Winner of the 2006 Duncan Lawrie Dagger. Bestselling novelist Val McDermid is spot on in her quote for this cleverly crafted crime story - 'A riveting read. Ann Cleeves probes beneath the surface of a community to reveal the darkness that can fester when everyone thinks they know each other's secrets'. This one is set in the Shetland islands. Ann is a rising talent in psychological crime writing who should not be missed.
Introducing Inspector Jimmy Perez. Raven Black is the first book in Ann Cleeves' bestselling Shetland series – now a major BBC One drama starring Douglas Henshall. A remote community with a killer in their midst . . . On New Year’s Day, Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a vivid splash of colour on the white ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbour. As Fran opens her mouth to scream, the ravens continue their deadly dance . . . The body is found close to the home of a lonely outcast and local suspicion falls firmly on him. But when Inspector Jimmy Perez insists on broadening the search for suspects, a veil of distrust and fear is thrown over the entire community. As the case develops, Perez finds himself peering deeper into the past of the Shetland Islands than anyone wants to go. The case files of Jimmy Perez continue in White Nights, the thrilling second Shetland novel.
