THE STORY KEEPER

(Tinder Press £18.99)

FLEEING from her father and a stepmother she dislikes, Audrey Hart accepts a position with Miss Buchanan at Lanerly Hall on the island of Skye. Her task is to record the island’s treasure trove of stories and legends.

There could be no richer hunting ground for a folklorist but, steeped in a history of oppression and dispossession, the crofters do not yield up their myths easily.

When a young girl dies, apparently one of several who have disappeared, Audrey realises another story needs to be investigated — one that, incredibly, might involve her own mother.

Skye is the best of settings for a twisty, atmospheric crime story into which is stitched the fallout from ancient grudges, superstition and oppression.