Overview

Fifteen years ago, David Lindsay watched his best friend Colin die after a fall from the cliffs near Arbroath. Unable to cope with the aftermath, he left town and never looked back. When an invitation arrives for a school reunion, David returns hoping to reconnect with Nicola Cruickshank, the girl he always fancied. Instead, another death on the cliffs drags him back into old mysteries and forces him to confront the past he has spent years avoiding.

Writing & Voice

We found Johnstone’s writing fast, funny and remarkably assured for a debut. The dialogue crackles with humour, while the darker moments carry real emotional weight. Even when the plot turns dangerous, the story remains grounded in believable characters and recognisable Scottish settings.

Content & Perspective

The novel follows David as he revisits old friendships, old rivalries and memories he would rather leave buried. The mystery surrounding Colin’s death sits at the heart of the story, but it is equally a novel about returning home and discovering that the past has never really gone away. As events escalate, David finds himself caught between nostalgia, guilt and genuine danger.

Themes

Tombstoning explores grief, memory, friendship and the long shadow cast by youthful tragedy. It examines the way communities create stories around traumatic events and asks whether it is ever possible to move on without first understanding what happened.

What Worked

• A compelling central mystery that keeps unfolding in unexpected ways.
• Strong sense of place rooted in Arbroath and the Angus coastline.
• Humour and darkness balanced with confidence.

Minor Quibbles

• Some plot threads resolve more neatly than others.
• The mystery occasionally takes precedence over deeper character exploration.

Final Thoughts

What makes this work is David himself. Beneath the mystery is a story about a man forced to stop running from the worst moment of his life, and that emotional core gives the novel its lasting impact.

Rating: ★★★★½ / 5