Reading order · 4 books · 2009 to 2025 · Set in Stornoway
Lewis Books in Order
The Lewis books follow Fin Macleod, a detective who returns to his native Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, a place of wild beauty and old wounds.
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Series facts
- Books
- 4
- Published
- 2009 to 2025
- First book
- The Blackhouse
- Latest
- The Black Loch (2025)
- Setting
- Set in Stornoway
The reading order
Every Lewis book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
4 books · Set in Stornoway
- 1The Blackhouse2009With Fin MacleodFin Macleod, a detective in Edinburgh, is sent back to the Isle of Lewis, where he grew up, to investigate a murder that resembles one in Edinburgh, and faces his own past.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Lewis Man2011With Fin MacleodA preserved body found in a peat bog on Lewis is linked to the father of Fin’s childhood sweetheart, who now has dementia.Buy on Amazon
- 3The Chessmen2012With Fin MacleodA loch on Lewis drains overnight, revealing a light aircraft with the body of a man Fin once knew.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Black Loch2025With Fin MacleodWhen a student is found dead by the Black Loch on Lewis, the prime suspect is Fin Macleod’s own son, and Fin returns to the island to clear his name.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man, The Chessmen, then The Black Loch.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Fin Macleod | Marsaili Macinnes | Fionnlagh | George Gunn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Blackhouse | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 2 The Lewis Man | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 3 The Chessmen | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
| 4 The Black Loch | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor |
Characters in the Lewis books
4 characters from Peter May’s chart, with the number of Lewis books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Fin MacleodEdinburgh detective who returns to the Isle of Lewis | 4 | The Blackhouse 2009 |
| Marsaili MacinnesFin’s childhood sweetheart | 4 | The Blackhouse 2009 |
| FionnlaghMarsaili’s son | 4 | The Blackhouse 2009 |
| George GunnDetective Sergeant on Lewis | 4 | The Blackhouse 2009 |