I was just settling in to S.G. MacLean's historical thriller The Bookseller of Inverness when illness struck the wider family and I found myself with little time to read and much less concentration than usual. Nevertheless, the excellent, elegant writing kept the pages turning, and distractions notwithstanding (I managed none of my customary note-taking for this book!) I was quickly immersed in an intriguing and very satisfying tale of Jacobites and Hanoverians set in Inverness in 1752.
The bookseller of the title is Iain MacGillivray, survivor of the battle of Culloden, a man doing his best to lead a quiet life - despite his family's tumultuous past. When a curious stranger is found dead in the bookshop, his throat cut apparently by a sword bearing a Jacobite emblem, Iain finds himself at the heart of a mission to settle old scores.
Time and place are recreated here in fine style, Highland culture brought vividly to life. You'll find yourself wanting to visit Inverness and follow in Iain's footsteps around the wild and beautiful northern landscape. My mother's family hails from Easter Ross - no great distance from where the novel is set - and so I recognised many of the Gaelic words, phrases, speech patterns the characters use as authentically of the place.
Taken altogether, this is a rich and beautifully made book, a gripping story, and an effortless history lesson. I enjoyed it greatly; do give it a try!
