Peter May's new book is set a few decades into the future from now (2051); with some "flashbacks" to our own time. It starts with a young meteorologist (female) discovering the body of a man entombed in ice when she's checking a mountain top weather station in Scotland. A detective from Glasgow, Cameron Brodie, volunteers to go up there to investigate the murder case. He has his own private reasons for choosing to embark on this hazardous mission. As readers, we get to know what they are - but his superiors don't...
The futuristic setting serves to assume that climate changes have kept progressing since our own time, and also that technology has kept being developed a bit further. No so much as to seem really unrealistic, though. The story involves a sort of automatic AI helicopter (a programmed air taxi without a pilot aboard), and also a new kind of 'virtual reality' glasses (looking like normal ones, so their multi-functions not obvious to everyone).
Brodie's personal interest in the case turns out to go deeper than he even suspected himself, and the story of course takes several twists and turns before the end. Suspense is kept up throughout, and at the same time we also get vivid images of the landscape and climate in which it is set.
I chose to get this book as audio book, as I know from previous listening experience that Peter Forbes is a superb narrator of Peter May's stories - and especially those set in Scotland. His dialect enhances the impression of "being there".
I still have not read any of Peter May‘s works, although your reviews keep wanting me to.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Brodie in this book is a nod to the Detective Brodie stories by Kate Atkinson, it seems quite a coincidence.
Meike, I on the other hand have not read Kate Atkinson's detective novels so have no opinion about that (coincidence or not). I read a couple of other books of hers which were a struggle to get through and even at the end left me feeling I hadn't a clue - so not feeling tempted to try the detective ones either...
Deletesounds good from what you say about it. i love supense
ReplyDeleteSandra I think you might appreciate Peter May from that point of view.
DeleteThis looks like a good one.
ReplyDeleteI've read other books by Peter May, and will probably get round to buying this one for my Kindle at some time. I still have a very large backlog of unread books and would like to read more of those before buying additional ones. This past week I've read at least four from the list, but it's hardly made a dent!
ReplyDeleteI recognise that situation, Carol! I cancelled my Audible membership a year or so ago to do some catching up... Rejoined now with this book (getting that one for free!) as I know there are a couple of others by favourite authors coming this spring that I'll want to get as audio books as well. On my Kindle, I have more books waiting than I'll ever find time to read, as I keep collecting free classics and cheap bargains...
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