by Ann Cleeves
Part of Shetland
First published 2009
An elderly woman lies dead from a gunshot wound on the windswept Shetland Islands. What looks like a terrible accident draws detective Jimmy Perez into a web of island secrets. The harsh landscape and isolation have shaped the islanders into a guarded, suspicious community. Perez searches for answers among families locked in bitter feuds that stretch back through generations. Envy and greed simmer beneath the surface of everyday life. When a second murder occurs, the detective realizes someone is using old grudges to cover new crimes. Spring mists roll across the island, trapping everyone in an atmosphere thick with suspicion. Perez must unearth buried family histories and long-held resentments. The killer walks among people who have known each other all their lives, using intimate knowledge of past wrongs to strike again.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, british-literature, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, brooding, dark, gritty, isolated, suspenseful
Tropes: community-secrets, detective-investigation, hidden-past, multiple-murders
Setting: Shetland Islands
Period: contemporary, spring
392 pages · Paperback · Pan Books
Content warnings: murder, violence