Entry Island: An edge-of-your-seat thriller you won't forget

This is a very personal viewpoint and clearly Peter May has many devoted followers but this was not for me. I thought I was about to read a novel about a murder and it’s consequences but the interspersing of historical content alongside this almost as a second narrative did not succeed for me; the “romantic” element read like a Mills and Boon and the Scottish element was insufficiently fleshed out. It was neither one thing not the other, it felt far too much like pop-history and not rooted enough in the real accounts of the highland clearances. I did like the Canadian setting, somewhere I do not know enough about and did find interesting but trying to weave two distinct narratives together just got in the way of a half decent crime novel. I spead read most of that part and was unsure whether it was going to descend into a supernatural tale, a genre which I avoid like the plague. It did not but it was always on my horizon which irritated me.The book must have some qualities in it as I did finish it, which I do not always do if not finding reasonable enjoyment. It was curiousity which took me to the end, almost against my better judgement. The end really was saccharine and quite trite. I do not think I will read another by this author although I did read and enjoy the Lewis trilogy. I am staggered at it being awarded Crime Thriller of the Year; can only assume Specsavers is better at eyes than books! Stay with the day job, Specsavers?

As all too often with this author, this was an enjoyable, well-written book let down by a silly, ridiculously improbable plot/ending. Anything, it seems, for an unexpected twist, and farewell logic, common sense and even the slightest touch of credibility. I had some issues with the diary too: no teenager in his position, undergoing his troubles, would keep a journal, and as a semi-literate Gaelic speaker he certainly wouldn’t have written it in English. And confessing in it to one manslaughter and one murder......Bah!

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful... I have a confession to make and if there was such a thing as a PMA Group I would stand up and say, "I am Annik and I am a Peter May Addict." The New York Times reviewer said "Peter May is an author I'd follow to the ends of the earth" and I would agree with him/her wholeheartedly.I was originally captivated and entranced by the Lewis Trilogy which I happened upon by chance and thought could not be surpassed. I waited with bated breath for "The Chessmen". My husband and I had been due to go on holiday to the Outer Hebrides a couple of years ago when the Australian great friend who was to accompany us died ten weeks after diagnosis from a very rare cancer on the day we would have taken the ferry. My husband and I couldn't bear to go through with the trip but the Outer Hebrides and all the research I'd done about the place still fascinated me. I thought Peter May was a master writer and couldn't imagine how he could repeat the fabulous trilogy.Then after a significant time, I decided to read the Enzo series, having been put off by his name and thinking they would be about Italy – not France. My husband and I now live in France for six months of the year and have had our house in the Creuse, on the brink of the Massif Central, for 20 years. I devoured the five Enzo books in a fortnight and appreciated all the nuances about French life that Peter May wove into his series. Enzo is a fascinating character, his personal life is rivetting and the cold crime puzzles he tackles are intriguing; I am bereft that apparently there is only going to be one more title in the series. (What happened to the seventh mystery?)I then read four of the six Chinese-based books and although the heroine is impossibly annoying, loved them too. I even recommended them to a friend whose son works in China as an English teacher to kindergarten age children. I knew almost nothing about China before reading the books but now feel I have learned a tiny but significant amount.I have just finished "Entry Island", which I thought was brilliant. I am now going to read all his "other" works. As a former journalist I am looking forward to the very early titles, "The Reporter" and "The Standard". I hope there will be enough to keep me going for a few months, anyway...All I can say about Peter May's work is that he is a genius and YOU MUST READ HIM!