
The back story is one of the flaws of the book. Its different from the rest of the book and seems more like a history lesson on Scottish and Irish history than a meaningful contribution to the plot. Its clear May uses the back story to help readers understand how Sime knows Kirsty, but thats really accomplished in the first few pages of the first back story chapter.
The reveal of how Sime knows Kirsty is very predictable. The reveal is built as a major twist in the book when it really isnt a twist at all.
Similarly, the killers reveal is a bit of a letdown, too. The motive ties the back story and the main plot together a little bit more, but its a bit of a weak reason for murdering Kirstys husband and setting off a chain of events.
Entry Island is filled with excellent writing and description as well as a fast plot to keep readers tied up for hours. Though the book could have been enhanced by a stronger motive for the killer and a better use of back story, its still a fun read with concise and clear writing.
This book contains mature themes, such as infidelity, and occasional generally described violence, including fistfights as well as knife and gun use. There's also some occasional swearing throughout and some sexual situations.
Anyone who lives on Entry Island rarely leaves.
Entry Island by Peter May is a classic murder mystery story. Quebec Surete detective Sime Mackenzie is tasked with finding the killer of a man who lived on Entry Island, which is about 850 miles east of Canadas mainland in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The catch is that Mackenzie recognizes the victims wife, Kirsty, even though hes never met her before.
The first quarter of the book is a strong investigative tale with Sime digging into the matter alongside his ex-wife. Its easy to care for Sime and his friends, and the mystery surrounding the island pulls readers deep into the tale. Its not an easy book to put down.
About 90 pages in, readers are introduced to a new perspective told in first person by Simes distant Scottish relative. This back story helps share a little bit more about how Sime might know Kirsty.
The back story is one of the flaws of the book. Its different from the rest of the book and seems more like a history lesson on Scottish and Irish history than a meaningful contribution to the plot. Its clear May uses the back story to help readers understand how Sime knows Kirsty, but thats really accomplished in the first few pages of the first back story chapter.
The reveal of how Sime knows Kirsty is very predictable. The reveal is built as a major twist in the book when it really isnt a twist at all.
Similarly, the killers reveal is a bit of a letdown, too. The motive ties the back story and the main plot together a little bit more, but its a bit of a weak reason for murdering Kirstys husband and setting off a chain of events.
Entry Island is filled with excellent writing and description as well as a fast plot to keep readers tied up for hours. Though the book could have been enhanced by a stronger motive for the killer and a better use of back story, its still a fun read with concise and clear writing.
This book contains mature themes, such as infidelity, and occasional generally described violence, including fistfights as well as knife and gun use. There's also some occasional swearing throughout and some sexual situations.