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Shetland #8
Wild Fire
An accomplished end to a fine series (Sunday Times) ; Farewell Jimmy Perez! I'm a big fan of Cleeves' complex crime novels and this is no exception. Atmospheric, compelling and ultimately satisfying (Woman & Home); Even by her standards this is an outstanding thriller (Sunday Express) ; Cleeves' setting is beautifully evoked. this is as finely crafted and satisfying as a well-made piece of furniture - just look at the workmanship (The Times) ; Deft plotting, strong characters and the masterful evocation of a rugged landscape make this a splendid ending to an excellent series (Guardian) ; A fantastic end to one of the key detective series of the past decade (Ragnar Johansson, author of Snowblind) ; Cleverly plotted, with a brilliant evocation of the Scots islands (Sunday Mirror) ; This page-turning thriller harbours many secrets and lies, all revealed with superbly sustained suspense. Your heart is guaranteed to be in your mouth by the final chapter (My Weekly); Boy, are we going out with a bang. Whether you're a huge fan of detective inspector Jimmy Perez or a total newcomer to the series, you'll find plenty to keep you enthralled (Heat); Ann Cleeves' final Shetland novel is a masterpiece of tangled family threads and crime smoke and mirrors (Crime Review) / Book From award-winning and Sunday Times top five bestseller Ann Cleeves comes the captivating eighth, and final, novel in the Shetland Series featuring DI Jimmy Perez in his most personal case to date. / From the Inside Shetland. Welcoming. Wild. Remote. Drawn in by the reputation of the islands, an English family move to the area, eager to give their autistic son a better life. But when a young nanny's body is found hanging in the barn of their home, rumours of her affair with the husband begin to spread like wild fire. With suspicion raining down on the family, DI Jimmy Perez is called in to investigate, knowing that it will mean the return to the islands of his on-off lover and boss Willow Reeves, who will run the case. Perez is facing the most disturbing investigation of his career. Is he ready for what is to come? UK 16.99 pounds. / From the Back Praise for Ann Cleeves' Shetland series; 'The best living evoker of landscape' Mark Lawson, Guardian; 'Cleeves deftly paints in the personalities and their relationships, as the police inquiries disrupt the close-knit community' Sunday Telegraph; 'A most satisfying mystery set in an isolated and intriguing location. Jimmy Perez is a fine creation' Peter Robinson; 'Breaks the conventional mould of British crime-writing, while retaining the traditional virtues of strong narrative and careful plotting' Independent; 'Atmospheric, gripping and shrewd, this is pure brilliance' Heat; 'Evocative and intriguing. a series that gets better and better' Woman & Home; 'Ann's characterization is worthy of the best writers in the field. Rarely has a sense of place been so evocatively conveyed in a crime novel' Daily Express; 'Cleeves is quietly carving out a reputation as the new Queen of Crime' Sunday Mirror / About the 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. 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. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide. Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook, and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of 'Murder Squad', working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. Ann is also a passionate champion for libraries and was a National Libraries Day Ambassador in 2016. Ann lives in North Tyneside near where the Vera books are set.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
4968 people are currently reading
4463 people want to read
About the author
Ann Cleeves
132 books8,881 followersAnn is the author of the books behind ITV's VERA, now in it's third series, and the BBC's SHETLAND, which will be aired in December 2012. Ann's DI Vera Stanhope series of books is set in Northumberland and features the well loved detective along with her partner Joe Ashworth. Ann's Shetland series bring us DI Jimmy Perez, investigating in the mysterious, dark, and beautiful Shetland Islands...
Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs - child care officer, women's refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard - before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.
While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person's not heavily into birds - and Ann isn't - there's not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.
In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.
For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival's first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries.
Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony
Ann's short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award - once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.
In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA's Gold Dagger award, and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world's largest award for crime fiction.
Ann's success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London's Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. She said: "I have never won anything before in my life, so it was a complete shock - but lovely of course.. The evening was relatively relaxing because I'd lost my voice and knew that even if the unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So I wouldn't have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!"
The judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray (an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime fiction), Heather O'Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).
Ann's books have been translated into sixteen languages. She's a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs - child care officer, women's refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard - before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.
While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person's not heavily into birds - and Ann isn't - there's not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.
In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.
For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival's first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries.
Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony
Ann's short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award - once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.
In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA's Gold Dagger award, and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world's largest award for crime fiction.
Ann's success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London's Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. She said: "I have never won anything before in my life, so it was a complete shock - but lovely of course.. The evening was relatively relaxing because I'd lost my voice and knew that even if the unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So I wouldn't have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!"
The judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray (an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime fiction), Heather O'Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).
Ann's books have been translated into sixteen languages. She's a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,586 reviews
August 18, 2018
This is the last in the Ann Cleeves wonderful Shetland set series featuring DI Jimmy Perez. This is a shame because I have loved this series and this latest addition is brilliant. Helen, knitwear designer and her architect husband, Daniel, with their children, autistic Christopher, and Ellie, are recent incomers to the island, hoping for a fresh start from their busy London lives. However, in Deltaness, they have had the previous owner of Hesti, their home, hang himself in the barn and been greeted by hate, resentment and jealousy by the locals. Upon receiving anonymous notes with a hangman, Helen is unsettled, finding Deltaness claustrophobic and gossipy, while Christopher, who is mesmerised by fire, is shunned by fellow pupils and lives a largely solitary existence. It is Christopher who discovers the hanged body of the Moncrieff's nanny, Emma Shearer in the barn.
Chief Inspector Willow Reeves returns to Shetland with personal news for Perez which he handles rather badly, and despite the tensions that arise between them, they need to find a way of working together on the case. Emma had a traumatic history of family domestic violence that resulted in her father being imprisoned. At 17 years old, Emma is recommended to Dr Robert Moncrieff as a nanny, and ever since, she has helped in their home and looked after their four children through the years. With her retro 1950s elegant hand made dresses, she has caught the eyes of a number of men. The Moncrieffs and the Flemings are the main suspects in the wide ranging inquiry. The malicious and vindictive Margaret Riddell is one of the main sources of gossip and rumours in the community, a woman bursting with resentment and jealousy, antagonistic to the Flemings and the Moncrieffs, with a son, Magnie, who had been seeing Emma. The death of Emma is a tragedy that affects everyone who knew her, ensuring that they all become victims too.
Amidst the fabulous island location providing atmosphere and an evocative background, Ann Cleeves writes a story of murders, dysfunctional families, abuse and the difficulties of being outsiders in closed and insular island communities riddled with rumour and gossip. Jimmy Perez is forced to question who he is as he is confronted by personal challenges that push him to reflect on what he wants out of life. It is the intelligent Willow who begins to put the picture together as to what happened to Emma. This is a great police procedural inhabited by a wonderful set of characters which I thoroughly enjoyed reading, albeit with some sadness that this is the last time I will encounter Jimmy Perez and the beauty of Shetland. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Panmacmillan for an ARC.
