Naming the Bones

by Louise Welsh

Professor Murray Watson is rather a sad sack. His family, his career, his affair...not even drinking offers much joy. All his energies are now focused on his research into Archie Lunan, a minor poet who drowned 30 years ago off a remote stretch of Scottish coast. By redeeming Lunan's reputation, Watson hopes to redeem his own. But the more he learns about Lunan's sordid life, the more unlikely redemption appears.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Scotland, British Literature, Mystery Thriller, Contemporary

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

After studying history at Glasgow University, Louise Welsh established a second-hand bookshop, where she worked for many years. Her first novel, The Cutting Room, won several awards, including the 2002 Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger, and was jointly awarded the 2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award. Louise was granted a Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award in 2003, a Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award in 2004, and a Hawthornden Fellowship in 2005.

She is a regular radio broadcaster, has published many short stories, and has contributed articles and reviews to most of the British broadsheets. She has also written for the stage. The Guardian chose her as a 'woman to watch' in 2003.

Her second book, Tamburlaine Must Die, a novelette written around the final three days of the poet Christopher Marlowe's life, was published in 2004. Her third novel, The Bullet Trick (2006), is a present-day murder mystery set in Berlin.

The Cutting Room 2002
Tamburlaine Must Die 2004
The Bullet Trick 2006
Naming The Bones 2010

Prizes and awards
2002 Crime Writers' Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger The Cutting Room

2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award (joint winner) The Cutting Room

2003 BBC Underground Award (writer category) The Cutting Room

2003 Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award

2004 Corine Internationaler Buchpreis: Rolf Heyne Debutpreis (Germany) The Cutting Room

2004 Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award

2004 Stonewall Book Award (US) (honor in literature)

Reviews

[Ermocolle · Rating 4 out of 5]

"[...] Chi saprà mai quale stella lo convocò, quale conchiglia misteriosa imprigionò nel suo orecchio quella musica e quell'incantesimo
E quale nave solenne lo stava aspettando? [...]"
George Mackay Brown (poeta scozzese)

Ho scelto questo libro per un gruppo di lettura sulla Scozia.

Invece di restare in terra conosciuta con i classici, ho voluto sperimentare un'autrice contemporanea nel genere crime novel.

Già con l'esordio è stata un'impressione forte, un primo pugno nello stomaco: l'inaugurazione di una mostra collettiva in una galleria d'arte.

Murray Watson, docente universitario a Glasgow, invitato all'evento dal fratello artista espositore, scopre che suo fratello ha spettacolarizzato la malattia d'Alzheimer del padre.
In un vernissage di gente ciarliera e con bicchieri alla mano, Murray si trova di fronte a foto e filmati impietosi del padre smarrito nella sua senilità e fugge, allibito e contrariato.

La passione di Murray invece, sono le poesie di un autore poco noto e che lui vorrebbe mettere nella giusta prospettiva. La storia di questa passione risale a quando, sedicenne, rimane colpito dalla copertina di un libro di poesie, trovato nello scatolone di un negozio di libri usati, e d'impulso lo acquista.

L'autore, Archie Lunan, sconosciuto ai più, susciterà in Murray un interesse tale da diventare il suo progetto di vita portandolo a chiedere un anno sabbatico dalla sua docenza di letteratura inglese, per scriverne una biografia.

Inizierà così una ricerca fra oggetti e ricordi della vita passata del poeta, decidendo anche di mettersi in contatto e intervistare coloro che lo avevano conosciuto e frequentato.

Con questo proposito la trama entra nel vivo, con una girandola di incontri e reminescenze per approfondire la biografia del poeta scomparso tragicamente.

Fino alla destinazione finale: l'isola dove è avvenuto l'incidente mortale o il presunto suicidio, e dove vive tuttora la compagna del poeta che si ostina a non voler incontrare Murray.

È a questo punto che le cose si complicano, il mistero si infittisce e gli avvenimenti sembrano divergere dalla versione ufficiale.


