The Black House is the first book by Peter May that I've read. It certainly won't be the last, as I've already downloaded the Kindle version of The Lewis Man, the second book in his novels about the island of Lewis, and am looking forward to Kindle publication of the third and final volume in the series.Let me state clearly at the outset: Readers looking for a plot-driven, linear mystery focused on detection and police procedures should think carefully before tackling the Black House. Yes, the book is put in motion by a grisly murder on Lewis, and yes, the mystery is resolved in the end. But what lies between the start and finish of the book is much more about Lewis itself and the hardy and "dour" people who eke out a living on the northern- and western-most of the Outer Hebrides islands, off the western coast of Scotland. Black House brilliantly captures the grit and near-poverty that impact the inhabitants and shape their lives.At the outset, Edinburgh detective Fin Mcleod is dispatched to his native Lewis to investigate the murder of a character from his past who was discovered hanged and disemboweled in a shed on the island. The murder bears a striking resemblance to an unsolved Edinburgh case Fin's in charge of (and has made little progress in solving). Fin's left a lot of personal baggage on Lewis, but he also brings a lot with him: his marriage is falling apart in the wake of the hit and run death of his young son. Devastated by his loss, Fin has been absent from work for so long that his boss basically tells him that solving the Lewis case is his last chance to stay on the force.As Fin goes about his work on Lewis, he finds the murder inextricably linked to his own childhood on the island, including a tragedy in his past that he has completely blocked out. In order to solve the case and apprehend the villain, Fin has to look deep within himself, his past, and the islanders he knew and loved (or hated) as a child and young man. The journey of self-discovery is absolutely integral to the novel, and through it we learn about Fin, Lewis, and the people who live there. The story is told both in third- and first-person narratives, which some readers may find off-putting. It took me a few chapters to adjust to the form, but I soon found myself immersed in the novel.May does an exceptionally fine job of vividly capturing the terrain, weather, and hardscrabble lives of the Lewis islanders. This is very much the novel's main focus, as the mystery is literally (and plot-wise) the means to return Fin to his roots and put him on the voyage to discover himself. It's beautifully done, particularly the scenes of the guga hunters on Sula Sgeir, where Lewis men to this day stubbornly maintain their hereditary rights to the annual gannet hunt. I have never been to Lewis but I have spent time on Skye, and May's depiction of the environment and particularly of the extraordinary quality and play of the light take me straight back to my own memories of the beauty and desolation of the western Highlands and Skye.Black House is much more than a mystery. It is a moving portrait of a way of life -- warts and all -- that is sustained in the face of many challenges. Through the narrative, we come to care deeply about Fin and his fellow Lewis islanders. It is an exceptional novel that happens to also be a mystery. It succeeds brilliantly on both counts.