Peter May, a prolific Scottish author known for his crime thrillers and richly atmospheric storytelling, died on September 25 at his home in Gassin, southeastern France. He was 74. According to his wife, Janice Hally, the cause of death was a heart attack.

Mr. May was widely recognized for his novel "The Blackhouse," set on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, which chronicles a detective’s return to his isolated birthplace to investigate a brutal murder. Despite his belief that it was his best work, the book initially faced multiple rejections from major British publishers. Feedback included praise for its dark atmosphere and thrilling narrative, but publishers cited concerns about market appeal and character believability. One publisher commented that another Scottish series was already in place, while others questioned the story's plausibility or the protagonist’s appeal.

Following these setbacks, Mr. May struggled to find a publisher for subsequent works, including "Lockdown," a thriller centered on a global pandemic, which was dismissed as unrealistic at the time, and an early installment of what would become the Enzo Files series, featuring a middle-aged half-Scottish, half-Italian forensic scientist. Publishers felt this lead character was too old for a series.

Before becoming a full-time novelist in the mid-1990s, Mr. May had a diverse career as a journalist and television writer. He began as a reporter for several Scottish newspapers and later worked extensively in television, including co-creating “Machair,” a Gaelic-language soap opera set on the Isle of Lewis. In the early 2000s, facing financial challenges, he and Hally relocated to France.

The turning point came when Hally, herself an accomplished playwright and screenwriter, reached out to an editor at St. Martin’s Press in New York, advocating for Mr. May’s work. This led to the republication of his China crime series—featuring a Beijing police detective and an American pathologist—and eventually facilitated the international sale and translation of “The Blackhouse.” The French edition appeared in 2009, and a subsequent British edition followed after a bidding contest for worldwide rights.

“The Blackhouse” launched Mr. May’s international success and enabled him to revive his earlier novels. Later, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, "Lockdown" was revisited and swiftly published as an e-book and paperback in April 2020, achieving bestseller status in Britain. In a gesture of solidarity during the crisis, Mr. May donated his advance from the book to healthcare workers and related charities.

Born December 20, 1951, in Clarkston, Scotland, Peter Marr May showed early literary promise and pursued various careers including music and journalism before settling into writing. He is survived by his wife Janice Hally, daughter Carol Burns, and sister Lynne Fairbairn.

His work was repeatedly praised for its evocative settings and compelling characters, drawing readers into remote and often harsh landscapes with complex human stories. Mr. May leaves behind a legacy of nearly 30 novels that continue to attract a global readership.