Chief Inspector Willow Reeves returns to Shetland with personal news for Perez which he handles rather badly, and despite the tensions that arise between them, they need to find a way of working together on the case. Emma had a traumatic history of family domestic violence that resulted in her father being imprisoned. At 17 years old, Emma is recommended to Dr Robert Moncrieff as a nanny, and ever since, she has helped in their home and looked after their four children through the years. With her retro 1950s elegant hand made dresses, she has caught the eyes of a number of men. The Moncrieffs and the Flemings are the main suspects in the wide ranging inquiry. The malicious and vindictive Margaret Riddell is one of the main sources of gossip and rumours in the community, a woman bursting with resentment and jealousy, antagonistic to the Flemings and the Moncrieffs, with a son, Magnie, who had been seeing Emma. The death of Emma is a tragedy that affects everyone who knew her, ensuring that they all become victims too.
Amidst the fabulous island location providing atmosphere and an evocative background, Ann Cleeves writes a story of murders, dysfunctional families, abuse and the difficulties of being outsiders in closed and insular island communities riddled with rumour and gossip. Jimmy Perez is forced to question who he is as he is confronted by personal challenges that push him to reflect on what he wants out of life. It is the intelligent Willow who begins to put the picture together as to what happened to Emma. This is a great police procedural inhabited by a wonderful set of characters which I thoroughly enjoyed reading, albeit with some sadness that this is the last time I will encounter Jimmy Perez and the beauty of Shetland. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Panmacmillan for an ARC.
October 5, 2020
Let me have a sad moment here while I cope with the fact that I just read the last book in the series. For some reason I had not noticed that the end was creeping up and it has come as a shock! Luckily there is still Vera.
A lot happened in this book concerning both Jimmy's personal life and his work. There were several very creative deaths, a number of unhappy families with major issues and a very unexpected murderer. Also unexpected was the personal issue but I cannot discuss that without spoilers!
Wild Fire is an excellent read and it finishes the series on an optimistic note for Jimmy Perez. It has been a great series altogether and I am going to miss it.
A lot happened in this book concerning both Jimmy's personal life and his work. There were several very creative deaths, a number of unhappy families with major issues and a very unexpected murderer. Also unexpected was the personal issue but I cannot discuss that without spoilers!
Wild Fire is an excellent read and it finishes the series on an optimistic note for Jimmy Perez. It has been a great series altogether and I am going to miss it.
August 27, 2018
I have read some, but not all, of the books in the Shetland series. There are strands carried forward from books I hadn’t read, but it was easy to get up to speed. This book works fine as a stand alone.
The Flemings have recently moved to the island and their arrival has upset the locals. The prior owner hung himself in the byre and for some reason, they are blamed. I loved Cleve’s points about the herd mentality and how gossip spreads through the island like wildfire. Then, a nanny for another family is found hanged in the same byre.
This is a straightforward, well told police procedural. No fancy gimmicks here. Each character is well developed and fleshed out. I can’t say I really understood Jimmy’s reaction to Willow’s news, but that might be because I’ve missed the more recent books. I have to admit to not having a single clue as to who the murderer was.
I will be making sure to go back and read the few I’ve missed.
My thanks to netgalley and Minotaur Books for an advance copy of this book.
October 2, 2018
Shetland island has certainly seen it's fair share of murder and mayhem. A relative newcomer to the island, Helene, begins to receive crpyptic drawings of hanging men, a thinky veiled reference to the previous owner of their house who was found hanged in their barn. Soon after she shows the drawings to Perez, another body is found hanged in their barn, this time a young woman who was the nanny for another found.
This murder will bring, Jimmy, Willow and Sandy together for one final outing. A case with many strings, threads leading to a hidden and past life, a young boy on the autism spectrum, a husband and father, and a woman with a secret who cannot forgive nor forget. Sometimes people are just not who you think they are. The clues are there, in retrospect, but admit to missing them. The case is suspenseful enough, but the atmosphere of the island, and the characters have for me, always been the draw for me. Although I admit I liked done of the books in this series, better than others, it has never disappointed me.
So as Jimmy, Willow and Sandy leave the pages of future books, may they ride off into the sunset, finding happiness wherever they land.
Smaltzy, I know but i couldn't resist and I'm really going to miss this series, characters that felt like friends.
ARC from Netgalley.
This murder will bring, Jimmy, Willow and Sandy together for one final outing. A case with many strings, threads leading to a hidden and past life, a young boy on the autism spectrum, a husband and father, and a woman with a secret who cannot forgive nor forget. Sometimes people are just not who you think they are. The clues are there, in retrospect, but admit to missing them. The case is suspenseful enough, but the atmosphere of the island, and the characters have for me, always been the draw for me. Although I admit I liked done of the books in this series, better than others, it has never disappointed me.
So as Jimmy, Willow and Sandy leave the pages of future books, may they ride off into the sunset, finding happiness wherever they land.
Smaltzy, I know but i couldn't resist and I'm really going to miss this series, characters that felt like friends.
ARC from Netgalley.
August 22, 2018
This is my first Ann Cleeves novel and I seem to have come in on the tail end as Wild Fire is the eighth and final novel in Cleeves’ Shetland series featuring DI Jimmy Perez.
I did wonder if I would find the characters difficult to connect with coming into the story at the end of the series but this book can easily be read as a standalone. There were occasional references of past events however nothing that prevented me from grasping the storyline.
Wild Fire was an enjoyable, easy read featuring a compelling mystery which kept my focus throughout. I found I became swept up in the lives of the people of Deltaness.
Helena, Daniel and their two children hoping to escape their busy London lives have moved to the quiet town of Deltaness located in the Shetland Islands. Malicious gossip and anonymous notes leave Helena wondering if they will ever be accepted in the community or will forever be the newcomers. When a young woman is found murdered in a barn on the newcomers’ land Perez’s first impression is this is to do with the family not being accepted but when a born and raised local is found murdered he must rethink his ideas and try to find out how these two people were linked.
In true murder mystery style Cleeves gives out just enough information to have the reader believing anyone could have and had cause to murder the victims.
The characters are well drawn from the newcomers to the island, that feel like they don’t quite fit in, to the bitter gossiper who feels the need to dissect everyone’s actions and spread malicious gossip.
I actually thought I had the murderer pegged until my main suspect turned up as the next victim.
To finish off the series Cleeves gives Perez’s life a major upheaval which has him contemplating where he wants his future to go.
Many readers will be sad to see the end of DI Jimmy Perez and the Shetland series but I am happy to say I still have seven more books in the series to read and I’m eagerly looking forward to them.
If you enjoy old-style murder mysteries this series is for you.
*My thanks to Pan Macmillan for my copy to read.
I did wonder if I would find the characters difficult to connect with coming into the story at the end of the series but this book can easily be read as a standalone. There were occasional references of past events however nothing that prevented me from grasping the storyline.
Wild Fire was an enjoyable, easy read featuring a compelling mystery which kept my focus throughout. I found I became swept up in the lives of the people of Deltaness.
Helena, Daniel and their two children hoping to escape their busy London lives have moved to the quiet town of Deltaness located in the Shetland Islands. Malicious gossip and anonymous notes leave Helena wondering if they will ever be accepted in the community or will forever be the newcomers. When a young woman is found murdered in a barn on the newcomers’ land Perez’s first impression is this is to do with the family not being accepted but when a born and raised local is found murdered he must rethink his ideas and try to find out how these two people were linked.
In true murder mystery style Cleeves gives out just enough information to have the reader believing anyone could have and had cause to murder the victims.
The characters are well drawn from the newcomers to the island, that feel like they don’t quite fit in, to the bitter gossiper who feels the need to dissect everyone’s actions and spread malicious gossip.
