Offshore

Offshore is a collection of short stories, primarily by Ann Cleeves, published as an e-book. The stories include:

Secrets of the Soil - Willow Reeves returns home when her father discovers a body in the sand, reminding her of her earlier life on a commune when she was growing up

The Writer in Residence - Jackie Tait returns to Shetland to discover the truth about an apparent suicide many years previously (Jimmy Perez makes an appearance at the end of the story)

The spinster - As Joan does her knitting she recalls events that occurred when the miners first came to the island (a Jimmy Perez story)

Stranded - A young student meets a young girl at a party, but who is she really?

Smoothmothers - Three people from the south spend the evening at a pub - only one survives. When Jimmy Perez investigates a story from the past is revealed

Hector's Other Woman - When Vera and her father visit Holy Island, her father slops away for an encounter with another woman. Thirty-five years later Vera and the other woman meet.

The Pirate - When artist, Maureen Dance, noticed the young girl wearing the pirate hat she kew that the past had returned to the island.

Stranded in Skokholm by Lynne Chitty (featuring George and Mollie Palmer-Jones)  - Thge discovery of a postcard on the ground produces questions about the owner of the card and the person who sent it.

A collection of miscellaneous short (sometimes very short) stories set in the northern islands of Scotland.

Too good to be true

Too good to be true by Ann Cleeves slots in between Thin Air and Cold Earth so in lists is 6.2 in the Shetland series, although it is not set in Shetland. Jimmy Perez's former wife has asked him to help solve a crime that local police have decided was a suicide. Local gossips decide that Sarah's husband had an affair with the school teacher whose body was recently discovered. Perez agrees to look at the case but warns that he has only two days before he must return to Shetland. Jimmy Perez soon discovers another community with secrets to hide.

This novella is only 94 pages and is published as part of the Quick Read series designed to introduce well known authors to adults who want a quick read or may not have read for pleasure for a while. The story is therefore slight compared to Ann Cleeves normal novels but I can see the value in the Quick Read series in introducing books to readers.

Shetland

When reading and enjoying the eight books in the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves I also borrowed from the library this illustrated non-fiction book by Ann Cleeves describing the islands of Shetland and how they influenced her novels. Shetland was written after the completion of the first six novels in the series.

The first four books in the series - Raven Black, White Nights, Red Bones and Blue Lightning - were written as the Four Seasons Quartet. The next four - Dead Water, Thin Air, Cold Earth and Wild Fire - formed the Four Elements Quartet.

The weather is a dominant feature of the islands so each section of the book involves one of the seasons. As well as descriptions of the physical features of the islands, photographs show us the beauty of the landscape and the wildlife who inhabit the different islands at various times of the year. We also learn about the families living in Shetland (often for many generations) how they live, customs, occupations old and new plus festivals and other entertainment.

The author often provides background information about incidents relating specifically to Shetland that feature in the novels. If you enjoy reading the books you will enjoy this guide to the islands that feature so prominently in each novel.

Ann Cleeves - the Shetland murders

Wild Fire

Wild Fire, the eighth and final book in the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves, is largely about disfunctional families and relationships as well as a study of the attitude of islanders to incomers. 

When a family from England moves to Shetland to live in a house they have purchased and renovated the locals are not impressed. When the body of the original owner of the house is found hanging in the byre on the property some local residents increase their hostility, even though the death was declared suicide. Consequently when the body of a nanny who looks after the children of the local doctor is found dead in the same location consternation from some community members increases.

As Jimmy Perez, Willow Reeves and Sandy Wilson investigate the case we learn of tensions that exist between members of the two families - adults and children - most involved in the case as well as issues in other families. Gossip concerning events in this small isolated community has a tendency to spread like wild fire, often making the investigation of the case more difficult. 

When Willow arrives in Shetland she also has news for Jimmy that causes him to reevaluate what he wants from life. Sandy also makes an important decision. The environment of the Shetland islands once again forms a major feature of the book.

Cold Earth

After a long illness Magnus Tait died however his burial was interrupted when a landslide of mud and water passed through the cemetery on its way to the sea. During its journey the landslide crashed through a croft in its path and when the house was later checked the body of a woman was found. Who was the woman, why was she in the supposedly unoccupied house and why was she murdered are just some of the questions faced by Jimmy Perez, Willow Reeves and Sandy Wilson as they investigate.

Once again the midwinter Shetland landscape sets the scene for this novel. The police need to uncover long held secrets of members of the local community as they end up investigating two murders which are probably connected. As the novel progresses we also learn more about the lives, concerns and fears of those investigating the crimes.

Cold Earth is number 7 the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves.

Thin Air

When friends from university travelled to Unst, the most notherly island in Shetland, to celebrate hamefarin', part of wedding celebrations in the Shetland Islands, Eleanor, one of the visitors, disappears. Eleanor had been preparing a documentary on ghost sightings, including the story of Peerie Lizzie, a child who drowned in the 1930s and whose ghost is reported to have been seen at times dancing on the beach. When Eleanor's body appears to have disappeared into thin air unease sweeps through the small community. Jimmy Perez and Willow Reeves once again team up to investigate Eleanor's murder and subsequent murders on the island.

