Thunder Bay

Douglas Skelton's dark and atmospheric Scottish crime novel is set on the island of Stoirm, off the west coast of Scotland, featuring Highland Chronicle reporter, Rebecca Connolly. When Rebecca is informed that Roddie Drummond is returning to Stoirm to attend his mother's funeral, she knows there is a story to be had. 15 years ago Roddie had gone on trial for the murder of his live-in girlfriend, Mhairi Sinclair, who died with the last words from her mouth being that of Thunder Bay. After a not proven verdict, Roddie left Stoirm and disappeared. Rebecca's editor refuses her pitch to cover the story, but a driven Rebecca ignores his order as she arrives for her first visit to the island. Besides, her deceased father had left the island, never to return and never to speak of it to his family in his lifetime, and she is desperate to know the family secrets that he has taken to his grave.<br /><br />Roddie's return triggers feelings of resentment, bitterness, anger, and brutal violence, with many believing him guilty of murder. Stoirm has its own ways of dealing with things, blood and family is everything, loyalty is expected, no matter what happens, and the islanders believe in their own form of justice. Arriving with Rebecca is retired DS Bill Sawyer, rock solid in his certainty that Roddie is guilty of murder. The local laird, Lord Henry Stuart is planning to redevelop his estate for the exclusive use of the wealthy hunting, shooting, and golf crowd, but is facing some resistance from locals, such as that from ex-addict Donnie Kerr. Henry, Donnie and Roddie were a tight knit group of boys who ran around with the beautiful and bright Mhairi, all of them in love with her. With the help of young photographer, Chaz Wymark, Rebecca begins to become aware of the tensions and grudges that simmer beneath the surface of the small community, there is the jealous and abusive gamekeeper, the 'moron squad', a bunch of violent homophobic thugs, and she faces hostility from those determined to prevent the truth of the past emerging.<br /><br />Skelton paints a rich picture of an insular community and life on a small island, with its inclement weather and the beauty spot of Thunder Bay, a place that legend depicts as the gateway to the West for the spirits of the dead. The turbulent weather conditions that arise match the turbulence and danger in the community that Roddie's arrival brings. Rebecca is uniquely placed to uncover the truth of the past and eventually learns why her father left Stoirm, an action that Rebecca replicates in her desire to never set foot on Stoirm again. This is a intensely compulsive piece of Scottish crime fiction that I really enjoyed reading and which I recommend. Many thanks to Skyhorse Publishing for an ARC.

I warmed to Rebecca Connolly, the heroine of this story the minute she described a sports car as a “high performance dick extender”. Rebecca is a reporter for a weekly newspaper in Scotland. Skelton does a great job of making Rebecca seem real within a few chapters. I loved her thoughts on journalism. <br /><br />When she gets the heads up on an exclusive story, the return of Roddie Drummond to the island of Stoirm after a fifteen year absence, she jumps on it even after her editor said no. Roddie had been accused of murdering his girlfriend but found Not Proven. No one knows where he’s been during those intervening years. Her father came from this island and has never spoken about his time there, so she’s got another motivation for going. <br /><br />It’s a beautifully atmospheric novel. Stoirm is an insulated community, buffeted by wild weather. We’re given a real feel for it and for its inhabitants. “Secrets. Family. Blood. It was an island thing.”<br /><br />This is a steady, even keeled novel. There are lots of subplots to keep things moving forward and lots of characters to keep track of. I couldn’t tell how this would all come together. The themes go beyond murder to include family secrets, domestic abuse and homophobia. The only part that didn’t work for me was the reason John Connolly left the island as a young man. <br /><br />While the present day chapters are told from Rebecca’s POV, there are also chapters that take place in the past and are told from the POV of various islanders. <br /><br />My thanks to netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