I actually thought I had the murderer pegged until my main suspect turned up as the next victim.
To finish off the series Cleeves gives Perez’s life a major upheaval which has him contemplating where he wants his future to go.
Many readers will be sad to see the end of DI Jimmy Perez and the Shetland series but I am happy to say I still have seven more books in the series to read and I’m eagerly looking forward to them.
If you enjoy old-style murder mysteries this series is for you.
*My thanks to Pan Macmillan for my copy to read.
October 15, 2018
Life seems to designate our personal flame.
Some smoulder beneath the surface for eons. Some lend a spark that quickly is extinguished. And some set the makings of an eventual bonfire seen mile upon mile away from its original source.
Ann Cleeves sets the stage, once again, in the atmospheric wonderland of Shetland Island. Wedging your way into the confines of this close knit community is a steep challenge for newcomers. Helena and her husband, Daniel, have brought their family to a start-over home in this rugged terrain. Both young Ellie and Christopher are scrutinized by the Mom Squad as they wait each morning to enter the doors of the local school.
But it's the character of Christopher who adds the special flavor to this story. Being on the autistic spectrum, Christopher's view of the world is just that.....Christopher's view. He aligns his life within his own footsteps and reacts to the excessiveness of sound, information, and the instant demands of processing. He prefers the santuary of his room where the pace can be accepted or rejected by his own pursuits. And Christopher knows when life outsteps routine.
The idyllic surroundings of the island take a sudden turn when the body of a young nanny is found dead in one of the family's out-buildings. All eyes turn toward Helena and Daniel. Is there a connection here with Emma? If not, then why was her body found on their property?
Ann Cleeves has a special talent for drawing lines between characters. Suspicion rides a mighty horse in this one. So many characters with backstories and so many guilty possibilities. But then Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez steps forward to sort things out. He's a beloved character with long standing ties to this island. Jimmy Perez, himself, will be at the receiving end of some knock-you-off-your-own-foundation news that will catch readers off guard as well.
Don't be put off by the #8 after the title of Wild Fire. This one can easily be read as a standalone. Supposedly, Wild Fire will be the last in the Shetland Island series. Just say it ain't so, Ann Cleeves. There's plenty of fire still left in ol' Jimmy. And I'm workin' the bellows even as we speak......
Some smoulder beneath the surface for eons. Some lend a spark that quickly is extinguished. And some set the makings of an eventual bonfire seen mile upon mile away from its original source.
Ann Cleeves sets the stage, once again, in the atmospheric wonderland of Shetland Island. Wedging your way into the confines of this close knit community is a steep challenge for newcomers. Helena and her husband, Daniel, have brought their family to a start-over home in this rugged terrain. Both young Ellie and Christopher are scrutinized by the Mom Squad as they wait each morning to enter the doors of the local school.
But it's the character of Christopher who adds the special flavor to this story. Being on the autistic spectrum, Christopher's view of the world is just that.....Christopher's view. He aligns his life within his own footsteps and reacts to the excessiveness of sound, information, and the instant demands of processing. He prefers the santuary of his room where the pace can be accepted or rejected by his own pursuits. And Christopher knows when life outsteps routine.
The idyllic surroundings of the island take a sudden turn when the body of a young nanny is found dead in one of the family's out-buildings. All eyes turn toward Helena and Daniel. Is there a connection here with Emma? If not, then why was her body found on their property?
Ann Cleeves has a special talent for drawing lines between characters. Suspicion rides a mighty horse in this one. So many characters with backstories and so many guilty possibilities. But then Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez steps forward to sort things out. He's a beloved character with long standing ties to this island. Jimmy Perez, himself, will be at the receiving end of some knock-you-off-your-own-foundation news that will catch readers off guard as well.
Don't be put off by the #8 after the title of Wild Fire. This one can easily be read as a standalone. Supposedly, Wild Fire will be the last in the Shetland Island series. Just say it ain't so, Ann Cleeves. There's plenty of fire still left in ol' Jimmy. And I'm workin' the bellows even as we speak......
May 16, 2020
This is the last installment of the Shetland Island series of mysteries. I tried to prolong this as much as I could as I really have enjoyed this series and felt like I really got to know the characters. The landscape that played so well into the mysteries, sounds so beautiful and makes me want to visit.
In this installment, the Flemings move to the island but misplaced resentment towards them manifests itself due to the suicide of the former owner. There is also a young nanny who works for a neighboring family who, due to the emotional damage she has suffered, in turn inflicts abuse on those in her charge, resulting in devastation for all involved.
For those rooting for Sandy, he has found someone and continues to contribute more and more to the cases. Jimmy and Willow reached a climactic point in their relationship but it is resolved and Cassie will continue to stay with Jimmy.
In this installment, the Flemings move to the island but misplaced resentment towards them manifests itself due to the suicide of the former owner. There is also a young nanny who works for a neighboring family who, due to the emotional damage she has suffered, in turn inflicts abuse on those in her charge, resulting in devastation for all involved.
For those rooting for Sandy, he has found someone and continues to contribute more and more to the cases. Jimmy and Willow reached a climactic point in their relationship but it is resolved and Cassie will continue to stay with Jimmy.
August 28, 2018
4.5 stars
I was so sad when this book was over because it is the last of the series. I don't know why the author has discontinued it because I love everything about it from traveling to the Shetland Islands, the characters, the Island traditions, and the mysteries. If you have not read the others in the series, I recommend that you do just because they are so good. This book can be read as a stand alone but, of course, quite satisfying to long time fans.
The Flemings have moved to the Shetlands where the wife, Helena, has opened a very successful knitting business (think Beyonce wearing the pieces) and her husband is an architect who redesigns the house they bought. They have two children with the oldest son autistic who likes to set fires and is shunned by the other children. Helena hired the wife of the local doctor to be her assistant and it is her nanny, Emma, that is found hanging in their barn.
It wouldn't be as creepy if another body hadn't been found recently in the same situation. Outsiders are always looked at suspiciously by the locals and having two dead bodies found on your property doesn't help much. Local detective, Jimmy Perez, swings into action and when his boss, Willow, shows up to aid the investigation he gets blindsided by news he never expected to hear.
I like that this is a straight forward police procedural without bells and whistles. It is solved by dogged police work and no there is no requirement to have to set belief aside. It all makes perfect sense. It is as clear as the Islands itself. This works so well because the author has a wonderful ability to make the Islands come alive and a place you long to visit.
I took a 1/2 star off because I thought Perez displayed some very unPerez behavior and I was a trifle disappointed in him. Still it didn't spoil the work. I am thinking of organizing a world wide plea to Cleeves to write more. I will miss this series.
Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
I was so sad when this book was over because it is the last of the series. I don't know why the author has discontinued it because I love everything about it from traveling to the Shetland Islands, the characters, the Island traditions, and the mysteries. If you have not read the others in the series, I recommend that you do just because they are so good. This book can be read as a stand alone but, of course, quite satisfying to long time fans.
The Flemings have moved to the Shetlands where the wife, Helena, has opened a very successful knitting business (think Beyonce wearing the pieces) and her husband is an architect who redesigns the house they bought. They have two children with the oldest son autistic who likes to set fires and is shunned by the other children. Helena hired the wife of the local doctor to be her assistant and it is her nanny, Emma, that is found hanging in their barn.
