The Last Refuge Launch
You can run from your past but you can never hide from yourself…
When John Callum arrives on the wild and desolate Faroe Islands, he vows to sever all ties with his previous life. Then the solitude is shattered by an almost unheard of crime on the islands: murder.
John's nightmares have taken an even more disturbing turn, and he can't be certain about the one thing he needs to know above all else. Whether he is the killer…
Craig Robertson’s new novel is far removed from the familiar Glasgow setting of his usual novels. Instead of Stewart Street police station and the city centre pubs frequented by Tony Winter and DS Rachel Narey, he takes us to entirely alien territory.
The Last Refuge is set in Torshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, the wind-swept and rain-lashed dots of land that sit at the mercy of the North Atlantic in a bemused triangle between Iceland, Scotland and Norway.
The people live in multi-coloured houses with turf roofs and most of them depend on the sea for a living. They eat whale and puffin, drink akvavit, enjoy endless summer days, endure long, dark winters and frequently have four seasons in an afternoon. They live in a landscape as bleak and dramatic as it is peaceful and stunningly beautiful. Apart from the weather and the fact that they don’t grow vegetables, it’s all very unlike urban Glasgow.
The Faroes are said to have the lowest crime rate in the world and have suffered only one murder in 25 years. Until now…
The Last Refuge is launched this Thursday, May 22, in the Mediterranea restaurant in Stirling at 6pm. (The North Atlantic restaurant wasn’t available). Waterstones are hosting the event and Craig is being interviewed about his book by fellow crime writer Michael J Malone.
As well as a reading from the new novel, there will be Faroese music, island images and – for those brave enough – the strongest akvavit in the world. The booze takes a central role in the book and readers can get a chance to find out why.
Tickets for the event are free and available from Waterstones Stirling, telephone 01786 478756.
