Missing Pieces

by Jennifer MacKenzie Dunbar

Inspired by the 1831 discovery of a hoard of priceless chess pieces on a remote Scottish Island, Missing Pieces tells the story of four women who created and protected the now famous artefacts.
When Marianne is coerced into leaving the security of her comfortable London life to curate an exhibition on the Isle of Lewis, she uncovers her own ancestral connection to the mysterious island. Her eerie connections to the past introduce us to Magrit, the Icelandic artisan, beholden to a power-hungry Bishop, Morven, the rescuer, who seeks intimacy with a mysterious stranger and Mhairi, the negotiator, fighting a greedy landlord to stave off starvation and eviction.
Missing Pieces is a story about women’s determination, passion and cunning and the power of love to right the wrongs of the past.
‘Spanning centuries and cultures, this gripping and evocative mystery deftly slips between present and past invoking a vivid sense of place around strong characters.’ — Sophie Masson, award-winning author of The Hunt for Ned Kelly
‘Beautifully written, expertly weaving the history of these fascinating artefacts across time, evoking a vivid sense of place.’ — Stacey Howard, Mockingbird Lounge, bookshop owner-manager.
‘A truly authentic depiction of the Scottish islanders, capturing their strength, tenacity, and their enduring cultural and spiritual connection to the landscape.’ — Margaret Sinclair, former resident of Vatersay and Barra.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Scotland

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2023

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this historical fiction by Australian author Jennifer Mackenzie Dunbar as a Book Club read. This is a book which has so many fascinating elements for me. I love books which delve into family history, island settings, the Highlands, strong women, archaeology and both Celtic and Nordic mythology. This book features the mystery surrounding the Lewis Chessmen or Uig Chessmen, tiny figures intricately carved out of walrus-tusk ivory that date back to the 12th Century, possibly originally from Norway. The chess pieces were discovered by crofters on the Isle of Lewis in 1831, but date back to a far earlier era when the Outer Hebrides were a viking stronghold.




The Lewis Chess Pieces. National Museums Scotland


Isle of Lewis. Airbnb.

The story begins with thirty-something year old Marianne Mackay, who despite a strong research background in archaeology and particularly repatriation of cultural heritage items, is working as a laboratory technician for the British Museum, with a toxic, misogynist line-manager. Marianne is struggling to move past the unexpected death of her father, and also buried secrets from long ago that keep shifting to the fore. When she is unwillingly packed off to the Isle of Lewis to host an exhibition of the Chessmen, she finds herself drawn to the tiny island and its inquisitive inhabitants. Despite her reserved and prickly exterior, Marianne is welcomed as a local and noted to have the Macleod look of her ancestors.

Marianne invites her mother Shona, an eternal optimist and genealogy enthusiast, to accompany her. The two have a strained and difficult relationship, frayed by their very different responses to their shared griefs, and the tension of this is felt throughout the story.

The story shifts between different timelines, moving back to Magrit the Adroit, a skilled carver in Iceland in 1190, then to Morven, a crofter in Lewis around the same time. Lastly it shifts to Mhairi and Calum Macleod who found the pieces centuries later. As Marianne is welcomed to island life with endless cups of tea from ageing local historian Agnes and the handsome museum security man Euan, she finds herself catching echoes of these past lives.

Marianne finds herself drawn to both Euan and a need to search for the missing chess pieces and uncover their story. However she must first deal with her disintegrating relationship with her mother, the call of past secrets, and the challenges posed to her present career and reputation by her less than ethical manager.

This had all the elements of a great story, with some really intriguing storylines and characters. Unfortunately it was let down by some very clumsy and dull writing, or at the very least by some very rough editing, with multiple grammatical and other errors. I am very inspired by the way Dunbar has taken her fascination with genealogy and local history, and developed it into writing fiction. I hope she is able to take all these wonderful ideas and stories and add the polish and sparkle needed to create truly great fiction.

[Laura Di Martino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful story bringing to life an intriguing mystery inspired by the 1831 discovery of a hoard of Viking chess pieces on the remote Scottish island of Lewis. Told in multiple timelines, we follow the main character, Marianne, a British Museum Lab Assistant charged with accompanying the pieces to an exhibition on Lewis. Along the way, the author is able to weave the story of 12th Century Iclander, Magrit, the embattled sculptor of the chess pieces, the story of the Scottish family who discovered them and preserved them, and Marianne's own complicated modern story of a child given up for adoption and the insiduousness of workplace bullying. Through Marianne's perspective, the author is able to also bring to light the complicated history of the British Museum and the controversial subject of the return of cultural artifacts.

The interlacing stories are cleverly woven together in a well-paced, page turner with a most satisfying ending. There is some hauntingly evocative descriptive writing along with succinct dialogue with both funny and poignant moments. A definite must-read.

[Sarah Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the mystery from the very beginning!

Moving from present to past we firstly follow Marianne a museum lab technician sent to Scotland to handle a chess piece exhibition. Jumping into the past we end up in Iceland 1190 where the pieces are being made and we continue to follow the story behind the missing chess pieces.

I felt like I was on an adventure with Marianne following her every step of the way and smiling at her love interest Evan, her determination and just how cool she really is as a character!

I love history interweaved with fiction and honestly this one has everything - adventure, mystery, drama, romance, love, family and friendship. Marianne really grows as a character the further you read.

The flashbacks are so very awesome as readers get little hints from the past and what has happened.

Such a well researched, carefully crafted story and Marianne is such a fabulous MC to follow - clever, strong, curious and bold.

Really, really loved this book!
Thank -you Midnight Sun publishing for sending me this copy to read and review.

[Corinne Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 almost a 5 from me. Such an interesting book, educative as well as a great read. I was a bit worried about going back 1190 Iceland (I am not a huge fan of the multiple timeline novel) but it was handled so well. Recommend this one, though you'll be wanting to book a trip to the Isle of Lewis.

[Alison Bullock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst this novel has an interesting theme, the chess pieces from the isle of Lewis and the issue of museum repatriation of artifacts the plot is entirely predictable. I read on hoping for more on museums but it was not to be . Enjoyable read but lacking depth.

[Kangelani · Rating 1 out of 5]

Subject could be so much more interesting. Full of grammatical errors. Drove me crazy! Story line / plot fell flat. Don’t bother

[SuzAnne King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating. She’s blended her fiction with a true story and included plenty of mystery. I’ll be reading her source material as well.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story in a wonderful setting.