In questo itinerario ho apprezzato l'ambientazione scozzese, che ho visto durante uno dei miei viaggi, e che mi è piaciuta per la sua unicità; piacevole anche il dipanarsi della vicenda, fra interviste e frammenti di vita quotidiana che pian piano aumentano la conoscenza del protagonista e l'intimità della lettura.

Una buona scoperta, credo che mi cimenterò nuovamente con la penna della Welsh.

[Georg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book consists of 34 chapters.
This review consists of 34 spoilers.

1. Murray checks the content of some cardboard-boxes which belonged to the poet Archie who died 30 years earlier.
2. M. visits the exhibition of a painter, his brother Jack and meets Lyn, Jack’s girl-friend.
3. M. meets George the bookfinder.
4. M. takes the train from Ediburgh to Glasgow.
5. M. fucks Rachel, his girl-friend who chucks him.
6. M. goes to a pub.
7. M. is hung-over and gets a letter from Christie, the dead poet’s former girl-friend.
8. M. visits his old teacher, Prof. James.
9. M. meets Lyn again and goes shopping.
10. M. gets a call from Ms Garrett.
11. M. visits Ms Garrett, helps her fixing the curtains and fucks her.
12. M. retrieves some books in his office.
13. M. meets George again.
14. M. goes to a pub.
15. M. goes to a funeral.
16. M. meets his brother.
17. M. waits for the ferry to Lismore.
18. M. makes a call to Prof. James.
19. M. sees Christie, but does not speak to her. M. speaks to Rab, but does not see him.
20. M. takes a ride on a tracker.
21. M. speaks to Rathbones.
22. M. stays on the island.
23. M. watches porn.
24. M. moves to Pete's bothy.
25. M. meets Christie. It begins to rain.
26. M. gets a visit from Rachel’s husband, Fergus.
27. Mrs. Dunn tells a story.
28. M. meets Jem who is completely redundant to the story.
29. M. pays a visit to Christie.
30. M. digs a hole. Still raining.
31. Fergus steps into the hole.
32. M. observes a fire.
33. M. reads the book he had in his pocket since chapter 6.
34. No spectacular action in this chapter.

I guess after all these spoilers you miss the “tale of literature, obsession and dark magic”? Well, you should never believe the jacket-text.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps I should warn readers of this review that Louise Welsh is one of my all time favourite authors. NAMING THE BONES was therefore greeted with some excited anticipation in these parts. One of the things that I really like about Welsh's books is the dark, introspective nature of her characters and the settings, as well as irresistible Gothic quirkiness.

NAMING THE BONES is the story of Dr Murray Watson; academic, guilty lover, conflicted brother, writer of a poet's biography. Murray's love affair with Archie Lunan's writing had started with a slim paperback collection of poems. Lunan wasn't a very prolific poet, but who knows what he could have produced had he not died strangely, so young.

Murray's research into Lunan's life is fuelled by a small, cryptic collection of papers stored in a cardboard box. An odd mixture of rambling jottings, memento's, an old address book, there's not a lot for Murray to go on. Small clues however do set him off on what is really a detecting job - finding out more about Lunan's life and his friends in a series of small steps, revealing very complicated and intertwined lives. Meanwhile Murray struggles with his failing relationship with his brother - an art installation which Murray feels is highly exploitative starts to create a rift between the brothers, which is exacerbated as Murray finds his brother is being unfaithful.

Welsh's earlier books have always had a bit of a twist, a touch of quirky and an elaborately Gothic feel to them. NAMING THE BONES doesn't quite start out like those earlier books, and Murray seems, particularly in this day and age, strangely normal. Including the lustful affair with his Head of Department's wife, Murray has relationship difficulties all over the place and he just seems somewhat naive and disconnected from the realities of life. Certainly his admiration of Lunan is a little odd to start off with, one short volume of poetry too insignificant to have had such a profound and long-lasting affect on such a renowned academic.

