The Starlings & Other Stories

by Ann Cleeves

First published 2015

A dozen photographs from Pembrokeshire spark a dozen stories of crime and mystery. Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards, Cath Staincliffe, and their Murder Squad colleagues each select an image from photographer David Wilson's atmospheric collection. The resulting tales span centuries and settings. A modern betrayal unfolds against Welsh moorlands. Historical murders emerge from forgotten corners. Rural crimes disturb peaceful countryside scenes. Each story grows from the shadows and light captured in Wilson's lens. The writers transform visual moments into narratives of suspense and fear. Love turns deadly in contemporary settings. Past secrets surface through historical mysteries. The Welsh landscape becomes both backdrop and participant in these crimes. Each photograph appears alongside the story it inspired, showing readers how image becomes narrative. The collection reveals how a single moment frozen in time can birth entirely different worlds of mystery and menace.

Genres: short-stories, mystery, crime

Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful

Tropes: anthology, found-family

Setting: Pembrokeshire, Wales

Period: Contemporary, Historical

224 pages · Paperback · Graffeg

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