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Raven Black: Book One of the Shetland Island…
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Raven Black: Book One of the Shetland Island Quartet (Shetland Island Thrillers) (edition 2007)

by Ann Cleeves

Series: Shetland (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
2,5201496,371 (3.72)418
Long a celebrated crime writer in Britain, Ann Cleeves' fame went international when she won the coveted Duncan Lawrie Dagger for this amazing suspense novel, Raven Black. Like Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse or Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks, Cleeves' new detective, Inspector Jimmy Perez, is a very private and perceptive man whose bailiwick is a remote hamlet in the Shetland Islands. It is a cold January morning and Shetland lies beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a splash of color on the frozen ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbor, Catherine Ross. The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man---loner and simpleton Magnus Tait. But when detective Jimmy Perez and his colleagues from the mainland insist on opening out the investigation, a veil of suspicion and fear is thrown over the entire community. For the first time in years, Catherine's neighbors nervously lock their doors, while a killer lives on in their midst. Ann Cleeves is sure to dazzle U. S. mystery readers with this unforgettable series debut. This series is the basis for the hit BBC show Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall, which attracted over 12 million viewers in its first two nights on the air.… (more)
Member:avogl
Title:Raven Black: Book One of the Shetland Island Quartet (Shetland Island Thrillers)
Authors:Ann Cleeves
Info:Minotaur Books (2007), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 384 pages
Collections:Your library, Read but unowned
Rating:***
Tags:mystery

Work Information

Raven Black by Ann Cleeves

  1. 31
    Still Life by Louise Penny (y2pk)
    y2pk: Armande Gamache investigates murder in the small isolated community of Three Pines in Quebec, Canada.
  2. 20
    The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths (Menagerie)
    Menagerie: European history, murder mystery, lots of atmosphere, small town politics and relationships
  3. 10
    Written in Bone by Simon Beckett (2810michael)
  4. 10
    The Blackhouse by Peter May (wonderlake)
    wonderlake: Similar settings; Shetlands/ Hebrides
  5. 00
    Awakening by S. J. Bolton (2810michael)
  6. 00
    Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride (allan.hird)
    allan.hird: Another great scottish procedural with an intersting detective.
  7. 12
    Silent Voices by Ann Cleeves (Andrew-theQM)
    Andrew-theQM: If you enjoy the Vera Stanhope Series, I think you will enjoy the Shetland Islands series by Ann Cleeves.
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» See also 418 mentions

English (142)  Danish (2)  Spanish (1)  Italian (1)  Dutch (1)  Swedish (1)  All languages (148)
Showing 1-5 of 142 (next | show all)
The best part of the book was the Shetland Islands setting: the cultural bits, the isolation, the Scottish slang I had to look up. The story itself was just disappointing, especially considering how much the publishers hyped the Duncan Somebody award it won for being some great mystery.

The characterization is weak, the prose is mediocre at best, and the solution to the mystery? WTF? It came so far out of left field and was so lame, lame, lame. ( )
  ccampbell77 | Jan 10, 2025 |
This winner of the Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award follows Inspector Jimmy Perez as he investigates the murder of Catherine Ross. Suspicion falls on Magnus Tait, a lonely simple recluse. As we learn more about Catherine and her interactions with her classmates, teachers and neighbors, it becomes apparent that she has antagonized a variety of them. Then a little girl goes missing. The investigation begins to bring up old history, maybe impacting the present. This was an interesting mystery set in the Shetland Isles of Scotland. ( )
  Linda-C1 | Sep 26, 2024 |
Not bad. ( )
  graeme.bell3 | Aug 4, 2024 |
Book 237. Ann Cleeves. Shetland. We are planning a trip to the Shetlands and so I read this for inspiration. She's a crime writer and the TV series Shetland is based on her books. A couple of people joked with us not to watch the series as it will put us off going! Obviously it's now added to the watch it list. 6.5/10 ( )
  janicearkulisz | Jul 26, 2024 |
I was familiar with the investigator Jimmy Perez and the Shetland Islands from watching the first few seasons of the TV series.

An artist spots a splash of red against the snow and thinks how beautiful it is. Unfortunately, as she nears, it is clear it is a scarf belonging to a very dead teen age girl.

The most likely suspect is the odd recluse who lives nearby. He’s mentally a bit slow and since his mother died is very lonely. The girl and her friend have visited him a time or two on a dare. In addition, he was the prime suspect in a murder that happened twenty years ago. The police believed he knew more than he was saying and treated him badly.

The Shetland Islands are a sparsely inhabited island group where everyone knows everyone – there are a few newcomers in the mix but mostly the inhabitants know each others’ history and business.

There were lots of good twists and turns. I thought the characters were interesting and a good diverse mix. They ranged from high school kids, long time inhabitants, newcomers and a variety of professions and ages. I’ll be going on with this series. 4 stars ( )
1 vote streamsong | Jul 16, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 142 (next | show all)
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For Ella
And her grandfather.
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Twenty past one in the morning on New Year's Day. Magnus knew the time because of the fat clock, his mother's clock, which squatted on the shelf over the fire. In the corner the raven in the wicker cage muttered and croaked in its sleep. Magnus waited.
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Long a celebrated crime writer in Britain, Ann Cleeves' fame went international when she won the coveted Duncan Lawrie Dagger for this amazing suspense novel, Raven Black. Like Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse or Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks, Cleeves' new detective, Inspector Jimmy Perez, is a very private and perceptive man whose bailiwick is a remote hamlet in the Shetland Islands. It is a cold January morning and Shetland lies beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a splash of color on the frozen ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbor, Catherine Ross. The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man---loner and simpleton Magnus Tait. But when detective Jimmy Perez and his colleagues from the mainland insist on opening out the investigation, a veil of suspicion and fear is thrown over the entire community. For the first time in years, Catherine's neighbors nervously lock their doors, while a killer lives on in their midst. Ann Cleeves is sure to dazzle U. S. mystery readers with this unforgettable series debut. This series is the basis for the hit BBC show Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall, which attracted over 12 million viewers in its first two nights on the air.

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