I am enjoying this new series. This is a fast paced storyline with many twists. I am looking forward to reading the next one.

The Island is book two in the Fiona MacLeish series by G. N. Smith. On an isolated Scottish Island in the middle of a storm, PC Fiona MacLeish had to find a missing child without the support of the mainland. In the middle of the search for the missing child, PC Fiona MacLeish had to save passengers on a sinking ship only to discover she had another case on her hands: the murder of the captain. Due to the storm, there was no way off the Island, so it became a race to find the murderer and the missing child. The readers of The Island will continue to follow PC Fiona MacLeish to discover what happens.

Because I have yet to read any other books by G. N. Smith, I had no preconceived idea about what this book is about. However, I enjoy reading books in this genre, and The Island did not disappoint. I engage with the characters and the story from the first page. I love G. N. Smith's portrayal of his characters and their interaction with each other throughout this book. The Island is well-written and researched by G. N. Smith. I like G. N. Smith's description of The Island's settings, which allowed me to imagine being part of the book's plot.

The readers of The Island will know about living on an isolated island off the Scottish coast. Also, The Island's readers will understand the importance of looking after a community's mental health. I recommend this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #Bookouture and G. N. Smith for the opportunity to read an advance copy of THE ISLAND (A Fiona MacLeish Crime Thriller Book 2), to be published 22 September 2023. Fiona is once again the only police presence on an island on the west coast of Scotland where a child is reported missing and Fiona discovers a murder as well, So she has two crimes to solve in a torrential storm that is cut off from the mainland and the rest of the world. Despite some serious ongoing hardships including another murder, an accidental death and physical injuries, Fiona is able to hold her own. 4/5 Stars #NetGalley #Bookouture #G.N.Smith #TheIsland

🌊🚢Thrill every second: exhausting😕

This was one thriller that really earned that sobriquet. Not a chapter went by without nail-biting action and all orchestrated by a lone female police constable who lands on a small Scottish island and wham, chaos breaks loose! Tremendous tension for her and the reader when her physical endurance and policing skills are tested to the limit, all with a hurricane-force gale blowing in. Exciting stuff.

For me, maybe too much. I found it odd that the islanders, who must have faced strong storms and ships going aground in the past, all waited for this solitary policewoman from the mainland, when they did not even know if she had any experience with such a disaster, to come up with a rescue plan, direct them and take the most physical risk. My mind boggled because I just can't imagine self-reliant islanders acting that way.

And I found the dangerous scene at the caravan park a bit too much danger thrown in and, once again, everyone stands around and lets this single policewoman risk her life. Well, almost everyone😕.

So, for me The Island had lots of pluses but it kept the adrenaline pumping so hard it was draining and some of the story was logistics description heavy😥. A map of the island and key sites mentioned would have been helpful and circumvented some of the descriptive stuff. This was my first time reading a book in the Fiona MacLeish series, which I chose largely for the Scottish setting. Would I read more in this series? Probably, because I can't deny it was a pageturner and I love a murder mystery with a resourceful female cop.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

After reading the heart-stopping book that was the first one in this series, I couldn't wait to read this one!

Fiona is on a remote Scottish island when she get word that an eight year old girl, Cait, is missing. There is a storm on the way, which is going to make things very tricky indeed. And then a ship is heading for the rocks.....

I have to say that I wondered for a bit if Fiona was going to survive everything that was thrown at her in this book! She had an awful lot to contend with. She reminded me of one of those SAS warriors!

Loved this book. It didn't have the constant tension of the first one, but nevertheless there was a lot of action and interesting threads to unpick.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Although The Island follows a similar premise to the first book - Fiona investigating alone, a weather issue causing her to be caught off from everyone else - I don't mind that when it comes to thrillers as it's one of my favourite thriller settings and there's a lot that can be done with it.

While I think the mystery builds up at a good pace and the concept of Fiona being trapped on the island with a killer heightens the tension, I was hoping for a little more description of the island itself and for the Scottish location to be heightened more.

