The Blackhouse by Peter May

A crime novel set on an island in the Outer Hebrides. This novel follows a group of classmates from primary school through to adulthood, flicking between events in the past and a present day murder investigation.

The dialogue is not particularly natural (I have never heard a not-especially-well-educated labourer chatting about ideas being "crystallised") which makes the characters seem unrealistic and a little two-dimensional. However, the plot is fairly pacy which holds your interest and there are some well observed descriptions of adolescent behaviour.

I did enjoy this whilst reading it but it is not especially memorable and in my view there are better contemporary thrillers (such as Sister).