Given that NAMING THE BONES started off with less of the Gothic than normally expected, I was taken by how quickly the book become difficult to put down. This reader found herself increasingly involved in Murray's telling of his own tale, increasingly taken by his bafflement over Lunan's own relationships and why this man killed himself. Add to that Murray's own hamfisted methods of handling obsession, confrontation and disappointment and the story quickly becomes a less about researching a biography and a lot more about the mystery of Lunan and those around him.

Ultimately Murray takes himself off to the dreary, mysterious, damp, windy, threatening and even vaguely odd island of Archie's early life and death, and the resolution of the book takes place on this bleak, geographically and technologically isolated little island, with a good sprinkling of odd and normal locals, and a lot of rain, mud, wind and dark tracts of land.

This is exactly the sort of book that I just love. Cunningly witty, NAMING THE BONES is a mystery that's not immediately a mystery. A death that was explained, a sprinkling of odd clues and hints, and a whole lot more hidden under the surface of a lot lives.

[Desinka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very engaging read. Welsh is a great storyteller. I loved the melancholic and slightly depressing feel to it. And the academic writing a book about a dead poet was a topic I associated with a lot.

[Dolors · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally!! I had been waiting for this book for ages and it never seemed to arrive. So when it did, I plunged straight into it and started reading even though I'm not usually very keen on thrillers and I had never read anything by Welsh before.
The result: I was positively surprised, the book has resulted to be worth waiting for!
Maybe the Gothic atmosphere, maybe the detailed characters, maybe the smug style... Everything helped to create a very real and evocative setting and as the novel took pace I found myself trying to read ahead to see what was going to happen, especially in the second part of the story, which I read almost in a single day.
The novel is about an English Literature Professor who is taking a sabbatical year in Scotland to write a biography of a very talented poet who died in strange circumstances when he was very young. As the story starts to unfold, past and present seem to mix and Murray will have to fight his own evils to reveal the truth, not without some sexy and disturbing passages. The story also takes a personal touch when family problems get in the way and Murray will have to decide what he expects from life and from those who really love him.
I also enjoyed the fact that the author raises the question of whether an artist should be remembered only for his work or also for the life he lead, the people he met, and the kind of person he was when he created his masterpieces. Is it the final work or the man that matters?
All in all, a good, light reading, great for any holidays break or for those who like a well written thriller.

[Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goodness me a real slog to get through, although well written, not very nice or believable characters and sooooooo slow..... I dont think I will be reading another

[Kate McDougall Sackler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. The only mystery in this book is why it is classified as a mystery in the first place! Boooooooooring! Characters no one cares about.

[Tina Maison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Like trying to walk through a peat bog on a misreble dreich day.

[Lomki Avulours · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un professeur de littérature anglaise passablement ennuyeux décide d’écrire la biographie d’un obscur poète décédé, auteur d’un unique mince recueil, ceci dans le but de le réhabiliter et de le faire connaître. Ca me semble déjà foireux. Si peu de gens lisent les poètes inconnus, absolument personne ne lit de biographie de poète inconnu par un professeur de littérature anglaise. Heureusement qu'il y a des gens pour lire un roman sur un professeur de littérature anglaise qui écrit la biographie d’un poète inconnu. Et voilà que j'écris sur cette expérience, au demeurant pas désagréable malgré la fin outrancière, mais qui ne me laissera pas non plus un souvenir impérissable. Et je n'oblige personne à lire ce commentaire.

[Chrystyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naming the Bones by Louise Welsh - Very Good

Murray Watson is a Professor of English Literature at Glasgow University and about to take a sabbatical to research Archie Lunan, a poet who died mysteriously and young. Murray has been obsessed by Lunan since he was a child in a bookshop, fascinated by the cover of his one volume of poetry and then later by the poems themselves.