It wouldn't be as creepy if another body hadn't been found recently in the same situation. Outsiders are always looked at suspiciously by the locals and having two dead bodies found on your property doesn't help much. Local detective, Jimmy Perez, swings into action and when his boss, Willow, shows up to aid the investigation he gets blindsided by news he never expected to hear.
I like that this is a straight forward police procedural without bells and whistles. It is solved by dogged police work and no there is no requirement to have to set belief aside. It all makes perfect sense. It is as clear as the Islands itself. This works so well because the author has a wonderful ability to make the Islands come alive and a place you long to visit.
I took a 1/2 star off because I thought Perez displayed some very unPerez behavior and I was a trifle disappointed in him. Still it didn't spoil the work. I am thinking of organizing a world wide plea to Cleeves to write more. I will miss this series.
Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.
August 31, 2018
Helena, her husband Daniel, and their two children didn't have the easiest start in their new house on Shetland. After they moved in the previous owner hanged himself in the barn, and the local community is not so welcoming. Helena has started to receive small drawings of a gallows with a hanged man. Then, their son makes a horrifying discovery out in the barn
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
March 28, 2022
So that was a bit of a mess. I had a bad feeling what we were going to get with this one and I was right. Too much of the book was taken up by Jimmy/Willow's situation and that ending didn't leave me with warm, fuzzy, feelings. I had a lot of thoughts about the victim in this one that I wish had gotten explored further. This series ended a bit better than Cleeves other, series, Inspector Ramsay, but not by much. I thought the flow was disjointed and the book really doesn't get moving til you get to the 40 percent point.
June 14, 2024
Listened to the audiobook with Simon. Another great entry in this interesting series.
September 1, 2018
After having watched several episodes of “Shetland” on PBS, I have now had the opportunity to read what is the final book in Ann Cleeves Shetland series featuring Jimmy Perez. While I have read books in the Vera series, this is, somewhat ironically, my first of the Shetland. Jimmy Perez, the lynchpin in both media settings, is depicted in both as the compassionate, thoughtful man of the islands and people. The land and sea, nature itself, are characters and affect people’s lives on many levels. The descriptions are so often just right. This is from two people taking a walk.
The land here was very low, separated from the shore by
dunes and irregular fields where sheep grazed; there was a
series of freshwater lochans, with iris and marsh marigolds at
the fringes, everywhere the call of lapwings and oystercatchers.
A breeze blew the flowers and nothing seemed fixed.
Everything was moving: feather, reed, water. Helena felt as if
she’d stepped into an Impressionist painting of blurred lines
and splashes of colour. (loc 1259)
And then a much more succinct, but equally descriptive comment later in the book:
Lerwick was a grey town at the best of times, and the
mist had sucked the colour out of it. (loc 1983)
The story itself involves the death of a young woman who cares for the children of the island’s doctor. The backstory makes her death harder for all in the community. Daniel and Helena Fleming from London, have purchased an old farm lost by a local man, Dennis Gear, to foreclosure. They have restored and revived it as a home for themselves and their two children. They are resented by locals because Dennis Gear was their friend. Then the Fleming family became greater objects of gossip after Gear hanged himself in their barn.
Now Emma Shearer, nanny to a neighbor family, is found hanging in the same place. But there are many questions. Was this actually murder? Who was Emma really and who knew her? And then there is a sub-plot, an interpersonal story involving Perez and his superior from the mainland, Willow.
Everything moves along with all of the police, Perez, Willow and Sandy, acting separately and together to piece together the parts that will finally bring peace to the island. As the closing episode to a series, Wild Fire does offer some aspects of closure while also leaving open futures. All in all, a good read and recommended. This book can also be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
The land here was very low, separated from the shore by
dunes and irregular fields where sheep grazed; there was a
series of freshwater lochans, with iris and marsh marigolds at
the fringes, everywhere the call of lapwings and oystercatchers.
A breeze blew the flowers and nothing seemed fixed.
Everything was moving: feather, reed, water. Helena felt as if
she’d stepped into an Impressionist painting of blurred lines
and splashes of colour. (loc 1259)
And then a much more succinct, but equally descriptive comment later in the book:
Lerwick was a grey town at the best of times, and the
mist had sucked the colour out of it. (loc 1983)
The story itself involves the death of a young woman who cares for the children of the island’s doctor. The backstory makes her death harder for all in the community. Daniel and Helena Fleming from London, have purchased an old farm lost by a local man, Dennis Gear, to foreclosure. They have restored and revived it as a home for themselves and their two children. They are resented by locals because Dennis Gear was their friend. Then the Fleming family became greater objects of gossip after Gear hanged himself in their barn.
Now Emma Shearer, nanny to a neighbor family, is found hanging in the same place. But there are many questions. Was this actually murder? Who was Emma really and who knew her? And then there is a sub-plot, an interpersonal story involving Perez and his superior from the mainland, Willow.
Everything moves along with all of the police, Perez, Willow and Sandy, acting separately and together to piece together the parts that will finally bring peace to the island. As the closing episode to a series, Wild Fire does offer some aspects of closure while also leaving open futures. All in all, a good read and recommended. This book can also be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
September 10, 2018
"Hold your family close. Hold their secrets closer..."
'Wild Fire' is the eighth and final book in the international bestselling Shetland series featuring DI Jimmy Perez. Although it's preferable to have read the previous seven novels to understand the evolution of the characters and their lives, it does actually work as a standalone too. I am a huge Cleeves fan and love both her books and the TV series' that are adapted from said novels.
One of the aspects I absolutely adore here is the setting. Shetland is such a beautiful place, wild and sparse, green and remote, and Cleeves uses it as a character in itself. I certainly feel that if you know the landscapes of the islands off the coast of Scotland, you will love this series. Having holidayed on many of those islands, the descriptive prose took me back there. As an old school police procedural, the story features all of the elements I have come to expect from Ms Cleeves - well concealed killer(s), relationship/family dramas, exquisite prose and characterisation. The characters are relatable and realistic, but I was a little disappointed by the ending. There is little forensic evidence in the case, so the police have to work hard for little reward. Instead of the ubiquitous plot twists, the story relies on the slow unfurling of the case. Cleeves is an expert in crafting novels where the culprit is impossible to guess until the reveal arrives.
I am extremely sad that we will no longer be able to read about DI Jimmy Perez's adventures, and although I thoroughly enjoyed the journey towards the conclusion, I found myself deflated by the resolution. I feel it is very important to produce a spectacular climax to a novel, but especally when it is the last book in a fantastic series. I know I will miss Perez as will many other readers. I felt there was much more to come from him, and his story didn't feel like it had come to an end. All in all, exactly what we have to come to expect from Cleeves: a wonderful setting, a thrilling story, exceptionally drawn characters and atmosphere. No one evokes the landscape better! Goodbye Jimmy, you'll be a miss!
Many thanks to Macmillan for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
'Wild Fire' is the eighth and final book in the international bestselling Shetland series featuring DI Jimmy Perez. Although it's preferable to have read the previous seven novels to understand the evolution of the characters and their lives, it does actually work as a standalone too. I am a huge Cleeves fan and love both her books and the TV series' that are adapted from said novels.
