Death on the island

A Long Time Dead by JM Dalgliesh is the first of a series of crime novels set in the Isle of Skye. It features Detective Inspector Duncan McAdam who was brought up on the island but has pursued his career in Glasgow. He is sent to the island to investigate a body which has been found buried in a remote spot, but he doesn’t want to be there and he isn’t trusted by his new colleagues.

Skye is a very beautiful and special place and I was interested to read a book set on the island. The author makes full use of the landscape and environment in this book, and the setting enhances the story considerably. Another feature of the story is the insular nature of the island where people know each other well and have grown up together – Duncan finds that his past will be important to him as he undertakes this investigation.

The body that has been uncovered is that of a young woman who was thought to have run away from home twenty years ago. Duncan has to delve into the past of many local people to try and uncover what happened and, of course, most of them don’t want to discuss this and are keeping secrets.

I have read many novels where a detective has a difficult past or where they return to their childhood home, or where they are not popular with colleagues or their superiors. This book is not particularly novel, but it is well plotted and written and I found it an entertaining and enjoyable read – I shall look out for others in this series.