The Lewis man, by Peter May

This is the second mystery in the Lewis trilogy by author Peter May. Fin Macleod has divorced his wife, left the police in Edinburgh, and moved back to Lewis to rebuild his parents croft. He's living in a tent on the property and trying to re-build a relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Marsaili, and their son, Fionnlach. He gets drawn into a murder investigation when a body is found buried in the peat. It's determined to be a murder from the 1950s when a tattoo is found on the young man's arm, and the investigation gets personal for Fin when DNA shows that the dead man is related to Marsaili's father Tormod, who is suffering from dementia. The narrative goes back and forth between Tormod's recollections of his childhood and Fin's attempts to follow the evidence to identify the murdered man and exonerate Tormod. Again, like the first in the trilogy, this is a very well-written book with engaging characters and an interesting plot.
 

The blackhouse, by Peter May

This is the first mystery in a trilogy set on the Isle of Lewis, the northernmost island in the Scottish Hebrides. Fin Macleod is a detective in Edinburgh but grew up on Lewis, so when a man is found murdered in a style similar to one that took place in Edinburgh, he is asked to go investigate, which he does, albeit reluctantly. Fin's parent both died while he was young and he was brought up by his aunt who provided for him but who was unloving. Fin's childhood sweetheart is married to his best friend, and their adult son is seeing a girl who had accused the dead man of rape. As Fin investigates the murder, he dredges up a lot from the past, including what happened when he participated in the annual bird hunt on a nearby island which resulted in his near death and the death of his best friend's father. I really loved this mystery. The writing is excellent and the characters are well drawn and interesting. 
 

Terra incognita, by Ruth Downie

 

This is the second book in a series about Roman army doctor Gaius Petreius Ruso. In the first book Ruso solved a mystery about the murder of local prostitutes; this book finds Ruso traveling with the army towards a distant outpost in the north of Britain. As they're passing through a town there is a body found without a head, and Ruso begins to investigate the murder in order to absolve the town's doctor who has taken responsibility for it. Complicating things, this is the childhood home of Ruso's slave Tilla, and her friends are part of an emerging rebellion. Ruso must solve the case before the imminent visit by the new governor. Ruso's secretary Albanus and fellow doctor Valens also play an important role in the book. Downie's style is very clear and she keeps the plot moving along. Very enjoyable.

The Germanicus mosaic, by Rosemary Rowe

 

This is the first in a series about Roman Britain, set in 186 CE. Libertus is a freed slave who works as a mosaic artist. He's asked by his patron to investigate the gruesome death of a centurion for whom Libertus worked recently to install a floor in a library. While I liked the main character and his assistant, the plot was overly complicated. However, I will go on to read the next to see if the author's style improves as she writes more.

Why didn't they ask Evans?, by Agatha Christie

 

This is the 15th Agatha Christie novel that I've read this year, and I still continue to enjoy them. This one has a new pair investigating the crime, Bobby Jones and his friend Frankie, a wealthy heiress. The book has the feel of a Tommy and Tuppence thriller in that the couple engage in a lot of spicy bantering and are excited by all aspects of investigating a crime, often coming up with outlandish disguises and ruses to scrutinize possible suspects.