One of the aspects I absolutely adore here is the setting. Shetland is such a beautiful place, wild and sparse, green and remote, and Cleeves uses it as a character in itself. I certainly feel that if you know the landscapes of the islands off the coast of Scotland, you will love this series. Having holidayed on many of those islands, the descriptive prose took me back there. As an old school police procedural, the story features all of the elements I have come to expect from Ms Cleeves - well concealed killer(s), relationship/family dramas, exquisite prose and characterisation. The characters are relatable and realistic, but I was a little disappointed by the ending. There is little forensic evidence in the case, so the police have to work hard for little reward. Instead of the ubiquitous plot twists, the story relies on the slow unfurling of the case. Cleeves is an expert in crafting novels where the culprit is impossible to guess until the reveal arrives.
I am extremely sad that we will no longer be able to read about DI Jimmy Perez's adventures, and although I thoroughly enjoyed the journey towards the conclusion, I found myself deflated by the resolution. I feel it is very important to produce a spectacular climax to a novel, but especally when it is the last book in a fantastic series. I know I will miss Perez as will many other readers. I felt there was much more to come from him, and his story didn't feel like it had come to an end. All in all, exactly what we have to come to expect from Cleeves: a wonderful setting, a thrilling story, exceptionally drawn characters and atmosphere. No one evokes the landscape better! Goodbye Jimmy, you'll be a miss!
Many thanks to Macmillan for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
September 24, 2018
Mysterious, precise, and atmospheric!
In this latest novel by Cleeves, Wild Fire, we head back to Deltaness where DI Jimmy Perez finds himself immersed in the evidence collection and investigation into the murder of a local nanny whose childhood was marred by hardship and tragedy and whose recent past was full of unusual and strained relationships.
The prose is intricate and deft. The characters are flawed, complex and intriguing. And the plot is a compelling, well crafted, police procedural full of suspects, clues, deduction, jealousy, obsession, manipulation, swirling emotions, secrets, familial drama, and murder.
Wild Fire is the eighth and final novel in the Shetland Series, and even though it’s a little bittersweet to say goodbye to the characters we’ve come to know and love over these last eight novels, it is nevertheless a lovely way to solve one last case with the usual gang and to finally discover whether DI Perez and Chief Inspector Willow will finally get their happy-ever-after ending.
Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
In this latest novel by Cleeves, Wild Fire, we head back to Deltaness where DI Jimmy Perez finds himself immersed in the evidence collection and investigation into the murder of a local nanny whose childhood was marred by hardship and tragedy and whose recent past was full of unusual and strained relationships.
The prose is intricate and deft. The characters are flawed, complex and intriguing. And the plot is a compelling, well crafted, police procedural full of suspects, clues, deduction, jealousy, obsession, manipulation, swirling emotions, secrets, familial drama, and murder.
Wild Fire is the eighth and final novel in the Shetland Series, and even though it’s a little bittersweet to say goodbye to the characters we’ve come to know and love over these last eight novels, it is nevertheless a lovely way to solve one last case with the usual gang and to finally discover whether DI Perez and Chief Inspector Willow will finally get their happy-ever-after ending.
Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 25, 2018
Bittersweet, this one is. If you’ve been following the fortunes of Ann Cleeves, you know that “Wild Fire” is the final book in the Jimmy Perez/Shetland stories. Jimmy has decisions to make in this one, once Willow Reeves, the woman he’s been seeing, reveals some secrets of her own.
In the meantime, he’s got a murder investigation (and then another) to undertake. The first is that of a young nanny found hanged in a barn where an earlier hanging has taken place. Jimmy soon learns that she was the caregiver for a family of unlikeable children, and the parents aren’t much better, pretty much giving up all pretense of parenting to Emma, the murdered girl. Pair that with another family that’s being targeted as “incomers” and that includes an autistic boy, and you have a lot of trouble on your hands.
Ms. Cleeves knits all this together in her usual credible fashion, devising clues, red herrings and plausible and implausible conclusions. Jimmy has to get this all figured out while his personal life looms large. Will he be able to get past the “ghost” of his lost love, Fran, long enough to build a new life with Willow? Does he even want to? Questions are raised within and without, until the stunning conclusion of the murder investigation, and the completion of Jimmy’s story.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in advance of publication, in exchange for this review.
In the meantime, he’s got a murder investigation (and then another) to undertake. The first is that of a young nanny found hanged in a barn where an earlier hanging has taken place. Jimmy soon learns that she was the caregiver for a family of unlikeable children, and the parents aren’t much better, pretty much giving up all pretense of parenting to Emma, the murdered girl. Pair that with another family that’s being targeted as “incomers” and that includes an autistic boy, and you have a lot of trouble on your hands.
Ms. Cleeves knits all this together in her usual credible fashion, devising clues, red herrings and plausible and implausible conclusions. Jimmy has to get this all figured out while his personal life looms large. Will he be able to get past the “ghost” of his lost love, Fran, long enough to build a new life with Willow? Does he even want to? Questions are raised within and without, until the stunning conclusion of the murder investigation, and the completion of Jimmy’s story.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in advance of publication, in exchange for this review.
August 3, 2018
How refreshing to read an old skool police procedural with realistic characters, a natural prose style and none of those ubiquitous 'twists'! I haven't read any of this series before (or seen any of the recent TV adaptations) but it's fine to drop in on what turns out to be the last of the series.
Cleeves cleverly updates the tropes of Agatha Christie so that here we have a closed circle of suspects, malicious anonymous letters, and a pair of murders. The ending isn't quite convincing but boy, I enjoyed the journey.
The Shetland backdrop is sketched in well and I loved the characters who, generally, feel realistic. I'd read Cleeves again, for sure, when in the mood for something light but page-turning.
Cleeves cleverly updates the tropes of Agatha Christie so that here we have a closed circle of suspects, malicious anonymous letters, and a pair of murders. The ending isn't quite convincing but boy, I enjoyed the journey.
The Shetland backdrop is sketched in well and I loved the characters who, generally, feel realistic. I'd read Cleeves again, for sure, when in the mood for something light but page-turning.
March 6, 2019
It was only in September of last year that I discovered this wonderful series, and now I have read the eighth and final book, which I am adding to my favorites shelf. It comes to a reasonably satisfying conclusion, but still I wonder what will happen next. Since I'm not likely to find out, I will probably give the author's Vera Stanhope series a try. But I will definitely miss Jimmy Perez, Cassie, and Willow.
June 11, 2021
Well done series finale, I will miss Jimmy Perez but am happy to start the Vera series!
October 19, 2018
A disappointing end for DI Jimmy Perez. Not even the most evocative, weather-swept descriptions of the Shetlands could carry this mystery that was barely complicated enough to fill out a short story. Sadder still, the blossoming relationship between Perez and DCI Willow Reeves was turned into an angsty muddle of miscommunication that felt like it belonged in a YA novel.
May 8, 2020
Actually it's 3.5/5 stars!
And with Wild Fire my imaginary journeys to Shetland islands alongside Jimmy Perez come to an end and I'm gonna miss both as I will miss Willow Reeves who came in late but I grew to like very much and wanted more of her relationship with Perez because I believe she suited him more and last but not least I'm gonna miss reading about sensitive and a bit insecure Sandy and I wish their adventures could continue for a while longer! I also liked that Fran wasn't mentioned so much because she wasn't one of my very favourite characters!
