When Cal MacCarl gets a phone call to his bachelor flat in Glasgow asking him to come to the bedside of his Aunt Mary, dying miles away on the Isle of Lewis, he embarks on a journey of discovery. With both his parents dead, his Aunt Mary is his only remaining blood link. When she goes he will be the last of the family line and he couldn't care less. In the days between his aunt's death and funeral he is drawn into the role of genealogy detective. In a place where everyone knows everything about everybody, Cal finds that secrets are buried deep and begins to understand that Aunt Mary was not the woman he knew and he might not be the person he thought he was. REVIEWS: 'Where MacKay differs from most other Hebridean-based novels is in his obvious research into the geography, and meticulous background into island traditions and cultures.' THE STORNOWAY GAZETTE. 'The Hebridean scenes are powerful.' THE SUNDAY HERALD. 'There is a tightly plotted story here, together with some lovely details of remote island life.' THE INDEPENDENT' A Strong modern story of personal conflict' NORTHWORDS NOWBACK COVER: The call came from a place far away where the dark was deep and the only sound was the fading breath of a woman on the edge of eternity. The summons to the bedside of his dying aunt drags Cal MacCarl away from the blur of city life to the islands where time turns slowly and tradition endures. He is striving for the urban dream of the luxury apartment and the prestige car and has shed all of his past to get there. Aunt Mary is his only remaining blood link. She comes from the past. She still knows him as Calum. When she passes he will be the last of the family line. But for Cal, family and history are just bonds to tie him down. Reluctantly embarking on a journey of duty, Cal finds himself drawn into the role of genealogy detective and discovers secrets which are buried deep. He begins to understand that Mary was not the woman he thought he knew and the secret she kept hidden for so long means he might not be who he thought he was.
