Book One of the Shetland Island Mysteries - Raven Black

I love mysteries and read them one after the other, but it's rare that I find one as outstanding as Raven Black. It combines an exceptionally likeable detective with a plausible-but-surprising plot to create a terrific story. The isolated village setting is intriguing, and there are plenty of characters I'll want to learn more about. I can't wait to read more in the series.

Rich characterization is the hallmark of this book -- interesting people in an interesting place, the Shetland Islands, beset by baffling murders. "Expect the unexpected!' is the hallmark of any good mystery, and Cleeves does not disappoint, with twists and reversals at every step, even until the very end. A good story well-told.

I've never even considered myself much of a mystery reader, however, I'm captivated with this series! Love the setting, the characters, the plot and the author's style of writing. Finished this first one, am now reading book 2 and very glad there's two more in this series, before I move on to her Vera Stanhope ones. Also very happy that another devoted reader suggested this author to me.

This is a careful rendering of two murders in the unique setting of the Shetland Islands, which seems to permeate the quiet tone of both the writing and the characters. The mystery is gracefully developed and gently, almost empathetically solved by a detective that is both admirable and sympathetic.

Two murders, years apart, of girls whose names begin with the letter C. Are they related? Is the crazy old man responsible for one or both of the deaths? This book gives an intimate look at life on the Shetland island, while solving three crimes. The solutions were not expected!

Altogether a good plot and mystery w/lots of suspects and motives but just moves like molasses. I finished it because I was curious and by and large enjoyed the character development; but it definitely was a sleepy book. Not sure if I'll read another in the series.

Excellent story. We got hooked on this series by watching the BBC series Shetland. We could not stop watching an episode. Following the TV series I decided to read the stories. The books are a step above because now you know the thoughts of the characters. It makes the characters very personal. Jimmy Perez is very well developed. You will not be disappointed with the story.

Sleeves creates an unusual and very alive set of characters in this detective novel. The settings are extremely well described and the situations
very human. I was totally stumped as to the perpetrator here.

I enjoyed reading this novel partially because of the setting on Shetland Island. It seems a wild and wonderful place. This is a mystery with several characters and twists and turns. I must admit that it fooled me. I had not figured out "Who dun it?". It was a really good read!

Enjoyed this book for the wonderful setting which introduced me to a place I knew nothing about. The plot was a little thin but the characters were well done. Some of the local festivals and vocabulary might have been explained a little earlier but I looked stuff on the internet. Just finished the second in this series and am looking forward to the third.

Having seen some of the Shetland Series as a video on PBS, I wanted to read the books, and found this one, which I believe is the first. Figuring out "who dun it", is in fact very challenging. I like the setting very much and learned a bit about these islands and island life. Would like to read the others. The main detective is engaging.

Throughout the first third of the book I repeatedly had to force myself not to quit reading. The latter two-thirds was good, it held my attention, but I certainly would not characterize it as great or a can't-put-down. It was ok, but I don't think I'll be reading any others in the series.

Loved it - and look forward to reading the rest of the series. I was concerned at first that it was going to be more violent than I'm up for, but it handled the heavy parts of the crime with a relatively light hand and was wonderfully descriptive about the Shetlands' environment and people.

Raven Black is a well written, well plotted, well characterized book. It captures the feel of Scotland's Shetland Islands well. Characters are very human, with faults and feelings, not simply cardboard stock sharacters. We understand their emotions and their actions, actually have empathy for them. After reading this book, I immediately ordered the sequel (White Nights). I am enthralled with the heroine,Fran Hunter, who is a recent transplant to the island, and who feels like an outsider. She is raising her daughter alone. The detective, Jimmy Perez, is also an outsider, albeit from another of the islands. Their lives and work are complicated by the clannishness of island society. A fabulous read, part of a quartet. The third book is to be released in September. This series should bring Ann Cleeves (an English author) a faithful following on this side of the pond,

Pleasurable reading experience with interesting descriptions of the Shetland Island locale. My primary complaint s that there were insufficient clues leading to the discovery of the ultimate culprit.

Interesting characters and story.....plus the Shetlands is a new
location for me. The ending took me completely by surprise!
Will definitely order the next book in the Ann Cleeves series.
Well written and no loose ends!

I only recently discovered Ann Cleeves and am so glad I did. I am reading the Shetland series in order (this is the first) as well as her Vera Stanhope books. The writing is excellent and the plots interesting. Her descriptions of the Shetlands make me itch to visit there.

Raven Black is the first book in Ann Cleeves' Shetland Quartet. The book cover includes a sub comment "A Thriller." While Raven Black is a good mystery, it was not the sort of book that kept me turning pages in suspense, or frightened me. Save for a final chase, the activities of the novel are modest, if sometimes unexplained, daily events in the lives of the characters. While reading, I felt the editing of the book could have been better. There was an occasional awkward sentence or spelling error. That said, the book was an enjoyable companion for the four or so days I carried it for spare time reading.

Cleeves' short chapters frequently jump to a separate thread of the story in what has become a standard technique in modern story telling of stringing together compact chapters ending with revelations/hints/cliff-hangars to hold the readers interest. Her tactic worked, engaging me, but not in the thriller, nail-biting sense. It's a common observation, to the point of being a simple truism, that video production for the theatre, DVD, and television as an end point now shapes many facets of modern story telling. Certainly true for Cleeves; nevertheless, Cleeves' short chapters perfectly fit my current grab-a-few-minutes-here-and-there reading style. I could always quickly finish a chapter before putting the book down knowing that I could later easily pick up the story.

Cleeves captures many of the idiosyncrasies of life on a small island. The urge to get off, the urge to return; the strong identity-dependency friction between locals and strangers; and the surprises of inbred, small town politics and social maneuvering. Her characters have memorable histories which separate them from simple, stock mystery characters.

The mystery revolves around the murder of a young local girl which re-energizes the island's memory of an unresolved disappearance ten years earlier, also involving a young local girl. Are the disappearance and the murder connected? Finally a third girl goes missing when the island is crowded with tourists for an annual island ritual/celebration. Working to solve the murder, Detective Perez probes island history unveiling deep and sometimes awkward connections between island folk. Finally, through his efforts, the surprising solutions to all three events emerge.

Raven Black is definitely worth a summer read. I will try one of Ann Cleave's continuations in the now complete Shetland Quartet.

Harrington Laufman
2010

I loved the setting and reading about the families ... the differences between those who have always lived on the island and the newcomers. The characters and the island made this book most enjoyable.

The book began a little slow. Lots of detail about the cast of characters and the area they lived in. So many possibilities to choose from. You don't know the ending until you're there. Well written for sure.

I really enjoyed this book. Good characters and set in the Shetland Isles which I didn't know much about. Have been a fan of the TV Vera series for a long time and have now discovered a great new detective in Perez. Am now reading the second in the series which is just as good.

I liked this books descriptive qualities, and plot construction. I found the characters to be well constructed, and thoughtful. While not a can't stop turning the page thriller, it is a book that your able to pick up nightly and enjoy thoroughly.

This novel will keep you guessing until the end. So glad I was told about this author and her works. Can't wait to read the second book and all the others. You want be disappointed if you love mysteries.

Recently saw one of the Shetland books produced on television. Made me want to read other books in the series. Could not put it down until the ending. Excellently drawn characters and a plot that is interwoven with the unique setting.

Really grabs your full attention. Every time I put it down I can't wait to pick it back up. Love the setting, the people, the story. I bought the entire series and now well into the second book. Great series, thinking of buying the DVD's to watch.