I’m a big fan of Mr. Skelton’s Davie McCall series so when the chance came to read his new stand alone book, I lunged. Think I might have pulled something. Anyhoo….<br /><br />Rebecca Connolly is a young reporter at a small weekly paper in Inverness. And she just got a tip on a story that may help her personally &amp; professionally. Chaz Wymark is her contact on Stoirm, an island off the west coast of Scotland, and he has some news. A woman named Mary Drummond recently died &amp; rumour has it her son Roddie will be attending the funeral. Hardly earth shattering unless you know the whole story. <br /><br />Fifteen years ago, Roddie was tried for the brutal murder of his girlfriend Mhairi Sinclair. Although he was not convicted by the courts, many of the locals had no doubt he was guilty &amp; when the trial ended he vanished. Now he’s coming home &amp; Chaz believes his return will stir up hard feelings that have been simmering all these years. Boy, was he right.<br /><br />Rebecca has another more personal reason for visiting Stoirm. Her father was born there but left when he was young. He never went back &amp; died without ever speaking about his previous life. Maybe now she can find his past.<br /><br />Grab your favourite beverage, find a comfy spot &amp; settle in. There’s a great story ahead &amp; I have to begin with the setting. It’s perfect. I couldn’t help but think of a volcano…..at first glance, it’s idyllic &amp; beautiful to look at but you soon feel tremors that give you an inkling it could blow at any time. A small island community allows the author to weave complicated relationships, culture, isolation &amp; weather into the story with great effect. Through his descriptions, you can see the stunning yet harsh landscape &amp; feel the driving storms in your bones. The insular mindset means you may not love your neighbours but you have to live with them &amp; will stand united against outsiders. As Rebecca soon discovers.<br /><br />There’s a large cast &amp; they share a massive amount of history. As Rebecca digs into Mhairi’s life, we meet her parents, Roddie’s family, an ex-cop with an agenda, those she grew up with &amp; various locals. One of those is Henry Stuart, the local laird who is butting heads with some of the residents over his big plans to draw tourists to the island. It’s a battle he literally can’t afford to lose due to some of the “businessmen” he’s hooked up with.<br /><br />Rebecca is the primary narrator but several historical chapters are told by those who were involved in events preceding Mhairi’s death. It’s then we learn the whole messy story &amp; grasp the significance of some of the subplots in the present. These people hold secrets like it’s an Olympic event &amp; as the chapters fly by, the hits just keep on coming.<br /><br />The story has one weak spot (IMHO) that accounts for my rating. As much as I enjoyed watching the present day drama unfold, I also wanted to know what Rebecca would learn about her father. When the reason he left the island was revealed I had a hard time believing it could impact him that deeply. I don’t want to give anything away so it’s hard to explain but it just didn’t seem personal enough to make him alter the course of his life.<br /><br />That said, I really enjoyed this. Skelton is a wonderful story teller &amp; the well drawn cast &amp; atmospheric prose pull you right into the thick of it. There are several characters I’d love to bump into again so if this is the start of a new series, sign me up for book #2 please.

Rebecca is a reporter for a small weekly newspaper in the Scottish highlands. Her friend tells her there's a developing story in a small island off the Scottish coast and against her boss's wishes, she goes to investigate. The island has many secrets, and Rebecca stirs up trouble among residents who would prefer to forget some of the things in the past. The author evokes the dark and sinister atmosphere of the island, and the suspicious insularity of its denizens. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Cannot finish this one, too touchy-feely, too sentimental, and too journalistic for me, not enough plotline, not enough detective work, the characters described in a weary, tiresome way stripping them of sympathy and leaving me with the impression of a depressed bordering on cynical former journalist now turned author, who uses his experience from a journalistic career to try to make himself a career as a crime writer. Harsh words, I know, but I am sorely disappointed, had hoped for something cosy taking place on a windswept Scottish island with lots of heartwarming folklore and not a story about a sensation hungry journalist who laments the way of quality journalism.