As he delves into Lunan's life he finds more questions than answers, more mysteries to solve before he can get to the truth of his life...and more importantly, his death. His personal life and that of the poet start to get muddled up and intertwined and he escapes to the Isle of Lismore to see for himself where Lunan lived the last few months of his life, and where he died....and to finally solve the mystery.

The book is badged as a literary thriller and I guess in the strictest sense of the description, it is. But is isn't the sort of thriller you'd get from James Paterson and his ilk. This is more subtle, atmospheric.

I'm on record as being a big fan of Louise Welsh but I haven't always loved everything she's written. This is up there along with The Cutting Room and The Plague Times series. Well worth reading.

[Lynn Harnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this atmospheric and leisurely Scottish mystery, youngish Murray Watson, Glasgow doctor of English literature, has taken a sabbatical to research his literary inspiration, the dead poet Archie Lunan. Drowned sailing in a storm off a remote island in the 1970s, Lunan, 25, left only one slim volume of poems.

There are those – including Watson’s department head, Fergus Baine, who think one volume was quite enough. Baine was against the project from the beginning and after a discouraging slog through the minimal record, Watson is beginning to wonder if Baine wasn’t right after all.

But then Watson is having an affair with Baine’s wife, which might also explain his boss’ general enmity. Interviewing every tenuous lead, from old drinking buddies in gritty pubs to Lunan’s mentor, a secretive retired professor with a deep dislike of Fergus Baine, to an attractive young widow whose husband had an unhealthy interest in art and suicide, Watson decides to go to Lismore, where Lunan died and his lover, Christie, still lives.

Christie has refused to have anything to do with Watson’s project. She has even promised to have him prosecuted as a stalker if she catches sight of him. So Watson, while determined, is circumspect, probing the clannish islanders for information about the pair’s history while ducking out of sight every time he sees Christie.

Dr. Watson, like his namesake, is charmingly clueless. And for all that his personal life is a shambles, and his professional life is teetering, he still manages to be engaging rather than pathetic. The island – complete with a deserted limekiln village – is everything you could ask for: bleak, secretive, wet, rocky, muddy and romantic. And the central conundrum: why can’t an artist’s work stand on its own, without personal context muddying perceptions, is playful rather than pedantic.

Welsh (The Cutting Room) delivers a literate novel full of prickly, demanding characters (except for hapless Watson who is more battered than battering, though he does try) with a wonderfully over-the-top macabre ending. Highly recommended for those who like their mysteries edgy, literate and not too bloody.

[Lisamary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery novels and their readers have funny relationships, more than other genres such readers look for reflections of self in the protagonists; I doubt many self proclaimed "dog people" read books with talking cat "detectives," for instance. The sub-genre of academic mysteries draws those who tend to prefer a more leisurely pace with less violence and moderately eccentric, rather than full-blown crazy, characters.
In Naming the Bones, Louise Welsh follows the classic style with her protagonist Murray Watson. Watson is a college instructor granted sabbatical to pursue research on a topic that is, at best, met with a polite smile and nod, at worst, outright derision. Following threads of evidence, Watson finds that his subject, a poet dead thirty years with only a slim volume to his credit, Archie Lunan, grows less solid with every step he takes.
The oral histories of those who knew Lunan give Waston few facts, only vague opinions of Archie and his close circle of friends. Despite strong discouragement from his Chair, Watson travels to the isle of Lismore to try to encounter Christie Graves the elusive and ill woman who was Archie's girlfriend. Watson's poor planning of the trip plays against him, everything from the weather, his lack of a reservation reflect how unclear he is about his own project, work, life.
The genre demands all be unclear until the last possible moment, and Welsh shrouds it in a slightly unexpected gothicness does not seem a stretch with how she has already drawn the characters.
Welsh tells a good story, engaging and original without resorting to extreme caricatures or a wholly over the top twist ending.

