Scotland Book Club Reviews

Review: Coffin Road by Peter May

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A man finds himself washed up on a beach on the Isle of Harris with no concept of who he is or how he got there. His only clue is a map of a path named the Coffin Road.

Shortly after, a body is found at a remote lighthouse offshore with its own mysterious past. It’s up to a mainland detective to find out what has happened and why.

Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, a teenage girl is intent on finding out what really caused her scientist father to commit suicide.

All of their paths will intersect as they each seek to find the truth… but is it one they want to know?
I loved Peter May’s Lewis Trilogy, in fact, it’s part of the reason why the Scotland Book Club was started, so I was happy to immerse myself in another of his books set in the Outer Hebrides. May has a brilliant way of bringing the landscape to life and providing a real sense of atmosphere and place in his novels. Coffin Road is no exception, with his descriptions of the ruggedness of the beach and remoteness of the island in the first few pages really setting the scene.

The environmental plot is certainly one that I’ve never come across before and added an interesting layer to the murder mystery. The main character can remember certain things but not others. As the story progresses, parts of his memory come back in flashes as he seeks to find out who he is, with us right there alongside him. I’m not sure how realistic it is to have this kind of memory loss/recall, and this doubt meant it was a little distracting and pulled me out of the story at times.

Overall it was an intriguing read with good twists and highlights real issues the world is facing. While I wondered at times how believable the story might be, Peter May weaves a gripping tale, so I was able to suspend my belief and enjoy the book.

Coffin Road wasn’t quite as gripping as the Lewis Trilogy, and if you haven’t read any of his previous novels, I would start there then follow up with this one. Nevertheless, it’s a good standalone novel and a great example of Peter May’s fantastic descriptive writing of the Hebrides and ability to keep you on the edge of your seat.