Shocking confession given the number of times I have ventured north of the border to various crime festivals and the number of times I have listened to Douglas Skelton on various panel events, but I have never read one of his books before. I know, I know. But when I was offered the opportunity to read a copy of this book courtesy of the lovely folks at Polygon I jumped at it. It sounded like exactly my kind of book. And I was right. It totally was.<br /><br />Now I can't compare this to any of the author's other works but what i can say is that from the very first page of this book I was struck by the narrative style, the intense imagery that the words conjured up as I read onward. It is a strong and somewhat stark opening, placing the reader right at the heart of Thunder Bay, in a situation so dark, so wild, that it could easily take your breath away. And as I drew closer to the end of the prologue - as the full extent of what I was reading became finally clear - I knew that I was one hundred percent hooked by a book which I knew was going to get under my skin.<br /><br />Put very simply, this book is the story of a journalist, Rebecca, who gets a strong whiff of a story when the death of a woman on the island of Stoirm draws her sone home for her funeral. A son who has been absent for fifteen years having been accused but not convicted of the murder of his partner, Mhairi. Now Rebecca has her own reasons for wanting to look into the story, only part of which is the cold case murder of Mhairi. Her own father had ties to the island, ones that he would never speak of, and it is her own family history she is as keen to learn about as that of Roddie Drummond and the ill-fated Mhairi.<br /><br />The characters in this book are perfectly drawn. You can feel the sadness in Rebecca, whose own story is slowly explored throughout the book. We know she is running from something but not yet what and as the explanation becomes clear, her own sense of separation becomes clear. Roddie Drummond is a man haunted by the past, but just how guilty is he? He is a complex character that we don't get to know all that well to begin with but is there enough of sense a darkness about him to suggest that he may well have been a killer after all? Then there are Donnie Kerr and Henry Stuart, once friends of Roddie and Mhairi, both of whom are nursing their own secrets. In fact there are few redeeming characters on Stoirm, every person that Rebecca meets somehow tainted by the dark history of the island. The only possible exceptions are Chaz, Rebecca's colleague and a freelance photographer, and Alan who add a touch of lightness to an otherwise murky cast of characters. <br /><br />Douglas Skelton uses imagery to brilliant effect throughout the novel, creating an atmosphere that feels oppressive, dark and menacing. Everything about the island of Stoirm, from the suspicious nature of the residents towards outsiders, particularly Rebecca, to isolation of the eponymous Thunder Bay, is set up to put the reader on edge. You know that the island holds many secrets but you do not know what, and won't do for some time as they are all held very close to the chests of the major players in this story and slowly revealed as the story builds to a somewhat dramatic and shocking close.<br /><br />There are some very dark themes discussed within the book, including domestic abuse, but all are done in as sympathetic a way as possible, avoiding the gratuitous whilst retaining a sense of authenticity. The author has created an idea of small island life which may be heightened somewhat, but the whole feeling of the insular and protective nature of the residents rang true, and the sense of retribution and revenge for wrong doing being handled the 'island way' felt perfectly fitting. When we arrive on the island with Rebecca, you know that the whole community is on the precipice, that there are going to be dramatic changes, and not just by way of a planned development which will change the whole tourist culture of Stoirm. But you also know that Rebecca will not leave the island without finding out the truth, if she is ever able to leave at all.<br /><br />Dark, brooding, atmospheric and full of mystery, this is a book I would highly recommend you read. I loved it.

<a href="https://bookedbyrandom.blog/?p=509" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> <br> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1565191501i/27952416.jpg" width="400" height="85" alt="Booked By Random" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> <br> </a><br><i>*I received a free digital ARC via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*</i><br><br><b>Darkness on the Sound</b><br><br>This story is based on a fictional Scottish Island, Stoirm, based in one of the Scottish Sounds. Now there are a couple of straits in Scotland with the name “Sound” as far as I can figure out: either “Inner Sound”, close to Skye, or “Sound of Islay”, between the islands of Islay and Jura. I’m not sure which is meant, but there are a couple of islands in either area which could give you that “small island community” feel. Not that I’ve ever been to Scotland, let alone a remote island with one main town where everyone knows each other.<br><br>So I took my ideas of what such a small community would feel like based on my very limited experiences of a small village community where, yes, everyone knows each other, and not always in a friendly way.<br><br>This small community on Stoirm has its secrets, which no one repeats, and must stay in the past. But that is all about to be stirred up with the return of Roddie Drummond, who was “not proven” of murdering his girlfriend, Mhairi, 15 years previously, and Rebecca Connolly, who not only wants to dig into the past to find out the truth of what happened to Mhairi, but also wants to discover why her father left the island in his youth, and why he never talked about it.<br><br>There’s a lot of twists and turns into finding the truth, which not only the islanders, but some dangerous men (such a typical cliché, them being Eastern Europeans) want to keep well hidden.<br><br>The trouble is, the truth. Well, the truth is not exciting at all. And the truth of why Rebecca’s father left, it didn’t give the impact expected, either. The most action to be had was in what appeared to be a homophobic attack on two of Rebecca’s new-found friends. That aside, Rebecca defying everyone to get the story she’s looking for, which is just as much her boss as the islanders themselves, is just as cliché as some of the rest.<br><br>The best part about this book, apart from the cover (the main reason I picked up the book in the first place), was probably the place descriptions. Thunder Bay was described beautifully, as a place that must be visited, and the scenery on the routes was just as detailed.<br><br>It's a shame, really, as there was so much that could have been good and even better about this. In the end, I’m a little disappointed, with the grip not quite catching me completely.<br><br><i>Final rating: ★★★☆☆ – Sort of liked/OK</i>