I had some trouble with the timeline and the description of Willow as on off lover of Perez because it didn't make sense if events took place in this particular order and all felt kinda rushed!
I'm the first to say I dislike much personal drama in crime novels but Ann Cleeves could have taken some more time to develop all that took place in a single installment of her series!
In Wild Fire we see how deep a person can be damaged by his experiences and how much pain he can inflict to the people around him because of them!
We see how bitterness and an unsatisfactory life can affect a person and the trouble this person can cause to himself and to others!
Families falling apart because of every day problems they don't know how to handle and how easy it is for a person to sneak in and mess with them and also how self centred people may force others to take actions to lead up even to murder! But also how people can overcome problems and stand up to the challenges thrown at them!
Even though the two victims have their issues and might make you feel sad about them I couldn't bring myself to feel any sympathy for them.
Kinda fell sorry for Magnie though and i really liked Christopher!
In this story after some news shared Perez and Willow behave like 10year olds and that felt a bit out of character and I wish the author would choose another way to handle the problem they are faced with!
Some might say that Willow at some points felt petty about some emotions but they are completely logical and made her more human and I personally can relate to the emotion... I'm always jealous of people who don't have to live in an apartment building because my neighbours make my life a living hell so sometimes I feel resentful towards people who can find peace at home!
Perez in this installment is guided by guilt and his reactions angered me at some points but it was nice to see that he isn't a martyr of some kind!
I still feel that since it was the last book of the series I would more things about the main characters but it was nice enough!
Has anyone suggested a mini crossover between Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez? I would like to have a glimpse in his new life through the eyes of Vera and Joe!
And with Wild Fire my imaginary journeys to Shetland islands alongside Jimmy Perez come to an end and I'm gonna miss both as I will miss Willow Reeves who came in late but I grew to like very much and wanted more of her relationship with Perez because I believe she suited him more and last but not least I'm gonna miss reading about sensitive and a bit insecure Sandy and I wish their adventures could continue for a while longer! I also liked that Fran wasn't mentioned so much because she wasn't one of my very favourite characters!
I had some trouble with the timeline and the description of Willow as on off lover of Perez because it didn't make sense if events took place in this particular order and all felt kinda rushed!
I'm the first to say I dislike much personal drama in crime novels but Ann Cleeves could have taken some more time to develop all that took place in a single installment of her series!
In Wild Fire we see how deep a person can be damaged by his experiences and how much pain he can inflict to the people around him because of them!
We see how bitterness and an unsatisfactory life can affect a person and the trouble this person can cause to himself and to others!
Families falling apart because of every day problems they don't know how to handle and how easy it is for a person to sneak in and mess with them and also how self centred people may force others to take actions to lead up even to murder! But also how people can overcome problems and stand up to the challenges thrown at them!
Even though the two victims have their issues and might make you feel sad about them I couldn't bring myself to feel any sympathy for them.
Kinda fell sorry for Magnie though and i really liked Christopher!
In this story after some news shared Perez and Willow behave like 10year olds and that felt a bit out of character and I wish the author would choose another way to handle the problem they are faced with!
Some might say that Willow at some points felt petty about some emotions but they are completely logical and made her more human and I personally can relate to the emotion... I'm always jealous of people who don't have to live in an apartment building because my neighbours make my life a living hell so sometimes I feel resentful towards people who can find peace at home!
Perez in this installment is guided by guilt and his reactions angered me at some points but it was nice to see that he isn't a martyr of some kind!
I still feel that since it was the last book of the series I would more things about the main characters but it was nice enough!
Has anyone suggested a mini crossover between Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez? I would like to have a glimpse in his new life through the eyes of Vera and Joe!
February 16, 2020
I love this series, and was glad to get back to one of the books. Shetland, as it is called by who live there, refers to the entire archipelago and includes 16 inhabited islands. The TV series is wonderful but the details about Jimmy Perez, the police inspector who works out of Lerwick on the main island, are quite different in the books. The personality is very much the same - taciturn, self contained, compassionate, lonely, and a very good police inspector. But the details of his personal life, his early life, his looks (blond on TV, dark good looks that go with the name Perez in the books) are quite different.
In this final installment of the Shetland series, which began as a quartet and became a series of eight, there is a suicide, a murder, and then a second murder in a tiny community in the northern part of the main island. Inspector Willow Reeves comes from the mainland to assist in the investigation after the first murder. She and Jimmy have connected before so we wonder through the novel what will become of their "relationship". Sandy Wilson is ever stalwart and has a girlfriend.
This was 4 to 4 1/2 stars to me. I resisted the temptation to rate it 5 stars because I love Shetland and I love the series. It was a good story, but it took its time to get there. Goodbye Jimmy. But I am happy to know that the TV series is continuing. In fact, as I write this, a new series is being filmed in Shetland : )
In this final installment of the Shetland series, which began as a quartet and became a series of eight, there is a suicide, a murder, and then a second murder in a tiny community in the northern part of the main island. Inspector Willow Reeves comes from the mainland to assist in the investigation after the first murder. She and Jimmy have connected before so we wonder through the novel what will become of their "relationship". Sandy Wilson is ever stalwart and has a girlfriend.
This was 4 to 4 1/2 stars to me. I resisted the temptation to rate it 5 stars because I love Shetland and I love the series. It was a good story, but it took its time to get there. Goodbye Jimmy. But I am happy to know that the TV series is continuing. In fact, as I write this, a new series is being filmed in Shetland : )
March 18, 2020
Helena Fleming, một nhà thiết kế nổi tiếng, cùng chồng là Daniel Fleming, một kiến trúc sư, đưa cả gia đình, trong đó có cậu con trai Christopher mắc chứng tự kỷ, từ London về vùng Shetland ở Scotland sinh sống, hy vọng đây sẽ là môi trường tốt cho cậu con trai với nhu cầu chăm sóc đặc biệt của mình. Tại Shetland, họ chuyển vào sống trong căn nhà với khu nhà kho trước đây đã từng là nơi Dennis Gear - chủ cũ của căn nhà - treo cổ tự tử vì vỡ nợ. Đồng thời, gia đình Fleming cũng làm quen với gia đình Moncrieff giàu có, gồm cặp vợ chồng Robert và Belle, 4 đứa con đang học Tiểu học và Trung học, cùng cô bảo mẫu trẻ tuổi Emma Shearer.
“Wild Fire” bắt đầu bằng khung cảnh một buổi dã ngoại đốt lửa trại bên bờ biển, sau đó là sự xuất hiện của cậu bé Christopher cùng những lời châm chọc nhắm vào chứng tự kỷ của em, trong khi Emma - một người thường xuyên làm việc với trẻ con - lại ngồi đó dửng dưng như không có chuyện gì xảy ra. Để rồi tiếp sau đó là vụ án mạng là trọng tâm của câu chuyện, khi Christopher phát hiện cái xác của Emma trong bộ đầm màu vàng cô hay mặc treo lủng lẳng trên xà khu nhà kho tại nhà Fleming, cùng địa điểm trước đây em đã phát hiện ra xác của chủ cũ ngôi nhà. Trước đó, gia đình Fleming đã nhận được những tờ giấy vẽ hình người bị treo cổ, kẹp trong những tờ báo gửi đến nhà họ - một hành vi khủng bố tinh thần đầy bí ẩn, chưa rõ có liên quan gì đến cái chết của Emma hay không.
