As is often true in small communities, "incomers" can find it difficult to fit in. When Helena and Daniel Fleming move to the island, they were hoping for a quieter, more peaceful life than they had in London. However, their acceptance in the community is not what they hoped, and after the suicide of the former owner of their home, things quickly become worse.
When a young nanny is found hanging in the same barn in which the previous owner hanged himself, Jimmy Perez and Sandie Wilson are called in. The young woman was found by the Fleming's autistic eleven-year-old son which puts even more stress on the family. Emma Shearer, the young woman found murdered in the barn, had been a the nanny for the Moncrief family since she was seventeen.
When Chief Inspector Willow Reeves arrives on the island, she and Jimmy have some personal business that keeps them from working together as easily as they have in the past.
Ann Cleeves has a way of seeming to let the various characters create themselves. The Flemings, the Moncriefs, the Riddells all develop in an organic and believable manner. Perez, Willow Reeves, and Sandy Wilson need less introduction, but are all in the process of their personal transitions even as they work the case.
Emma Shearer, the very private nanny, doesn't come fully into view until the conclusion. Cleeves works hard to keep from revealing who was responsible for Emma's death, and I bounced back and forth between a couple of suspects.
Troubled families, complex characters, and an excellent procedural! Recommended.
Read in August. Blog review scheduled for Sept. 4
NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Police Procedural. Sept. 4, 2018. Print length: 416 pages.
I read the first three in this series and enjoyed them a lot. I think, however, that it is not a bad thing to end the series, especially on a high note. Have you also read Cleves's Vera series? I haven't tried that yet.
ReplyDeleteYou are right--it is nice to have a series end on a high note. Yes, I've read and enjoyed Vera; she is a completely different character from Jimmy Perez, but Cleeves is still spot on with her settings. :)
DeleteI need to read this entire series! The setting alone intrigues me, but the mysteries themselves all sound so good. :)
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed both the Jimmy Perez and the Vera Stanhope series. They are both worth the effort! :)
DeleteThis does sound good. I am sorry the series is coming to an end. I haven't yet read any of the books, but I guess I had better!
ReplyDeleteRaven Black is the first in the series, if you decide to give it a try. I still have the Vera books to look forward to, but I'll miss the Shetland Islands.
DeleteSo sad that this series is coming to an end. I haven't read any of her books but this sounds like a good series to catch up on.
ReplyDeleteIt is actually pretty unusual to end a series this way, isn't it? However, as Ruthiella mentioned, it is nice to think that the series ends with strength, instead of gradually losing interest.
DeleteI've been meaning to start reading her books, but find her established series kind of intimidating. But this, sounds so good!
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed both of Cleeve's series. Two such different characters in Jimmy Perez and Vera Stanhope, but the characters are always well-developed and her plots keep me involved!
DeleteIt's so sad when a favorite series ends. I wonder why she isn't continuing with this one as I thought it had gotten good reviews. Well I'm sure she's busy with other projects! I've only read a couple of the Jimmy Perez books but really liked them.
ReplyDeleteThe series got excellent reviews, but maybe it was hard to keep writing about murder in such a small community. I'm going to miss Jimmy Perez.
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