In Thunder Bay, the prose is what lifts this stunning thriller from the norm to an exceptionally well told story, where the characterisation is razor sharp, the setting is pitch perfect and the plotting beautifully structured.<br /><br />Thunder Bay isset on the small fictional Scottish Island of Stoirm, not a big island, but onewith enough isolated pockets to ensure that not everyone will always knoweveryone else’s business.<br /><br />Thunder Bay is one of those pockets. Not many people gothere. Island lore has it that this is where the souls of the dead come to betaken across the water into the west, to the afterlife. It is a place of secrets and its name is thelast thing that Mhairi Sinclair spoke before she died.<br /><br />Roddie Drummond was her lover and in the subsequent trialwhere he was charged with murder, the jury returned a verdict of not proven.Roddie left the island and was not seen again, until now. He has come back forhis mother’s funeral, and the island is buzzing with the news of his return.<br /><br />Rebecca Connolly works for the Chronicle, the local paper.Her father was born on Stoirm but left many years ago and has never been back.Rebecca knows that this is a huge story, but she’s having real trouble gettingher editor to understand that this is one that can’t be done as a phoner. Everyweek it’s getting harder for Rebecca to feel like she’s doing the job of a realjournalist as the paper’s resources are squeezed.<br /><br />Tipped off by Chaz, a young local freelance photographer on Stoirm, she can feel the pull of the story and, if she’s honest, she’s always hoped that there would be an opportunity for her to visit the place where her father was born and brought up.<br /><br />Sonya is Mhairi’s daughter. She wants to know why her mother’s murder is officially listed as unsolved when every islander tells her that Roddie Drummond did it. She just wants to look him in the eye so that she knows, once and for all if he is guilty. She’ll know just by looking, she is sure.<br /><br />When Rebecca gets there, she finds that not everyone is welcoming and that Roddie Drummond is not the only one keeping secrets. For Stoirm is an island full of secrets, and some secrets just don’t want to be told.<br /><br />There’s more than one story on Stoirm. Lord Henry Stuart hasenlisted some serious help to ensure that he can push his ambitious plans fordeveloping his estate, including building a distillery and upgrading his houseto cater for exclusive hunting parties. The locals are not wholly convinced andthe public meeting held to discuss the plans is not the sure thing Lord Henrywas hoping for.<br /><br />For Rebecca, this is a chance to finally understand her roots and to pull off a coup that could get national attention. For the islanders, these are secrets that should be left undisturbed, before more harm befalls those who disturb the uneasy peace.<br /><br />Douglas Skelton has written an atmospheric and gripping book, with rounded and fully rooted characters that make the pages sing. This is prose that flows clear as a highland spring, fresh, natural and dynamic.<br /><br />All his characters are very well drawn, but special note should be made of the central protagonist Rebecca. Skelton has captured her spirit and character very well and she is both believable and noteworthy. I’d happily read another novel with her as the central character.<br /><br />Stoirm, though, is the really class character in this book. The sense of place is palpable. The locations are so vividly and visually described that you can see them and feel the atmosphere around you. This is a place where past and present sit together, perhaps uneasily, but in a silent accord that no-one should attempt to sunder.<br /><br />The past will demand its dues if Stoirm is to prevail and in pulling together all the strands of this finely woven cloth, Skelton has produced an evocative, beautiful and tense tapestry of a read that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.<br /><br />Verdict: Tense, atmospheric, beautifully written. A cracker of a crime novel I just loved.

