I really enjoyed this gripping novel! If you think the High Island is only about the beauty of the landscape, the sea, the wind, well you are wrong: murders, old secrets and drugs colour the countryside.... I loved the vivid description of the islands and I enjoyed the way communication between the (rather scarce inhabitants) functions so fast... I really liked all the people involved in the investigation (apart from one, I am not telling whom!). Their positive relationship with each other is a breath of fresh air (when compared to other police procedurals novels). I could relate to them and would love to meet them! A great plot, some surprises, suspense make this novel a gripping read!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

A gripping crime thriller about a family at war amidst unexplained deaths and drug dealing on Orkney. The "high island" of the title is the Viking name for the second largest island in the archipelago, Hoy.

DI Erling Flett, who has returned to his homeland, has more to worry about than the complex web of the Mowat family. He's worried that his partner, professional diver Rory, will get fed up with him working all hours. He also discovers that his dependable and straight talking detective sergeant, Jo, has lied when she said she didn't know the colleague who's joined the team temporarily.

Flett seems a sober and cerebral character. He quite often refers to his team by their rank: it will take time before there's a lot of bonhomie. But he's a decent man who does the right thing.

The story stretches over several generations of Mowats, and news travels at lightning speed on Orkney where everyone seems to know each other.

It was an exciting and multi layered thriller. My first Lin Anderson. I can't wait to read her other "tartan noir" novels.

The High Island by Lin Anderson centres on the Mowat family in Orkney. Ivor, the patriarch, dies and all the family congregate in Orkney including Kris his great-grandchild that none of the Mowat’s have met before. Before his death, Ivor sold the family’s croft on the island of Hoy and the new owners plan to build an eco-friendly home but make a grisly find when they unearth the remains of a young mother and her baby.

The story moves along at pace as the Mowat family’s history is scrutinised. It also portrays the logistics of policing Orkney from Kirkwall (mainland) and the need to get boats to the surrounding islands to investigate, which can be hampered by bad weather. It also conveyed the sense of community on the islands and historic alliances.

DI Erling Flett, who featured in previous Rhona MacLeod books set in Orkney, is leading this investigation and team. He’s a very interesting character, who in his youth left Orkney and now has returned as a police officer and who still has his demons.

I really can’t wait for the next instalment of this new series.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Pan Macmillan for making this e-ARC available to me to read in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Another wonderful Rhona Macleod tale from Lin Anderson, and she is back on Orkney with some familiar faces. This appears to be the start of a new set of books which I can’t wait to read. I love the scenic descriptions along with the suspense waiting to see what might be found next

Yes. A really enjoyable read that kept going until the end. But having read titles by Lin Anderson before, I would have been disappointed if I hadn’t enjoyed it.
Everything about it was good from storyline to characters to setting.
Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Just when you think Lin Anderson can't get any better - she writes something like this. Top thriller, very atmospheric and just darn good writing. Oh and she makes an innocent island very evil and mysterious indeed. Yeah, got to read this!

Another wonderful book set in the Orkney and surrounding islands from Lin Anderson. The High Island concentrates on Detective Erling Flett as opposed to the author's other series about Dr Rhona MacLeod although many characters crossover into both series. This makes for easy reading. Unfortunately despite the idyllic setting Erling and the team are dealing with county lines drug wars resulting in the accompanying death and destruction. Erling and his sergeant Jo's personal lives also suffer as work always comes first for them. I love Lin Anderson's books and it is an absolute treat when a new one is published. I would recommend any of her books without exception.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

A compelling read. I am new to the author and I requested the book on the basis that it was set in Orkney.

It’s a gem. I enjoyed the characters, I’ll look forward to meeting them again. I loved that Erling has a strong emotional intelligence and I can see how that will allow his character to develop and his team to really connect with him.

The older Orkadian characters were delightful and showed how nothing much happens on an island without everyone knowing something of what’s happening.

Thank you for the opportunity to read. This will be a smash.

Wild, windswept Hoy (High) Island, one of the Orkney Islands, is beautiful and remote. It is also the home of the Mowats, a family torn apart by greed, suspicion and criminal enterprise. Before family patriarch Ivor Mowat died, he sold a large parcel of desirable land to an outsider who wants to build a home on the island. This did not please his descendants. Nor were they pleased when they learned he also left his entire estate to Kris, his newly found great-grandson, son of his beloved granddaughter Betty. Then, as construction begins on the new house, the bodies of a young woman and baby are discovered in an unmarked grave. And Kris, after attending Ivor’s funeral, has disappeared. Trying to untangle all this is DI Erling Flett, an Orkney native, and his partner DS Jo Green.

The High Island is a captivating Scottish police procedural. Hoy Island, an atmospheric location is a character itself. You can feel the strong winds, the rain, the wild ocean and the almost total isolation. The plot is complex, the characters are well described, especially Erling and Jo. I can’t wait to read the next in this excellent series!. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Lin Anderson for this ARC.