Thanh tra Jimmy Perez của vùng Shetland vào cuộc, cùng với nữ thanh tra Willow - người dẫn đầu cuộc điều tra, đồng thời cũng là người yêu cũ của Jimmy và đang mang thai đứa con của ông. Shetland nổi tiếng là vùng đất bình yên, người dân hầu như ai cũng biết nhau, nhưng đồng thời (hoặc có lẽ vì thế) mà đây lại là vùng đất “màu mỡ” cho những tin đồn lan nhanh chóng. Vụ án mạng của Emma Shearer và việc xác của cô được phát hiện trong phần đất nhà Fleming cũng đã trở thành chủ đề buôn chuyện và đồn thổi trong vùng, khi người ta nghi ngờ Emma và Daniel Fleming có tư tình với nhau. Trên bước đường điều tra, Jimmy Perez và Willow đã vừa lấy lời khai của những người có quan hệ, tiếp xúc với Emma, đồng thời đào sâu về quá khứ của cô trước khi cô đến làm việc tại Shetland, cố gắng xây dựng một hình dung cụ thể về tính cách, bản chất con người của nạn nhân để từ đó có thể suy luận ra ai có động cơ để giết hại Emma.
Hành trình điều tra của hai nhân vật thanh tra cùng trợ lý của họ đã phát hiện ra nhiều thứ, từ việc Emma sống khép kín trong thế giới riêng của mình như thế nào, một cô gái trẻ mới chỉ 24 tuổi nhưng lại tự may những bộ đồ như thời thập niên 50 để mặc, cho đến việc nhiều người đàn ông, trong đó có Daniel Fleming, đã mê mẩn cô ra làm sao nhưng cô không bao giờ đáp lại tình cảm đó. Và quan trọng nhất, đó là quá khứ lớn lên bên cạnh một người cha chuyên bạo hành vợ của mình, gây nên những tổn thương về thể xác lẫn tinh thần không chỉ cho vợ mình mà còn cho Emma. Điều đáng buồn là, không một ai, thậm chí cả chuyên gia về y học và tâm lý, chịu quan tâm đến Emma đủ để nhận ra điều đó, nhận ra một cô gái cũng bị ảnh hưởng bởi sự bạo hành như mẹ của mình.
Nếu ai đã từng đọc qua những tác phẩm trinh thám của bà Ann Cleeves, bạn sẽ thấy rằng bà không lựa chọn những tên tâm thần giết người hàng loạt, những tên thái nhân cách phản xã hội hoặc những kẻ luôn chôn giấu một bí mật nào đó làm kẻ sát nhân cho câu chuyện của mình. Truyện trinh thám của Ann Cleeves, theo mình thấy, là những câu chuyện trinh thám rất “đời”, khi bà đi sâu vào việc phản ánh những góc khuất, những vấn đề, những đề tài gây nhức nhối trong bản thân gia đình và xã hội - những mảng tối chúng ta có lẽ luôn thấy hằng ngày, nhưng có lẽ cũng lựa chọn bỏ qua như một số nhân vật trong truyện, không bao giờ nghĩ rằng nó có thể có đủ khả năng để khiến con người ta phải đến mức giết người.
Bên cạnh quá trình cố gắng thấu hiểu để rồi xây dựng nên hình dung về tính cách và bản chất của nạn nhân Emma, câu chuyện cũng lột tả, thông qua những lời khai mà các điều tra viên thu thập được, bản chất thật sự của các nhân vật phụ khác, nhưng lại đóng vai trò mắt xích trong bộ chuỗi bi kịch này, tuy không trực tiếp gây ra tội ác nhưng lại là tác nhân góp phần dẫn đến những hành động thực hiện trong sự tuyệt vọng tột cùng của hung thủ. Càng về sau, nhịp truyện đọc càng cuốn, nhất là khi một xác chết khác được phát hiện, với cùng cách thức bị giết như Emma. Mọi thứ được đẩy đến cao trào ở những chương cuối, khi nó có liên quan đến sự an toàn của cậu bé Christopher - người với niềm đam mê bộ phim CSI, đã nhận ra chân tướng hung thủ từ trước đó. Và khi hung thủ lộ mặt, mình đã không thể ngờ lại có thể là người đó. Nhưng rồi khi xâu chuỗi lại tất cả, và theo dõi Willow lý giải về động cơ gây án cho đến cách thức thực hiện vụ án, mình đã hiểu được vì sao hung thủ phải đi tới bước đường cùng như vậy. Và rốt cuộc thì, nạn nhân Emma đáng thương hay đáng trách? Có lẽ đáng trách nhất vẫn là những kẻ đã ngó lơ lời cầu cứu của cả nạn nhân và hung thủ trong truyện, từ chối không làm gì cả và gián tiếp tiếp tay cho sự việc này diễn ra.
“Wild Fire” là cuốn thứ 8 và cũng là cuốn cuối cùng trong series “Shetland” về điều tra viên Jimmy Perez của tác giả Ann Cleeves. Những cuốn trước của series này thì mình chưa đọc, tại thấy cuốn này được bán trong nhà sách thì mình mua đọc thôi, vì đã ấn tượng với tác giả Ann Cleeves từ trước đó. Trước cuốn này, mình đã đọc cuốn “Hidden Depths” của cùng tác giả, và khá thích cách viết của bà, dùng ngôn từ rất dễ hiểu, cách xây dựng truyện cũng khá cuốn, mặc dù nếu so về độ lắt léo thì không bằng một số tác giả trinh thám khác. “Hidden Depths” nằm trong series về điều tra viên Vera Stanhope khá nổi tiếng của Ann Cleeves, cả hai series về Vera Stanhope và Jimmy Perez đều đã được BBC dựng thành phim truyền hình “Vera” và “Shetland”. Chắc có thể do là series của Anh, mỗi tập lại dài đến 1 tiếng rưỡi (series “Vera” đó) nên là có vẻ không được nổi tiếng lắm, mình muốn kiếm bản Vietsub mà hình như không có, buồn thật…
Sau khi đã đọc hai cuốn của Ann Cleeves thì mình thấy tác giả này viết khá hay, có lẽ là một trong những cây bút trinh thám Anh đáng đọc nhất hiện giờ. Hy vọng sẽ có nhà nào đó ở Việt Nam tìm hiểu và cho xuất bản thử vài cuốn của bà xem phản ứng của độc giả Việt như thế nào :)) Bạn nào thích trinh thám mang chất “đời”, đi sâu vào lột tả các mối quan hệ gia đình, xóm giềng, mang chất tâm lý xã hội, nêu lên mặt trái của đời sống và những góc tối ẩn đằng sau vẻ ngoài hoàn hảo của các gia đình thì có thể thử đọc Ann Cleeves ^^
“Wild Fire” bắt đầu bằng khung cảnh một buổi dã ngoại đốt lửa trại bên bờ biển, sau đó là sự xuất hiện của cậu bé Christopher cùng những lời châm chọc nhắm vào chứng tự kỷ của em, trong khi Emma - một người thường xuyên làm việc với trẻ con - lại ngồi đó dửng dưng như không có chuyện gì xảy ra. Để rồi tiếp sau đó là vụ án mạng là trọng tâm của câu chuyện, khi Christopher phát hiện cái xác của Emma trong bộ đầm màu vàng cô hay mặc treo lủng lẳng trên xà khu nhà kho tại nhà Fleming, cùng địa điểm trước đây em đã phát hiện ra xác của chủ cũ ngôi nhà. Trước đó, gia đình Fleming đã nhận được những tờ giấy vẽ hình người bị treo cổ, kẹp trong những tờ báo gửi đến nhà họ - một hành vi khủng bố tinh thần đầy bí ẩn, chưa rõ có liên quan gì đến cái chết của Emma hay không.
