Dead Water

This is the fourth in the Shetlands quartet, and each one has been a gem. The characters are carefully drawn, avoiding cliché, and the sense of island space, light, wind and salt-wave are evoked lightly as the narrative moves on, gathering momentum. I came to this series after listening to the Stanhope mysteries, which I really enjoyed. In the Vera Stanhope series, the focus is more on Vera herself, and Cleeves has an annoying (Agatha Christie-like) habit of holding back clues to the moment of final resolution. Here, though the Shetland mysteries deny the reader the possibility of pitting ourselves against the detective; the hide and reveal is far less obvious, making for a more satisfying and rounded listen. The interactions of the characters are brilliantly conceived and Cleeves moves point of view at will, rounding out the suite of protagonists. This shared role in moving the story on, also allows these stories to wear very lightly the necessities of modern police procedures. So we know there is a suite of staff manning calls from the public, but it appears in passing, as does the CSI process, which seems to disappear off to the labs leaving observation, interview and imagination, to be the stuff of the detective team. Great stuff.

I am a massive fan of Ann Cleeves and this book did not disappoint, The story is set in Shetland and the location really adds to the atmosphere of plot. Jimmy Perez has returned to Shetland following the death of his fiancee but is gradually drawn back into the investigation of the death of a journalist. It is a book I would recommend if you love a good murder mystery novel