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Peter May, the Scottish novelist and screenwriter behind the bestselling Lewis Trilogy, has died at 74, his French publisher Editions du Rouergue confirmed.
Scottish novelist and screenwriter Peter May, best known for his Lewis Trilogy of crime thrillers set in the Hebrides, has died, his French publishing house told AFP on Monday.
May was 74. May wrote around 30 novels including the bestselling trio of The Blackhouse, The Lewis Men and The Chessmen, set on the remote Isle of Lewis off the west coast of Scotland. His death was confirmed by Editions du Rouergue, the French publisher that first brought the trilogy to a wide readership. Peter May was a man of raw sensitivity, profoundly empathetic, considerate, and endlessly kind, his French publisher Editions du Rouergue said in a statement.
French Publisher Brings Trilogy to Success
The publisher paid tribute to the memory of an immensely creative man. The Blackhouse was first published in translation in French by Editions du Rouergue in 2010, after no English-language publisher recognized its potential. The series went on to become an international success and made May one of the country's most popular foreign crime writers. May, who lived in the Lot area of southwest France and became a French citizen, was a familiar figure at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
He attended a photocall at the festival at Charlotte Square Gardens on August 26, 2016 in Edinburgh, Scotland. In The Blackhouse, there is everything: magnificent characters, breathtaking landscapes, Danielle Dastugue, founder of the French publisher, told AFP in 2023. Peter was perhaps ahead of the Scandinavian wave that follows this vein. Born in Glasgow on December 20, 1951, May published his first book at the age of 26.
Expelled from high school in the 1960s for being too rebellious, he dreamed of becoming a writer, a goal he pursued after starting out as a journalist. He created two series for the BBC, then co-wrote and produced the Gaelic-language series Machair, set on Lewis. He also worked on the long-running Scottish soap opera Take the High Road, building a career in television before turning back to fiction.
Writer Explores Exotic Settings and Themes
He left television in 1996 and wrote The Firemaker, the first novel in a series of crime stories set in China. That series introduced readers to his talent for combining exotic settings with tightly plotted mysteries. May was also concerned about the future of the planet, something that came through in his more recent novels such as Coffin Road. His work often wove environmental themes into stories of crime and suspense.
With the Lewis Trilogy, May returned to his Scottish roots and the landscapes of the Outer Hebrides. The books drew on the history, weather and isolation of the islands, helping to establish him as a leading voice in Scottish crime writing. Tributes from the publishing world described him as a writer of great warmth and generosity. His French publisher highlighted the breadth of his imagination and his ability to create vivid, unforgettable characters.
May's death marks the loss of an author whose books sold in multiple languages and whose stories reached readers far beyond Scotland. Fans and fellow writers are expected to pay tribute in the coming days.
CP24
CTVToronto:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Peter May Lewis Trilogy Scottish Crime Writer Editions Du Rouergue The Blackhouse
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