This story is set in 1915 in an isolated community in Aberdeenshire, where Johnny, a casual farmhand, singer and entertainer, develops an unexpected relationship with Lizzie, the wife of the local landowner after he has gone off to the war. This happens after a body is discovered in the local peat bogs and the community starts to wonder just where it came from and what its unearthing might mean.

Both Johnny and Lizzie have complicated back stories which eventually emerge against a background of local pub talk and gossip, the body and what to do with it, and the distant echoes of the war. Johnny’s story is told in flashbacks going back to 1905 and the events which have led to him leading an almost nomadic life.

Throughout the book, the author tries to replicate the thick Scottish accent which some readers might find difficult but the developing relationship between Johnny and Lizzie is well explored although, towards the end, the events surrounding Johnny, previously known as Jack, threaten to overwhelm the plot.

It’s a good read but it takes some time to get into it, to understand the dialect and to know which characters are which.