[Marguerite Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-read of this one for me, and I have to confess that I don't actually remember reading it at all the first time around, though I must have, the paperback is far from pristine - I'm one of those very annoying people who break the spine of novels when they read print.

Louse Welsh writes brilliant prose. She sooks you into the world of her main characters from page one, and she has a real knack for page-turning writing, even when, as in this case, you'd think the subject matter far from page-turning - at least initially. This book concerns an English professor who has taken a sabbatical to write a biography of an obscure Scottish poet who died young. The opening chapters are all about his life, not the dead poet's, his broken relationship with his brother, his affaire with his boss's wife, his generally chaotic, drink-fuelled, going nowhere social life. Okay, but not riveting, you'd think. But gradually it dawns on you that Professor Murray Watson is pretty obsessed with Archie, his dead subject, and that his obsession has somehow prevented him from getting his own life. Then we begin to discover that all is not how it seems with his subject's life and with the people he is interviewing associated with it, and of course, you're into classic Welsh territory. There's a mystery which you are dying to discover, with lots of twists and turns and dead ends, and ultimately, it's a mystery that is not fully resolved.

I really enjoyed this, and I'd stick with my original 4 stars. it's made me want to go back and read The Cutting Room and The Bullet Trick too. Yay, I love it when a reread does this.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautifully and carefully plotted. Its hero may be a little on the passive side (Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones he most certainly is not) but the journey he takes is believable enough. Everyone pretty much has a secret and a piece of the puzzle. Typically in this kind of book we get drip-fed the facts and no one seems willing to tell everything they know on one visit, be it Professor James, his daughter, the landlord of the pub Bobby Robb frequented, Meikle, Fergus, Mrs Dunn (Murray’s landlady on Lismore) or Christie. But that’s fine. We expect that. Frankly we don’t want to know too much too soon. Some of the clues I got right away but there were enough red herrings and dead ends chucked in to make sure I had just a bit too much to keep in my head.

People squabble all the time over the term ‘literary’ and there will be those who will happily think of this book as a literary mystery novel. It is a well-written mystery novel and I was particularly impressed by how often Louise chose just the right word (the word ‘draymen’ to describe brewery delivery men was one) but I’m not sure this is a book where the language is enough; it’s the story that drags you along more than how it is told. Is it a page-turner? Put it this way, I read it in two days and those of you who know how slow I normally read can draw your own conclusions from that.

You can read my full review on my blog here.

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover blurb and even the synopsis on the author's website suggests this is a fast-paced thriller which it isn't. This is a literary mystery in which the tension builds very slowly to a dramatic climax in its final chapters. Aside from his quest to discover more about Archie Lunan's life and death, Dr. Watson broods his way very effectively through a number of personal issues including an estrangement from his brother and the fall-out from an adulterous affair with a fellow professor, who is also the wife of his head of department. The novel also explores the issue of whether a writer's work requires that their personal life be laid bear for examination or should stand alone.

It is a thoughtful, intellectual novel and one I enjoyed very much despite the 'false advertising' of the back cover. Welsh does a sterling job of conveying her setting from the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh to the stark beauty of Lismore itself. The novel's slow pace was fine by me. The characters were well-drawn and believable with Watson taking top honours in terms of likeability. There were also some tantalising suggestions of characters having dabbled with occult practices. I would caution that part of his quest leads him to examine the papers of a researcher engaged in the study of suicide and there were some disturbing elements linked to this.

After this very positive experience I'm planning to read more of her work.

[Melanie Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the back cover, this novel seemed a bespoke fit to my own preoccupations. The story moves initially between Glasgow and Edinburgh, two cities I spent the better part of twenty years toing-and-froing between. Then, as things gain speed, it moves to a remote Scottish island. The main character is an academic, at Glasgow Uni, who is overly involved with his subject - the life and work of a dead poet. As a postgrad at Glasgow uni I spent several years walking in much the same footsteps as Murray, albeit with far less havoc unraveling around me.

