AUGUST, 2019 -- VARIOUS TITLES IN THE SHETLAND SERIES BY ANNE CLEAVES

Anne Cleeves is an English crime writer.  In 2006 she won the inaugural Duncan Lawrie Dagger, the richest crime writing prize in the world, for her novel Raven Black.  She was born in Herefordshire.  She studied English at University of Sussex but dropped out and took various jobs, including a probation officer.  The television series Shetland and Vera are based on her book series of the same name.

DEAD WATER:

 Prue:
This is the fifth book in the Shetland series.  It's very long.  Prue enjoyed it very much even though she is not so keen on the Shetland television series.  She found the characters were very much like the television series.  Perez, the inspector was portrayed well and the bouts of depression he suffered.  Some of the local terminology was a bit difficult.  The descriptions of Shetland were beautiful.   The geography and the culture of the people was well described.  The story flowed well and there were no flat spots.  The culprit wasn't revealed until the end.  Prue enjoyed it and would read more.

 Anne:
She enjoyed it but didn't find it as exciting.

 Diane:
She had never heard of Anne Cleeves before but she really enjoyed this book.  It was a pleasure to read, a real "whodunit".  She didn't pick the killer.  It was a "can't put down book".  Diane felt that female crime writers go more into the characters as well as the crime.

Connie: 
She didn't really enjoy the television series but she enjoyed this book.  It was realistic.  It had a map  so she knew where all the places were.  Connie enjoys maps in a book.  It made Shetland more real for her. 

Sheila:
She really likes Anne Cleeve's books but cannot bear the cold and damp weather.  She agrees with what everyone else has said.  It was a good book and she thinks Anne Cleeves is a reasonable writer.

Pat:
She half read it.  She agrees with everyone else about the book and would read more as she really enjoyed it.  She also agreed that female writers seem to get you more involved in the characters.

COLD EARTH:

Judy J:
Anne Cleeves was only going to write one book about the Shetlands.  She had made a few trips to Shetland.  Raven Black did so well that the publisher wanted more. She wrote four in each of the seasons and four about different elements, 9 in total in the Shetland series. Cold Earth is the 7th book and begins in mid winter.  Torrential rain causes a landslide.  The magistrate is being buried.  A female body is found after the landslide and a murder investigation begins.  Judy enjoyed it and has read quite a few of her books.

Lesley:
She agrees with what everyone has said.  The weather plays a huge part in the story as well as the murder.  There is a scar caused by the landslide.  The people of the island live with this dreadful weather. You can almost feel the weather.  Lesley enjoys the community feel. When there is a murder it involves everyone.  Jimmy Perez, the inspector, feels human. She would read more of her books.

Pamela:
She really enjoyed it until near the end.  Pamela felt she was a dishonest writer as the author wasn't honest about revealing information.  Two murders occur  in the book. There is a woman found first and a man later.  She found it annoying as a detective story and very badly written. You are not given the information until right near the end  She found the reasons for the murder unconvincing.

WHITE NIGHTS

Diann:
This is the second book  in the Shetland series."Who dunit" is a good description.  Who killed the man with the clown mask at the art gallery?  Jimmy Perez is visiting the island with Fran who is exhibiting at the art gallery.  It is their first date.  There is also another artist, Bella Sinclair.  The writing draws you into the book.  Diann felt the author was astute.  There were good descriptions of the surroundings and you could visualize the scenery. Diann is not normally a crime reader.

Bev:
She is a fan of Ann Cleeves.  This story is set in the summertime.  Bev didn't think Fran played too important a part.  It was realised that a missing person was actually dead.  The killer was  a surprise.
It was a good story and Bev enjoyed it.

Colleen:
She enjoyed White Knights.  She had not seen the Shetland television series.

THIN AIR

Rosemarie:
This is the 6th book in the Shetland series. There were two murders.  Four university friends from London were on the island for a wedding and one of them disappeared. There were common factors throughout the book. Rosemarie got a map to look at the different places.  She enjoyed the story and would read more.

Jo:
She didn't like it as much as one of the other books.  She liked the atmosphere and going from one island to the other.  She said it was good and she thought Anne Cleeves was a good author.  She loved Jimmy Perez, the inspector.

WILD FIRE

Kris:
This is the 8th and last book in the Shetland series.  Jimmy Perez is the detective inspector.  An English family move to the island to make a better life for their autistic son.  The islanders are suspicious and resentful of the newcomers. The previous owner of their house had hanged himself in the barn and now the body of a young woman is found hanging in the barn by their son, Christopher.  Rumours spread like wild fire.  The author paints a wonderful picture of the lonely and wild Shetland islands and how interconnected people are in such small communities.  Her characters are well developed. Loved it and couldn't put it down.

Judy De La T:
She agreed with all that was said. She also loved this book and couldn't put it down.

Julia:
She really enjoyed this book and hadn't read any of the Shetland series before.  It was a really good read and hard to pick the murderer. She likes her writing. Julia wanted to know if Jimmy Perez ended up with Willow.  She said it was easy to read and would read more.

Charis:
It was a good read.  Charis hadn't read any of the series before.  There was a lot of focus on the adults and the way she brought the teenagers in as well.  She would have liked more emphasis on the teenagers as well.

BLUE LIGHTNING

Joan:
 This book is the 4th book in the Shetland series and was published in 2010.  Joan is late to the television series Shetland.  She followed it and really liked it.  Sandy and Perez from the television series are in the book but not Tosh.  Perez is taking Fran to Fair Isle where he grew up and to meet his mother and father.  On day one there is a murder.  Fran has to be sidekick as they are on holidays.  There are a lot of birdwatchers are on the island including a horrible female PHD in her thirties. All the men are attracted to her. There were investigations and then a bit of a lull and then another murder.  It was complex.  The environment was harsh and desolate.