But I again enjoyed being in Fiona's company. I feel like we got to know her a little better here, and I like how hard she works to investigate these cases on her own, when she isn't even a detective.

However, I think having two cases alongside each other meant that I couldn't focus on one for long enough, which did limit my engagement as I had to keep flitting between the two. I also think there were one too many stereotypes used with basic descriptions of people being fat, bald, or having a big nose, which I think were unnecessary.

Nevertheless, this is a series I'm enjoying, and a great cosy mystery for fans of this genre.

This is book 2 in series, The Flood was book one (and a superb start to the series it was!), with book 3 The Shelter, due out this November. While I liked book 1, this sophomoric turn in the series was more middle of the road for me- I put it down and picked it back up multiple times over a 2 week period, instead of finishing it in a couple of days. In book one Fionna was much stronger of a character to me. Here, because the story needs her to be out of her element, she seems to question all her choices, and that gets annoying to the reader after 4 chapters in. It's a POLICE procedural, she should be able to make sound decisions, based on her training. But she is so stuck in the 'what would a real detective do?' mode, that it just makes her character unlikeable in large doses. There is a sound double tale here- a missing child and a murder on a boat, with numerous potential witnesses and suspects. But when the reader likes your sub characters better, then some editing may still be needed- let those moments where Fiona trusts her actions to shine throughout the whole book, not just here and there. It will be interesting to see if book 3 does better by Fionna.

This is my second read in this series, I read this one as soon as I could as the last one was so good. Like the other book - the flood, Fiona is placed in a situation which is impossible to get out of, again due to the weather. There were two crimes that she needed to solve whilst still remembering the pain of her parents murder. There are more and more hints re this.

The Scottish island became a character in this story and did not disappoint.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

I’m sorry to say that I really struggled with this book. In my opinion, there was just too much going on (murders, missing child, raging storms and destruction), but I still couldn’t get hooked.
I found it overly descriptive at times, limiting the actual plot and character development. I’m afraid I did skip a lot of chapters as they just didn’t engage me.
Sorry, just my opinion.
Thank you for the advanced copy to review.

PC Fiona MacLeish is sent to a small island called Luing to look for an eight-year-old missing girl, Cait.

With sickness rife at work and a gale closing off the island, Fiona is left to search for Cait by herself. When a boat starts to head towards the small island, Fiona has to put a stop to the search while she helps everyone off the boat. While going to help an elderly passenger, Fiona discovers the Captain has been murdered.

Fiona is in for a busy night, she needs to try and find the killer or killers, plus find a vulnerable child.

This could be read as a stand-alone as the author does go over parts from the first book in the series (The Flood).

Another enjoyable cosy mystery with a good mixture of characters.

The author tells the story well and the writing is descriptive, I found I could imagine being there on the island.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Island is the second installment in the Fiona MacLeish crime series. Fiona is a police officer who wants to be a police detective. Due to a childhood tragedy, she finds it difficult to take exams which means being able to become a detective may be something she can never achieve.
As with the first book, Fiona is sent with no help to search for a missing child on a small Scottish island. When she arrives she finds she will not only be trying to find the missing child but a boat with passengers is about to crash into rocks. As she attempts to rescue the passengers, she discovers a dead body. Now she has another mystery to figure out with gale force winds hitting the island and no help arriving until the next day.
Can Fiona find the missing child in time?
Can she solve what is going on?
Lots of dialogue going on as with the first book in the series. With reading the first book, I am getting use to the authors style of writing. Which is a very different style of writing to me.
I encourage you to read the first book.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This is the second book in the Fiona MacLeish series and every bit as good a read as the first. Set on the island of Luing, Fiona becomes involved in the disappearance of an 8 year old girl, a shipwreck rescue and 2 murders. It's a character driven book and Fiona is one strong character! I love the setting, the characterisation and the plotting, a book I would recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Police Officer Fiona MacLeish is called in to look for a missing 8 year old on an island off the Scottish coast. A storm is brewing out at sea and when it hits the island it is effectively cut off. When a ship runs aground and Fiona helps off the passengers she finds a body. She quickly realises that as well as looking for missing Caite, Fiona will also have to try and find a killer.
Even with the help of some of the locals, Fiona is facing a near impossible task. The storm is worsening, daylight is fading and Fiona is no closer to finding Caite or the killer.
This story is sent over a period of just over 24 hours so it’s pacey and tense.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Once again Fiona, a police officer, finds herself all alone. In this second book, she's sent to an island for a missing child and soon she has to find a murderer as well as the missing child. Against the gale, on an island she doesn't know. I really admire her strength and determination, even if she has her personal struggles, she has to focus on the welfare of others. I'm thinking there's going to be at least a third book in the series since there are a few mysteries not yet uncovered (no spoiling). I'll wait patiently to read the rest !!

