Peter May obit

'Irreplaceable' crime author Peter May dies in South of France

 

He was not on the list.

Peter May was best known for his novel, The Blackhouse

Tributes have poured in for Scottish crime writer and screenwriter Peter May, who has died aged 74.

May, author of Lewis-set thriller The Blackhouse, whose books have sold 15 million copies around the world, died on Friday at his holiday home in the south of France.

He was remembered for his “kindness, generosity and largeness of spirit” by his publisher, who said he was “irreplaceable”.

His wife, writer Janice Hally, announced May’s death on social media, saying she had “no words to express the loss“.

The novel May had announced would be his last, Island of the Dead, set on a fictional version of island St Kilda, is to be published in January. May had planned a farewell tour of Scotland and Lewis to coincide with its publication.

First Minister John Swinney said May’s descriptions of Scottish landscapes were “stunning”.

May began working as a journalist before publishing his first novel, The Reporter in 1976, at the age of twenty-six. After it was adapted as a BBC drama series, he left journalism for television, and in the fifteen years that followed he became a successful scriptwriter and producer on two seminal series, Take the High Road and the Gaelic-language, Isle of Lewis-set Machair.

It was while working on location on Machair, that his love for the Hebrides, which informed and influenced so much of his writing was formed. He returned to fiction with a series of China-set thrillers, which was followed by the French-set Enzo Files, both of which featured characters who reflected his growing interest in forensic science. However, it was the publication of the Lewis-set thriller The Blackhouse in 2011, that brought international fame, and bestselling success, and resulted in The Lewis Trilogy. He published a bestseller almost every year between The Blackhouse and his last book, The Black Loch in 2024.

May’s long term publisher and close friend, Jon Riley, said: “Peter May was one of the most popular, and loved writers of crime fiction of his generation, and his books have sold around 15 million copies around the world.

“Peter was a talented musician, and in 2025 he released a CD, Towards the Light, which reflected in song many of his interests as a novelist. Although he had announced his retirement, which he was looking forward to sharing with his beloved wife, the writer Janice Hally, May found there was one more novel in him, and he delivered Island of the Dead in July this year. He was preparing for a farewell tour of Scotland and Lewis to coincide with publication in January 2027.”

He added: “Peter May was not only one of the best writers of crime fiction we had, but he inspired enormous affection in his readers and in those lucky enough to work with him. His kindness, generosity and largeness of spirit, loyalty, engagement with life, and the world, made him a much-loved,as well as much- admired figure. He is irreplaceable.”

Swinney said: “Very sorry to hear this news. I have hugely enjoyed Peter May’s evocative books set in the Hebrides. His description of events in some of the most precious places in our landscape was so stunning. I extend my sympathy to his family.”

A spokesperson for crime writing festival Bloody Scotland said: “We're very sad to hear of the death of Peter May, he was a wonderful writer and a generous and gracious presence at the festival over the years. Sending love to Janice and the rest of his family. He will be missed.”

His French publisher Editions du Rouergue paid tribute to him as an “immensely creative man”.

It said in a statement: “Peter May was a man of raw sensitivity, profoundly empathetic, considerate, and endlessly kind.”