The core strand of the book, which is played out with great philosophical and, crucially, narrative success, is the question of whether or not our understanding of a writer's work is enhanced by knowing more about his life. It's a question I find endlessly fascinating, and never have I seen it developed so astutely in fiction.

There's so much to admire and enjoy here, that I was quite surprised I'd not heard more about this book until now. It confirms everything her earlier novels promised would be the case. Louise Welsh consistently delivers intelligent, challenging, and ultimately highly satisfying work. More please, Louise!

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've enjoyed previous books by Louise Welsh; the Cutting Room, Magic Bullet, Girl on the Stairs but this one didn't quite come up to her usual standard.

You know the blurb and despite it sounding creepy, it really wasn't. The two story lines I was interested in (the affair and Dr Watson's brother) came to a sudden stop and the rest of it became far fetched, unbelievable and just a little bit silly.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book where not a lot happens (until the denouement) I was glued to the page - atmosphere, the characters.

[Jack Deighton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murray Watson is a lecturer in English, having an affair with Rachel, the wife of his head of department, Fergus Baine. Murray is about to go on sabbatical to research the life and untimely death by drowning of all-but-forgotten poet Archie Lunan. He also has a complicated relationship with his brother, Jack, an artist who is mining the dementia of their father for his art.

Watson’s researches take him to the ex-department head, Professor James, who knew Lunan in his youth, and suggests Blaine had greater knowledge of the poet than he admits to, and to the island of Lismore off which Lunan died and where Lunan’s lover, Christie Graves, still lives. She wrote a book in the aftermath of Lunan’s death of which Professor James says, “I think it had something better than authenticity. It had integrity, and that’s all the truth we can ever hope for.”

On the island, with some input from his B&B proprietrix Mrs Dunn and Graves’s more-or-less unwilling assistance, Watson untangles the circumstances of Lunan’s death and Blaine’s connection to them.

The book is readable enough but in the end becomes an uneasy crossover of a novel of contemporary manners and crime story. Still, Welsh has an eye for characterization and description.

[tinalouisereadsbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

SOME SECRETS ARE BEST LEFT BURIED - Knee-deep in the mud of an ancient burial ground, a winter storm raging around him, and at least one person intent on his death: how did Murray Watson end up here? His quiet life in university libraries researching the lives of writers seems a world away, and yet it is because of the mysterious writer, Archie Lunan, dead for thirty years, that Murray now finds himself scrabbling in the dirt on the remote island of Lismore. Loaded with Welsh's trademark wit, insight and gothic charisma, this adventure novel weaves the lives of Murray and Archie together in a tale of literature, obsession and dark magic.

My Thoughts:

This book is as good as it sounds. I had read ‘The Bullet Trick’ before and thought it was ok, but this book was really good.

It is a dark brooding thriller, a little slow to start but the story picks up when Murray goes to the island of Lismore. I can’t help thinking that when characters go to these small islands that they are going to encounter something similar to ‘The Wicker Man’. Not in this case though ! What Murray does find is not what I thought he was going to and one aspect of the story there is no solid conclusion.

A worthy read which is perfect when you are snuggled up on a cold winters afternoon.

[Zeest · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 'mystery' is the only thing that convinced me to persevere past halfway, and even then I was basically skimming.

We essentially follow a typical, colourless professor with no life and unlimited funds, following a pointless quest through a remote island, if you can believe it, through mountains and terrible weather and a quicksand and no signals and what-not, with murder and graphic scenes, and pubs, childhood trauma, cheating, dysfunctional relationships, and swearing. (Did I forget any mass-grabbing tropes? If I did, please feel free to add them for yourself.)

Add to it sexual drama within the professors, including the head's wife who basically sleeps with all the professors who'd do her the courtesy, and you have yourself a fail-safe plot that will appeal to practically anybody... or nobody, if you ask me.

