A bizarre 
development at an art exhibition in an isolated little town on the Shetland Islands sets off a chain of events reaching back decades. A man kneels in the midst of a small turnout for the show and weeps. Inspector Perez tries to calm him and the man claims he has amnesia and doesn’t know who he is. The next day, the man is found hanging in a nearby shed—murder or suicide?
As the investigation proceeds, the secrets of the past of the few inhabitants of the town begin to surface. The police team brought in from the mainland pursues what clues there are, while Perez, a local, follows his knowledge of the area and its people. The contrast is interesting. Another death of a local celebrity highlights the possibility to Perez that there is more to the case than meets the eye.
The book is well-written, the characters well-drawn. The plot is tight, and the story progresses at a good pace. Descriptions of the Shetlands and their people are detailed and entrancing. Well worth reading, and recommended.
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Theodore Feit