Time taken to read - 1.5 days <br /><br />Pages - 320<br /><br />Publisher - Polygon<br /><br />Source - Review Copy<br /><br />Blurb from Goodreads <br /><br />When reporter Rebecca Connolly is told of Roddie Drummond’s return to the island of Stoirm she senses a story. Fifteen years before he was charged with the murder of his lover, Mhairi. When he was found Not Proven, Roddie left the island and no one, apart from his sister, knew where he was or what he was doing. Now he has returned for his mother’s funeral – and it will spark an explosion of hatred, bitterness and violence.<br /><br />Defying her editor's wishes, Rebecca joins forces with local photographer Chazz Wymark to dig into the secrets surrounding Mhairi's death, and her mysterious last words of Thunder Bay, the secluded spot on the west coast of the island where, according to local lore, the souls of the dead set off into the after life. When another murder takes place, and the severe weather that gives the island its name hits, she is ideally placed to uncover the truth about what happened that night fifteen years before.<br /><br /><br /><br />My Review <br /><br />We open with the death of Mhairi a beautiful young girl meeting a tragic end. We flip to the "present day" fifteen years later and the guy everyone believed to have killed her is returning to the island, Stoirm. Reporter Rebecca Connolly is going to cover it, regardless of her bosses orders no to, Rebecca's dad is from the island and he would never discuss it. She has possibly an exclusive story AND a chance to figure out what was so bad about the place her father would never discuss it nor any of the family. Rebecca will learn that islands have their secrets and some people will kill to keep them!<br /><br />Oooooh so this is my first dance with this author, never read him before although seem him at a few book events and always heard folk talk about his work. Not only is the cover fab with my fav colour and a striking view but it is set in a Scottish island and the wee island has its secrets and land stories/myths. I LOVE stuff like that and thought I was just heading into a murder/gossip type tale. After the murder we have a slow burn with the story teasing out its details, Rebecca meets a lot of opposition for what she is trying to do, no one wants outsiders butting in and small communities have a way of dealing with their own.<br /><br />There are many strands to the story, the death of a beautiful young woman and the impact that has left on her family and daughter, especially in such a small place. The suspected killer returning after another death and bad things start to happen. Wee jumps in time back to the lead up to Mhairi's death and all those who lived there at the time. Like a modern day "Murder She Wrote" you get lots of information, snippets, reasons to distrust and, for me, still struggle to finger the bad guy and the why.<br /><br />Engaging, a good pace, characters you want to read more about and a mystery from the past, will Mhairi ever get to leave "Thunder Bay" will she ever be avenged? Will her daughter ever get closure and can Rebecca get anyone to open up about whatever was so bad her father cut himself off from the family, the island and even the sheer mention of it? Gotta read it to get the answers folks!<br /><br />I love when a book keeps you guessing, luring you page after page to conclusions and thinking you worked it out when no, no you really didn't. I liked the wee stories of myths and legends the islanders told and it makes me want to pick up a book on our own Scottish history, sure we have tons in our past. I also want to look these up and see if they came from anything or just a fab creation within a creation from the author. As I said this is my first dance with Skelton, it won't be my last, 4/5 for me this time. <br /><br />

This was okay and I probably won't read another Rebecca Connolly book but might try some other mystery by this author. I just felt this story had everything including the kitchen sink thrown in and much of it added nothing to the central mystery or to the story in general. A homophobic storyline -check -but why? It didn't drive the story in any way and nor did it impact the mystery. Why not just let Chaz and Alan leave the island to pursue their lives? Rebecca's back story - boring - and her family mystery -what a let down. Something that happened over 100 years ago from family she didn't even know she had - I just couldn't believe she would feel any guilt - and of course her personal back story just happens to resonate with "great family secret". Shona was another character that I didn't like. She wasn't at all likeable anyway and her blaming the reporter for what's going on is a stretch that didn't work for me. In the end the only one who found out the truth was the father of the murdered girl - and even after knowing that, it didn't stop him from murder. As a reader -anytime Russians, Ukranians, Balkans are introduced - they are always the bad guys... and finally- there are 26 letters in the alphabet. This book had 4 women whose names all began with an 'S' and could they be any more similar; Sonya, Shona, Sandra, Sylvia. Come on - use all the letters available - it's free. Boy I am crabby today.