Entry Island has a population of 100 people, and the wealthiest of them has just been murdered. Montréal homicide detective and insomniac Sime Mackenzie is assigned to the case, but the investigation appears to be little more than a formality – the evidence points to a crime of passion, implicating the wife. But during Sime’s initial interview with Kristy, he is stricken by familiarity, swearing he has met her before, even though this is clearly an impossibility. Haunted by this strange certainty, Sime’s insomnia is punctuated by vivid, hallucinatory dreams of a distant past on a Scottish island in which Sime and Kirsty play main roles. These dreams become even more sensational when Sime and Kirsty realize they both own family heirlooms carved with the same crest – Sime a ring, and Kirsty a necklace. The conflict between the professional duty he must fulfill and the personal destiny Sime is increasingly sure awaits him begins to threaten the investigation, the cohesion of the police team, and his career.
The result is a dueling narrative: a first-person account of The Highland Clearances, a significant past event that reveals a growing web of connections and a present-day investigation of a mysterious crime. As The Daily Express says, “May is the master of painting a vivid picture or his chosen landscapes and weaving a fascinating plot. The researched he has packed in to this well-paced dual tale is impressive…An absorbing read from a writer at the top of his game.”
Already the winner of the Deanston Scottish Crime Novel of the Year and the ITV Crime Thriller Club Best Read of the Year in the UK, Entry Island goes on sale tomorrow in bookstores and e-tailers in the United States.
After the jump, check out the first chapter of this exciting new thriller.
