His father, whom he has not seen for years, a close confidante of Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Teàrlach Eideard in Scots Gaelic) appears in Inverness. Great character in Iain and it was a brilliant interwoven , full of intrigue plot to keep me gripped til the last page. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.

gripping historical thriller set in Inverness in the wake of the 1746 battle of Culloden from twice CWA award-winning author S. and it’s tough starting again with a new cast, but I have to judge this novel on its merits, of which there are many, especially the depth of characterisation, historical detail and Literature quality of prose. The Highlanders of the past, the ghosts of Culloden, had been real, flesh and blood characters with cares and intrigues and sorrows and laughter of their own. Certainly, he realises he can no longer leave the past behind and he finally gains real understanding of his charismatic father, Hector. I didn’t find the mystery element particularly interesting, but I loved the characters and the Inverness setting.

I didn't enjoy this quite so much as MacLean's Civil War sequence, simply because I never fell in love with the Stewarts, even as a child. With no sign of the killer, Iain wonders whether the stranger discovered what he was looking for - and whether he paid for it with his life. MacLean has a PhD in history from Aberdeen University, specializing in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Scottish history.

But the aliens warned me not to say too much about them… 👽Ha, sadly not – I’m afraid blogging slumps and reading slumps seem to be interlinked. Iain still lives with his grandmother Mairi Farqharson, one of the three Grande Dames who have been active in the cause of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Stewart family for over 30 years, since his mother ran away, and his father escaped to France. But Jacobite hopes are still simmering, and those loyal to the cause constantly await word from France where Prince Charlie and his father live in exile, ready to raise the clans and fight again. I was more interested in the historical detail, the descriptions of everyday life in 18th century Inverness and the insights into the mood, politics and changing loyalties in the years following Culloden.In general, The Bookseller of Inverness is historical fiction at its best, and I would recommend it to all fans of the genre. I fear there have been so many books about the Jacobites that they all begin to sound the same after a bit! He soon finds himself embroiled in a web of deceit and a series of old scores to be settled in the ashes of war. At the end of the book you'll notice a well detailed Author's Note, where the important historical details, concerning this period of history, are superbly documented.

After an introductory note setting the scene for the Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745, the novel opens with two prologues. I enjoyed reading descriptions of the surrounding countryside, where I have family connections, and there is an increasing air of tension as old resentments surface and revenge is enacted. offered an attractive location and premise -- Inverness and the Jacobite rebellions -- so I bought it, deciding to give S. This marvellous book is an awesome retelling about the hope and determination of another Jacobite rising within the Highland clans in Scotland who're supporting this cause of action. This is not, however, as romanticised as The Flight of the Heron – MacLean’s characters ring truer and this makes the book feel more modern, not in an anachronistic sense but in that they think and act as normal flawed humans, rather than as the impossibly virtuous Highlanders of Broster’s creation.The story woven around the historic facts is interesting, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable and leaves me hoping for more. There are several dour Scots among the townsfolk, but Iain’s true nature is revealed in his rebellious singing at the Assembly dance. The dog is much more conducive to this kind of thing than the children, although I have realised that a close reading of my books reveals the true hero of most of them to be a canine.

The school of which my husband is headteacher faces directly across to the house in which Charles Edward Stuart spent the night before the battle, and the Duke of Cumberland the night after. My ancestors fought on the Jacobite side at Culloden, and I find the history both tragic and fascinating. Nice to see you back after your time-travelling adventures in hibernation and your long walk home from Alaska!I think I was expecting this to be a crime novel (confusing it with the recent Death of a Bookseller – do those publishers know that the word bookseller is like catnip to some of us? I wonder if closer to the time of these events of Scottish history more books were written featuring characters who were on the winning side. Storytelling is brilliant, all characters are very believable and lifelike in their dealings with life and danger in general, and the atmosphere of hostility and hatred in and around Inverness are superbly described and pictured by the author.