Thin Air is number six in the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves. As in the other books it is the islands of Shetland, the people, traditions and the weather that feature prominently throughout the book. The story of the lives of those involved in the investigation -Jimmy, Willow and Sandy - is also important. Once again I enjoyed visiting the world of Shetland as secrets were uncovered and the crimes solved.

Dead Water

When Fran died, Jimmy Perez was left with the custody of her six year old daughter, Cassie. After several months leave from the police force Jimmy gradually returned to work. When the Procurator Fiscal, Rhona Laing, discovered a body in a boat Willow Reeves arrived from the mainland to lead the investigation. Inspector Perez was asked for advice and eventually became involved in the case.

Jerry Markham was a journalist from Shetland who had moved to England to work. Unexpectedly he returned to the islands and a few days later was murdered. Before leaving Shetland he had had a relationship with Evie Watts who was now engaged to someone else.

In Dead Water by Ann Cleeves (the fifth book in the Sheland series) we learn of the the oil and gas industry operating out of Sullom Voe. Alternative energy sources for the islands are also proposed and not everyone is in agreement as to what projects should proceed in the future. Did Markham return to Shetland in search of a scoop or did his return visit relate to events from the past? The islanders have many secrets and discovering the truth is no easy task, especially when it becomes clear that the Fiscal may also have secrets relevant to the case.

Some episodes in the second series of the TV show, Shetland, were based on the plot of Dead Water.

Blue Lightning

When Jimmy Perez and his fiancee, Fran, travelled to Fair Isles to meet his parents they expected to have a quiet holiday - that is until a murder at the local bird observatory was discovered. As bad weather prevented anyone from arriving at the island Jimmy was initially left to investigate the crime alone until assistance arrived several days later. By this time a second murder had occurred.

Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves is the fourth book in the Shetland series, originally planned as a quartet but later expanded to eight books. The setting of the book, this time Fair Isles, plays an important part in each novel. It is October, the end of autumn, but some bird watchers remain on the island in the hope of sighting an unusual bird. In this closed community one has to be the killer, but who and why.

I became totally involved in reading this novel which I read in one day. As I later told my husband 'I spent Australia Day in Shetland'.

Blue Lighning features in the second series of the Shetland TV series.

Red Bones

Once again we return to the Shetland Islands in North Scotland, this time to Whalsay. When Sandy Wilson visits his family, including his grandmother, Mima, who has authorised an archaeological dig on her property, he and Inspector Jimmy Perez find themselves investigating two suspicious deaths. 

This is the second year of the dig where post graduate student, Hattie, hopes to discover a merchant's house dating back to the fifteenth century - a time when when there was trade between the islands and Nordic countries across the sea. Members of some of the local families are supportive of the project as the discovery should attract additional tourists to the islands. Others woud like the project stopped. When bones are discovered in one of the trenches the stories of more recent mysteries in the area are also revealed.

Feeling an outsider on Whalsay, Jimmy Perez encourages Sandy to become involved in the investigation to a greater extent than in previous books. It soon becomes obvious that family feuds going back many generations still affect current relationships on the island. As in the previous titles in the series the islands where the stories are set feature prominently in the books. We also learn more about the main characters and their relationships as the detectives investigate events on the island.

Red Bones by Ann Cleeves is the third book in the Shetland series with the story featuring in the first series of the TV series of the same name.

White Nights

White Nights is the second volume in the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves. During the summer in Shetland there is little darkness during the night, hence the name white nights. It is thought that this phenomenon can affect the mental health of some people - some people definitely have trouble sleeping.

The story begins with the opening night of an art exhibition which includes some of Fran's paintings. Unfortunately all does not go to plan made worse when a body is discovered in a nearby boat shed. Jimmy Perez, with the assistance of Roy Taylor from the mainland, investigate to discover who the stranger was and why he died. It is soon obvious that there are many secrets long held by members of this closed community creating challenges for the investigators, especially as other deaths are discovered. We also learn more about the growing relationship between Jimmy and Fran. The setting of the story is a major feature of the book. A satisfying addition to this series.

Raven Black

As a fan of the Shetland television program I decided it was time to read the first volume in the series of books on which the TV series is based. Black Raven by Ann Cleeves was first published in 2006. There are eight titles in the series. Events from Black Raven feature in the second series of the television program.

When the body of a teenage girl is found covered in snow Inspector Jimmy Perez and a team from the mainland, led by Roy Taylor, investigate. In this close knit community the chief suspect is Magnus Tait who lives alone in a house near the murder scene, particularly as he had been the prime suspect when Catriona Bruce disappeared eight years earlier. The investigation into Catherine's death reveals many community secrets that the locals would prefer hidden. A major theme throughout the novel is the attempt of outsiders arriving in a closed community to find acceptance in their new environment.

We are also introduced to characters who are pivotal in the television series including Duncan and Cassie. The sense of place is an important aspect of the book, not just the landscape and the weather but also the sense of community and interaction among the locals.

Once I started reading this book I found it difficult to put down. A good holiday read.