I was recommended the books that comprise Peter May’s Lewis Trilogy by a friend who is for the most part a non-reader. This fact alone piqued my interest and once I’d devoured the first book I quickly gobbled up the other two. They remain, for me, amongst the best crime fiction stories I’ve read. I subsequently dabbled with some of the author’s other books and found that none matched the heights May achieved with the Lewis books. But when I glanced at the scant description for this one (‘a young meteorologist checking a mountain top weather station in Kinlochleven discovers the body of a missing man entombed in ice’) it immediately reminded me of those three cherished books. I was in.

But then the strangeness began. The book opens in the near future, not a huge step forward in time but massive changes have occurred. We’re introduced to a detective, Cameron Brodie, who has just received some very bad news. While he digests this he is dispatched off to Kinlochleven in the Scottish Highlands, in an e-chopper and freshly kitted out with all singing and dancing James Bond style glasses. So what is this, I thought, a science fiction novel? But now we learn that global warming has taken a dreadful toll on the planet and wholesale changes have taken place, more changes than I could have thought possible given the length of time elapsed. Ok, so now I’m wondering if this is perhaps a piece of eco fiction? I was confused and found that I wasn’t enjoying this tale much at all - I was already considering giving up on it.

But slowly the story settled in to a now and then tale – the then being 2023 – of a romance that ended badly and the search for an answer to the body in the ice mystery. I started to warm to it. The descriptions of the lonely, beautiful place Brodie visited and of the people he met there are wonderfully described, and I was surprised to discover that I now cared about the fate of this man; I wanted him to find answers, to resolve the unresolved. Truth to tell, the James Bond glasses still grated on me and in limiting the cast to just a small number of players the author creates a place that feels somewhat unreal, a contrived space where everyone seems to hide from sight. Yet despite all this, I still found myself eagerly returning to the book ever more desperate to see how it all played out.

So to what to make of a story that’s such a mix of parts, some that drew me in and others that pushed me away? It’s a difficult story to sum up and also a hard book to rate as I had such mixed feelings about the various elements here. The mix allows the story to develop in the way it does but there’s also a degree of incongruity about the whole thing. In conclusion, I’m driven toward a three star rating overall.

Som excellent dialogue and raw characters make this an eerie read. The challenges of the police work are exposed and the frustrations dug into. The violence and blood is well told and gives a strong atmosphere to the book making it come across as fresh and edgy. You feel the cold, the crunch of the icy leaves underfoot and follow the book longing for the family links to be made - an excellent ending links together the tale well.

A Winter Grave is something a little different from the ever-dependable Peter May. The action,and there's plenty of that,takes place in a climate-change ravaged Scotland of 2051 with parts of Glasgow resembling Venice and the Highlands constantly battered ,and it's landscape by savage storms and extreme temperatures.

In the remote Highland Village of KInlochleven a young metrologist is checking one of the weather stations she's responsible for when she discovers a dead body embedded in the roof of an ice tunnel that is identified as that of an investigative reporter who had gone missing some months earlier.
Glasgow policeman and experienced hill walker Cameron Brodie convinces his superiors that he's the man to investigate and along with pathologist Dr Sita Roy he heads out to the Highlands.........and a whole can of worms.

Brodie has personal reasons for wanting to investigate this particular crime .and after clashing initially him and Dr Roy make a good team. It's very obvious from the start that persons unknown don't want them sticking their noses in and that the killer is still within the area,cut off as are they from the outside world.

Climate change plays a big part in this story and Peter May makes his own views known, as well as his political leanings though it never gets "preachy". The Highland landscape features almost as another character and it's obvious from the way Peter May brings it to life that it's an area he dearly loves.
I found it a bit slow to start with ,Brodie is a morose and not particularly pleasant individual , but once the scene is set it soon picks up and is action all the way, with his backstory unfolding that explains why he's not a barrelful of laughs.

A great action thriller that will make you think a bit,and that's never a bad thing.

An interesting story set between 2023 and 2051. Climate change is happening. Glasgow no longer has roads it has waterways. People are relocating and dying in droves. The Glasgow police are still trying to do their job under punishing conditions. What's one life more or less.

