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.

Thanks to Lin and NetGalley for allowing me to read The High Island before the publication date.
As a fan of Tartan Noir I have enjoyed Lin’s previous books.
This is a fantastic start to the Orcadian series with many interesting characters and hints of what might be in the future. The story stretches over almost a century allowing the older generation of the residents to share their recollections.
In Kirkwall, a war is brewing between the local drug dealers and the Scouse County Lines dealers who are introducing stronger drugs to the islands.
When nonagenarian Ivor Mowat decided to move from his home on Hoy to a care home on the mainland, it was just the first step in the wily old man’s plans which would involve 4 generations of the Mowat family.
Much to the annoyance of his sons, Ivor sold his croft to an architect who had written about his family ties to the Orkneys and his desire to build an eco house there.
As the digger starts work, it reveals a wooden box with the mummified bodies of a woman and a child.
Flett and his small team set out to identify the bodies, although the locals seem reluctant to co-operate.
When he asks for support from the Highlands and Islands Division, DS Gus Gowan is assigned to assist.
Flett notices an atmosphere with DS Jo Green when Gowan arrives and quietly assigns them to separate work.
This is a slow burning read which kept my attention throughout. Each chapter reveals a bit more yet raising even more questions.

Really liked this. Found it hard to put down! Lin Anderson writes so descriptively that it is easy to picture the places where the crimes are taking place and DI Erling Flett and DS Jo Green are very likeable. This one begins with the funeral of Ivor Mowat, an old friend of Erling's grandad and head of a very male dominated family in the islands. The family have lots of influence in the islands and beyond in different ways. The funeral coincides with the arrival of Ivor's great grandson Kris, who many of the family don't know but who is predicted to be inheriting Ivor's fortunes. This is all set against the backdrop of an increase in drugs arriving in the area. It is fast paced, shows the problems of policing in very rural areas and of having a small team. Erling is still getting to know Jo, and their interactions are a big part of the book, as we learn more about Jo's background and past.
I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Lin Anderson has written 19 books in the Rhona Macleod series, and has now created an excellent spin off featuring one of the occasionally supporting characters.

DI Erling Flett is called out to the discovery of old bones on the site of a planned new eco-home on the Orkney island of Hoy. The site previously belonged to family patriarch Ivor Mowat, who sold it shortly before his death. But with strong family feelings on the sale and the arrival of a young man claiming to be Ivor’s great grandson, tensions rise dramatically and newer crimes need to be solved. Orkney, on the surface, is quieter than Glasgow, but as one character muses, “Bad things happen everywhere”.

This is a very fine police procedural, set in the atmospheric Orkney Isles off Scotland. Lin Anderson writes so well. The style is comparable to me with Michael Connelly - structured, determined and always moving forward.

The characters here are strong and balanced. DI Flett reminds me of Matthew Venn in Ann Cleeves Two Rivers series. DS Jo Green provides an outsider’s view on Orkney. For fans of Rhona MacLeod, although she doesn't feature, there are a couple of cameos by familiar faces from that world.

This is highly recommended, and I hope the series will continue. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free advance copy.

I wasn't sure at first when the police investigation was not headed by Rhona Macleod, however that opinion changed from the third chapter on. (If I'm not gripped by that stage in a book I stop reading). There were so many twists and turns involving all the characters that I found it hard to put down. In particular the lead detective's personal relationship made him believable and I cared what happened to him. His detective sergeant's complicated relationship with one of the additional police called in to assist with the case was another example of this. The plot itself draws the reader in. Superb. I now eagerly await the next book starring these characters.
I was asked by the publisher who sent me an ARC to give an honest review. I confirm that this is what I have done.
#Pan Macmillan

Big fan of this author and this book didn't disappoint. I love the area and the descriptions really brought it to life. DI Erling and his sergeant Jo are just getting to know each other and how each works. Family feuds, disquiet, drugs, past relationships, all add to the mix and make for an enthralling story. The location is a character in its own right. I also liked the references to Rhona and her team as it made the book feel more real and centred in the real world. Great job and look forward to the next one