by Ann Cleeves
Part of Shetland
First published 2010
Inspector Jimmy Perez arrives on Fair Isle with his girlfriend Fran, eager to introduce her to his parents on the remote island where he was born. The isolated location attracts birdwatchers who gather at the old lighthouse to observe rare species in their natural habitat. When a woman's body is discovered at this very observatory, Perez finds himself drawn into a complex investigation. The victim is a prominent member of the local scientific community, and her murder shocks the island's reserved inhabitants. Bad weather traps everyone on Fair Isle, cutting off transportation and making technology useless. The killer remains somewhere among them. As Perez conducts his investigation under these challenging conditions, he learns that truth can hide in the most unexpected places. The detective must navigate the tight-knit community's secrets while dealing with the practical constraints of being stranded on a small island where everyone becomes a suspect.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, british-literature, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, introspective, isolated, suspenseful
Tropes: everyone-is-a-suspect, forced-proximity, secrets-revealed, stranded-together
Setting: Fair Isle, Scotland
Period: contemporary
368 pages · Paperback · Macmillan
Content warnings: murder