Brilliant book - really got me thinking.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

I wasn't sure about this at first but the storyline picked up and drew me in. The back story of the leading character was interesting and the plot plausible. I understood the need to set the story in the near future, however I would have been happy to have had a contemporary setting. I'll be looking for more books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus.

This book gives the reader not only a great story but a glimpse of an apocalyptic future, with the planet having succumbed to the ravages of climate change. It is set mostly in Scotland in 2051 - a clever device, as it’s not so far ahead that readers will be unable to identify with it. Detective Cameron Brodie is sent to the Highlands to investigate the suspicious death of a journalist. He also has a personal connection with the town in which he finds himself, and this part of the plot becomes more complex as the story evolves. Towards the end the narratives intertwine in a very satisfying way, having taken us on a real roller coaster ride along the way. Of course the future of the earth may not be as horrifying as this book would suggest, but but surely it’s not worth taking the risk of a planet in which climate change has destroyed much of what we see as normal and comfortable. This is a riveting book on many levels, including an important message to all, along with a really cracking good story.

Absolutely stunning from the scenery to the storyline and everything inbetween.
This is set in a futuristic Scotland in a world that has been ravaged by climate changes. We’re only a handful of decades ahead and the landscape and environmental narrative is all very plausible which makes it even the more chilling a possibility, pun intended.

A young meteorologist takes a work based trek up a mountain and is faced with a dead body, frozen in ice. This chance discovery leads to a rollercoaster of secrets and intrigue and the body count starts to mount in this bleak and remote landscape.

The dynamic is further tipped when the detective investigating turns out to be the young woman’s (estranged) father who has his own personal troubles and time ticking for him in more ways than one. His backstory slowly emerges as he reveals it to his daughter and it is extremely poignant and heartfelt.

The pace of the story is fast and had my heart beating to the intense rollercoaster that it is. There were twists and turns and the plot fits together perfectly and eloquently. An immensely satisfying and enjoyable read and it will stay with me for a long time to come, I’m sure.

Although an enjoyable enough read, I was not overly taken in with the setting being in what I hope is the far off future. I had only read one previous Peter May book and to be honest didn’t find that making me want to read every other one. Perhaps having too many books waiting to be read was also a problem, as I was looking forward to some of those more than this one.

It’s 2051 and despite climate activists clear warnings, vast quantities of the planet are now under water with some countries having entirely disappeared resulting in refugees seeking homes wherever there is land. In Scotland the melting ice caps halt the Gulf Stream effect which means it is frequently hit by brutal snow and ice storms. Against this backdrop, Addie checks the mountain top weather station she instals above Kinlochleven in the Highlands when she notices what appears to be an ice tunnel which has created a cathedral like arch. She takes a selfie which captures her, the tunnel and, to her horror, a mans body entirely encased in the ice. Her screams echo around the valley below. The body proves to be investigative journalist Charles Younger, missing since August. DI Cameron Brodie from the Glasgow police force and pathologist Dr Sita Roy are sent to Kinlochleven to investigate.

This is another terrific, riveting read from a creative and talented author. I love the attention to detail in things such as possible advances between 2022/23 and the future and he makes it feel plausible. Equally credible is the immensely sobering climate change scenario and the political impact this could have. He makes me completely buy into it and be even more mindful and concerned.

The characters are excellent, especially the portrayal of Brodie allowing you to really understand him, his life and circumstances as the novel takes us back to 2023. There are some very good dynamics between the key characters especially Cameron and Addie with that situation being in constant flux.

This is a compelling blend of an environmental/political thriller with a puzzling mystery. There’s humour although this rightly diminishes as danger levels rise, there’s plenty of tension, excitement accompanied by a building menace and peril. There are some good plot twists that keep you hooked, the pace is fast and there are some Hollywood action movie worthy scenes which give a dystopian feel. Throughout it all there is atmosphere in abundance in the Highlands setting with cruel weather to further highlight the hazardous situations.

This is a gripping read and one I recommend to thriller fans.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus Books, riverrun for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Set in 2051 with full climate change predictions affecting the streets of Glasgow, this latest Peter May crime mystery did not disappoint. A really good read. I would recommend.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc

Another brilliant read by this author mystery and page turner