The Island is the second book in the new Fiona MacLeish series by G N Smith with the young police officer stuck on an Island during a storm with a missing child and then a murdered captain of a boat.

I found this book better than the first one with the pacing much better and less repetition. The twists and turns were also not as obvious.

The setting of a cut off island was an excellent choice and added to the overall story..

A good read

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the approval to read nreview this book.

This is the second PC Fiona MacLeish book. Like the first, it is a fast paced story with plenty of twists and turns. The descriptions of the characters and the location was well written and I could see them in my mind. Fiona has been sent to the Island to find a lost child, but whilst there, she sees a pleasure boat starting to run aground. She goes on board to help rescue a lady, and discovers a dead body. No more will be said as you will need to read it for yourself.

Oh my goodness....where to begin?! Without giving any spoilers, I l-o-v-e-d this book! I found myself turning pages quickly wanting to see what happened next. From the cover art, to the title, to the description, to the actual story, this book was a thriller and I HIGHLY recommend!!

This is my first book by this author. It took a little while for me to get into it but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I haven’t read the initial book in the series and look forward to going back and reading it in the future. I recommend the read.

PC Fiona MacLeish is sent to a remote island off the coast of the Scottish Highlands. There is a missing child, Cait, who is only eight years old. Fiona should have a backup but is on her own due to staffing issues. The winds are brutal & leave the island essentially shut down, which will make finding Cait even more difficult. Can Fiona find her before something terrible happens to her?

During her search, Fiona notices a boat that is about to crash into the coastline. With the help of locals, she will attempt to rescue the passengers. That’s when she discovers a murder has been committed. Can Fiona find the killer before they leave the island?

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fiona is back and her workload has doubled. She to solve not one, but two cases this time as she is the only police officer on the island due to stormy weather conditions. How can you choose between looking for a missing child and finding a killer? That's a very tricky question...

But Fiona would not be Fiona if she would not come up with solutions to solve both. I think she does herself short. She talks about the mistakes she's made, but in my opinion she did not make any. She had to make a lot of decisions and it's hard to know what to give priority to. She always does the best she can and that's what I admire her for.

Once again she throws herself into her work and even when she hurts herself, she still keeps on going. Her goal is to keep the plates spinning even if she has to jump through hoops to achieve this.

I often have a favorite character in a book. This time I want to nominate a least favorite person. The prize goes to DI Baird with the maximum of the points. The way she treats Fiona is disgraceful. It's always easy to criticize someone when you are not there to assess the situation...

Still a bit too slow paced for me, but very enjoyable. 4 stars

Thank you

With thanks to the author and Bookouture fur this advanced copy to give an honest review. This is the second book in the Fiona McLeish series. Once again Fiona finds herself isolated from her colleagues. Fiona had to travel to an island to search for a missing girl and as there is a shortage of officers she had to go on her own.. Meanwhile a pleasure boat gets into trouble in the storm that's coming and the passengers need rescuing. What follows is a tense and feeling gripping adventure.
The story slows in some places but overall its a thrilling story and difficult to put down. I really enjoyed reading about Fiona and the islanders and imagining what it would be like on an islands in the middle of the Atlantic. Can't wait for book 3 to see what, if any, changes happen to Fiona and her colleagues. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes police peocedurals and feisty women.