Did not finish the book; I skimmed through a whole bit to the pretty-predictable ending.

Overall rating: 2.5.

[Westcoastsusan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only mystery here is why random women keep initiating sex with this idiot. Is 'Louise Welsh' actually an adolescent boy?

Our protagonist wanders aimlessly from bar to street passively falling into company and trailing around after acquaintances he neither likes nor respects. Lacking the self-awareness to diagnose his own attention-deficit disorder, he does no discernable work to advance his project, a biography of a neglected poet. Blessed to be on the receiving end of repeated acts of deus ex machina our hero progresses as strangers come forward with material and foist it onto him.

I'm about halfway through and will go no farther. The wordsmithing is good enough for the two stars but the plot and characters are simply irritating.

P.S. - had to finish it. Compulsion. The story became interesting about chapter 28. Still not worth the time.

[Valerie (Pate) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's strange because as much as I enjoyed reading this book, I'm not sure whether I want to keep it or not. It was very intriguing and I got caught up in its pages - finishing quite quickly. It's very well written and I would definitely read more books by Welsh in the future. I just don't imagine I would ever want to revisit this particular story again, and I'm not sure who I would recommend it to either. It seems kind of niche despite essentially being a murder mystery. Perhaps it's just the nature of a mystery - once you're privy to all of its secrets it no longer captivates you, and yet I have kept other crime stories on my shelves. Perhaps in the coming days and weeks, I need to see if the story sticks with me or not - being, as it is, about an English professor and a dead poet, it just might.

[Berengaria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't join the choir of praise on this one. The prose was, at least for me, too thick and the story far too slow in pace. A good 50 pages could have been cut, easily.

Oddly, the central character, Dr Murray, is rather a blank, white space in the story, and all the characters who knew the deceased are flat in their own way. Still, you do want to know why nobody wants to have anything to do with Lunan's life and death! So, there is a modicum of interest in the 'mystery' and Murray's quest generated. It's not a bad novel, just miscalibrated.

[Malcolm Schaffer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry but this book didn’t do it for me . It is not helped by the blurb calling it a thriller , far too slow paced for that nor does it merit the description of Gothic bar possibly the last pages . It is a tale of a number of academics principally a Murray Watson , all of whom are pretty ghastly people and in some cases eg Fergus not very plausible . The core plot is about a biography Watson is attempting to write about a deceased poet and what complications he discovers . It just doesn’t spark interest , left not caring what happens to the characters or the book . Sorry but not for me

[Larry Fontenot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read The Cutting Room, I discovered that my wife had this other novel by Welsh. I liked this one better, although the action is sparse, than Cutting Room, which seemed strange and awkward (but I did like it). The characters are interesting, if mostly despicable, and the writing is superb. Following the actions of a university literature professor may seem boring, but the book is very interesting, and the ending adds just enough drama to make the book a great success.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not the story, it's the writing: Welsh evokes P. D. James, and that is not an accolade given out lightly. Like James, she comes across here as not a fan of women: this novel is written entirely for the male gaze. Much ado about a long-dead guy with 10 poems to his name, while his girlfriend's unexpected and apparently much-discussed literary success is left entirely unexplored. Was this book a foot in the door for Welsh, one wonders. (less)

[Laura (Reading is a Doing Word) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an odd book. The story focusses on an English professor researching a dead poet for a book. His interest verges on obsession and leads him to the island of Lismore, where his discoveries take a darker turn.
The characters were not that sympathetic and the climax of the book somewhat I'll fitting.

[Victoria Norris-MacLean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bored? You will be! Just my opinion obviously. This is the 2nd Louise Welsh book I have read, they sound so good on the back but for me the books are nothing like the promise to come. I won't be reading any more from this author.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welsh unpeels the layers of her tale, revealing hidden truths. From the summary on the back of the novel you expect one outcome, but Welsh shows that you might be mistaken. Well written and paced. A great read