It is on the surface a fairly straightforward police procedural. Raven Black is the story of two murders separated in time. I decided to celebrate by reading the first of the Ann Cleeves novels on which the TV drama is loosely based. Ann lives in North Tyneside, near where the Vera books are set.Shetland series 4 is on its way, and I’m excited. Ann is also a passionate champion for libraries and was a National Libraries Day Ambassador in 2016. She is a member of 'Murder Squad', working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide.Īnn worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez, who can now be found on television in ITV's Vera and BBC One's Shetland. Ībout the Author: Ann Cleeves is the author of over thirty critically acclaimed novels, and in 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. When a woman is found dead in the snow, Inspector Jimmy Perez must fight suspicion and rumours to uncover the truth. Raven Black is the first book in the Shetland series from Ann Cleeves, the number one bestselling author and creator of Vera, Shetland, and The Two Rivers series. As the case develops Perez finds himself peering deeper into the past of the Shetland Islands than anyone wants to go. But when Inspector Jimmy Perez insists on broadening the search for suspects, a veil of distrust and fear is thrown over the entire community. The body is found close to the home of a lonely outcast and local suspicion falls firmly on him. As Fran opens her mouth to scream, the ravens continue their deadly dance. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbour.

Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a vivid splash of colour on the white ground, ravens circling above. On New Year's Day Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer of snow. Raven Black is the first book in Ann Cleeves' bestselling Shetland series – a major BBC One drama, starring Douglas Henshall.Ī remote community with a killer in their midst.

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