HIDDEN DEPTHS

Pat (2):
She loved the Shetland series but this book is from the Vera series. It's Pat's first Vera book and she loved the characterization of Vera, the dowdy and difficult detective. She also found the Northumberland accent interesting. She would recommend the Vera series.

Kris

We would like to welcome two new members to our
Bookclub:  Val and Colleen


Next month:   Biographies or Autobiographies

October:         Seafaring Books                                         


                                        

July: Michael Connelly

 A former police reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Michael Connelly

is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller. Connelly is the bestselling author of thirty-one novels and one work of non-fiction.

Judy J: The Lincoln Lawyer (Bk 1 Mickey Haller series)

Mickey Haller is a moderately successful criminal defense attorney who operates at various courts in L.A. County, working out of a Lincoln Town Car (hence the title), driven by a former client working off fees he is unable to pay.

A major fee paying case comes his way, and it seems to be going well until his client is not what he seems to be.

The book is written in the first person, moves along at a good and even pace before coming to a highly satisfactory ending but improbable in real life police work.

A very readable book, a good film and happy to read more books by the author.

 

Wendy L:

Mickey Haller is a cynical, cunning, flawed and off beat character who is haunted by a mishandled case in his earlier career. He believes that defence is not just about justice but about negotiation and manipulation. Other characters are drawn with enough back-story and detail to make them interesting.

Not her normal type of book but Wendy thought it a very good one.

Sheila: Echo Park (2006)

Sheila found the content to be too violent and so didn’t continue with the book.

Judy De la T: Nine Dragons (2009)

A very cleverly written book, with many twists and turns as Detective Bosch investigates the Triads and the kidnapping of his daughter. Could they be linked? Judy really enjoyed it.

Blood Work (1998)

This book features a different detective, Terry McCaleb who has been out of the force for sometime, for medical reasons. He investigates a number of murders where the victims all had the same blood group, but also the same as his.

Another good read.

Tam: The Wrong Side of Goodbye (2016)

This is another Harry Bosch book which Tam enjoyed and described as a good holiday read. His assignment is to find a missing Mexican girl for an elderly, wealthy man who had had a relationship with her in his younger days. Tam thought it was a good story, with enough suspense to keep you interested, and a happy ending.

Jo: The Black Box (2012)

Another Harry Bosch novel set Los Angeles. At the time of the riots in 1992, police resources were so stretched that many murders were not investigated fully. So 20 years later Bosch reopens a cold case, the murder of a twenty-year-old girl. The National Guard and soldiers from the Iraq War seem to be involved. Jo found it very interesting, and likes this kind of book!

 

Pat: The Late Show (2017)

Pat has been a Connelly fan for many years, having read most of the Harry Bosch books.

The Late Show features a woman detective, Reneé Ballard who is demoted to the late shift for filing a sexual harassment case against a supervisor. She is a brilliant detective who can’t help poking her nose into things. A really good read.

The Drop (2011)

Harry Bosch has been testing samples from long ago. When the DNA turns out to belong to an 8-year-old boy the story becomes very complicated.

Val: The Overlook (2007)

Val commented that Michael Connelly’s books are always well written. He was a crime reporter for many years before becoming a successful author, winning many awards.

A typical theme of his books is conflict with ex-partners and his family in danger.

In this book a scientist with access to a radio-active substance is found dead in his car. When the substance goes missing, Bosch becomes involved but the FBI want to take over as they claim it is a national security matter.

Val enjoys his books and finds them difficult to put down once she has started them.

Diane: The Scarecrow (2009)

Jack McEvoy is a crime reporter chasing a criminal known as “The Scarecrow”. This is his last chance as cut backs at the paper means he will soon be out of a job and his replacement is a young lady who is very au fait with modern technology.

The book is so fast passed, Diane sometimes found it necessary to reread some parts!

The book sadly shows the demise of the daily newspaper – a daily afterthought.

Connie: The City of Bones

When bones found by a dog are identified as belonging to a 12-year-old boy, Harry Bosch is called in to solve this 25-year mystery.

Connie thought the story was a little long winded, and didn’t like the character of Bosch. He always seemed to be getting himself into trouble, he was dark, sad and lonely.

Julia really enjoyed the book!

Judy A: Dark Sacred Night (2018)

This is the 2^nd Renée Ballard book and while she is working the night shift she finds an intruder rifling through the files. This turns out to be Harry Bosch. He eventually convinces her to help him investigate the cold case of a murder of a young girl whose mother he had previously known.

Judy recommended Michael Connelly’s podcast called ‘Murder Book’ which gives background to much of his writing and characters.

Joan: The Concrete Blonde (1994)

Harry Bosch had previously shot and killed a suspected killer called the ‘Dollmaker’. But now it seems that a copycat killer has emerged or is the Dollmaker still alive? Joan liked the writing, not too fussy and with realistic partners and other characters. She could easily pick up another of his books.

 

Prue:

Prue has read many of his books before and always enjoyed them.

She found them to be realistic and Bosch an interesting character with his wives and daughter intertwined in his stories. His descriptions are very accurate and his writing keeps a good standard. Procedurally he gets it right.

Charis:

She had not been a crime fiction reader until recently but has now read The Concrete Blonde and Echo Park.

She liked both of them, they held her interest through the book, and she liked the touches of family lives and relationships. It was not overdone.

Rosemary: The Closers (2005)

After 3 years away from the LAPD, Harry Bosch returns to the Cold Case Department and is assigned to investigate a case when a DNA match connects a white supremacist to the 1988 murder of a mixed race 16-year-old girl. Rosemary found it very interesting to see how they go about investigating these cases.

August Book Club

Ann Cleeves

Any book from The Shetland Series