
The Chessmen
The Lewis Trilogy, Book 3
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Narrated by:
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Peter Forbes
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By:
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Peter May
About this listen
Living again off the Isle of Lewis, ex-detective inspector Fin Macleod is working as a security officer for a local landowner. While investigating illegal activity on the estate, Fin encounters the elusive poacher and former childhood friend and bandmate Whistler Macaskill.
When Fin catches up with Whistler among the windswept hills of the estate, the two witness a freak natural phenomenon - a bog burst - that drains a loch of all its water in a flash, revealing a mud-encased light aircraft with a sickeningly familiar moniker on its side.
Both men immediately know what they will find inside: the body of Roddy Mackenzie, a friend whose flight disappeared more than 17 years earlier. 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.
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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)
"May brings his acclaimed Lewis trilogy to a close with a novel that is both wrenching and hopeful.... [A]n utterly absorbing mystery." (Booklist, starred review)
"The Chessmen is well up to the high standard of its two predecessors: tightly plotted, with no skimping on either the nuances of character or the wonderfully evocative descriptions of rugged island landscapes that have made these books a true pleasure to read." (The Guardian)
Completely amazing!
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Unforgettable characters, setting, story
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The presentation was well done and the effective characterizations will stick with me like old friends.
Thank You.
Sad it's over.
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The narrator, Peter Forbes, was excellent, as well, although I found a very few of the Gaelic words mispronounced. (In his defense, though, it is a hard language to master, as I can attest after my two years of studying Scots Gaelic!)
At the end of this third book of the Lewis trilogy, I'm left wanting more. I suppose that may be the highest compliment a writer can receive, and I gladly give it to Mr. May.
Brilliant story; masterfully written and performed
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good plot, dark sad ending
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OMG
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Peter May’s The Chessmen
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Best of the trilogy!
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Not quite as compelling as the first two in the series…
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Another Great Peter May Story
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