Thanh tra Jimmy Perez của vùng Shetland vào cuộc, cùng với nữ thanh tra Willow - người dẫn đầu cuộc điều tra, đồng thời cũng là người yêu cũ của Jimmy và đang mang thai đứa con của ông. Shetland nổi tiếng là vùng đất bình yên, người dân hầu như ai cũng biết nhau, nhưng đồng thời (hoặc có lẽ vì thế) mà đây lại là vùng đất “màu mỡ” cho những tin đồn lan nhanh chóng. Vụ án mạng của Emma Shearer và việc xác của cô được phát hiện trong phần đất nhà Fleming cũng đã trở thành chủ đề buôn chuyện và đồn thổi trong vùng, khi người ta nghi ngờ Emma và Daniel Fleming có tư tình với nhau. Trên bước đường điều tra, Jimmy Perez và Willow đã vừa lấy lời khai của những người có quan hệ, tiếp xúc với Emma, đồng thời đào sâu về quá khứ của cô trước khi cô đến làm việc tại Shetland, cố gắng xây dựng một hình dung cụ thể về tính cách, bản chất con người của nạn nhân để từ đó có thể suy luận ra ai có động cơ để giết hại Emma.
Hành trình điều tra của hai nhân vật thanh tra cùng trợ lý của họ đã phát hiện ra nhiều thứ, từ việc Emma sống khép kín trong thế giới riêng của mình như thế nào, một cô gái trẻ mới chỉ 24 tuổi nhưng lại tự may những bộ đồ như thời thập niên 50 để mặc, cho đến việc nhiều người đàn ông, trong đó có Daniel Fleming, đã mê mẩn cô ra làm sao nhưng cô không bao giờ đáp lại tình cảm đó. Và quan trọng nhất, đó là quá khứ lớn lên bên cạnh một người cha chuyên bạo hành vợ của mình, gây nên những tổn thương về thể xác lẫn tinh thần không chỉ cho vợ mình mà còn cho Emma. Điều đáng buồn là, không một ai, thậm chí cả chuyên gia về y học và tâm lý, chịu quan tâm đến Emma đủ để nhận ra điều đó, nhận ra một cô gái cũng bị ảnh hưởng bởi sự bạo hành như mẹ của mình.
Nếu ai đã từng đọc qua những tác phẩm trinh thám của bà Ann Cleeves, bạn sẽ thấy rằng bà không lựa chọn những tên tâm thần giết người hàng loạt, những tên thái nhân cách phản xã hội hoặc những kẻ luôn chôn giấu một bí mật nào đó làm kẻ sát nhân cho câu chuyện của mình. Truyện trinh thám của Ann Cleeves, theo mình thấy, là những câu chuyện trinh thám rất “đời”, khi bà đi sâu vào việc phản ánh những góc khuất, những vấn đề, những đề tài gây nhức nhối trong bản thân gia đình và xã hội - những mảng tối chúng ta có lẽ luôn thấy hằng ngày, nhưng có lẽ cũng lựa chọn bỏ qua như một số nhân vật trong truyện, không bao giờ nghĩ rằng nó có thể có đủ khả năng để khiến con người ta phải đến mức giết người.
Bên cạnh quá trình cố gắng thấu hiểu để rồi xây dựng nên hình dung về tính cách và bản chất của nạn nhân Emma, câu chuyện cũng lột tả, thông qua những lời khai mà các điều tra viên thu thập được, bản chất thật sự của các nhân vật phụ khác, nhưng lại đóng vai trò mắt xích trong bộ chuỗi bi kịch này, tuy không trực tiếp gây ra tội ác nhưng lại là tác nhân góp phần dẫn đến những hành động thực hiện trong sự tuyệt vọng tột cùng của hung thủ. Càng về sau, nhịp truyện đọc càng cuốn, nhất là khi một xác chết khác được phát hiện, với cùng cách thức bị giết như Emma. Mọi thứ được đẩy đến cao trào ở những chương cuối, khi nó có liên quan đến sự an toàn của cậu bé Christopher - người với niềm đam mê bộ phim CSI, đã nhận ra chân tướng hung thủ từ trước đó. Và khi hung thủ lộ mặt, mình đã không thể ngờ lại có thể là người đó. Nhưng rồi khi xâu chuỗi lại tất cả, và theo dõi Willow lý giải về động cơ gây án cho đến cách thức thực hiện vụ án, mình đã hiểu được vì sao hung thủ phải đi tới bước đường cùng như vậy. Và rốt cuộc thì, nạn nhân Emma đáng thương hay đáng trách? Có lẽ đáng trách nhất vẫn là những kẻ đã ngó lơ lời cầu cứu của cả nạn nhân và hung thủ trong truyện, từ chối không làm gì cả và gián tiếp tiếp tay cho sự việc này diễn ra.
“Wild Fire” là cuốn thứ 8 và cũng là cuốn cuối cùng trong series “Shetland” về điều tra viên Jimmy Perez của tác giả Ann Cleeves. Những cuốn trước của series này thì mình chưa đọc, tại thấy cuốn này được bán trong nhà sách thì mình mua đọc thôi, vì đã ấn tượng với tác giả Ann Cleeves từ trước đó. Trước cuốn này, mình đã đọc cuốn “Hidden Depths” của cùng tác giả, và khá thích cách viết của bà, dùng ngôn từ rất dễ hiểu, cách xây dựng truyện cũng khá cuốn, mặc dù nếu so về độ lắt léo thì không bằng một số tác giả trinh thám khác. “Hidden Depths” nằm trong series về điều tra viên Vera Stanhope khá nổi tiếng của Ann Cleeves, cả hai series về Vera Stanhope và Jimmy Perez đều đã được BBC dựng thành phim truyền hình “Vera” và “Shetland”. Chắc có thể do là series của Anh, mỗi tập lại dài đến 1 tiếng rưỡi (series “Vera” đó) nên là có vẻ không được nổi tiếng lắm, mình muốn kiếm bản Vietsub mà hình như không có, buồn thật…
Sau khi đã đọc hai cuốn của Ann Cleeves thì mình thấy tác giả này viết khá hay, có lẽ là một trong những cây bút trinh thám Anh đáng đọc nhất hiện giờ. Hy vọng sẽ có nhà nào đó ở Việt Nam tìm hiểu và cho xuất bản thử vài cuốn của bà xem phản ứng của độc giả Việt như thế nào :)) Bạn nào thích trinh thám mang chất “đời”, đi sâu vào lột tả các mối quan hệ gia đình, xóm giềng, mang chất tâm lý xã hội, nêu lên mặt trái của đời sống và những góc tối ẩn đằng sau vẻ ngoài hoàn hảo của các gia đình thì có thể thử đọc Ann Cleeves ^^
October 26, 2023
Finita. Žēl, ka sērija beigusies, lai gan noslēguma akords ļauj noprast, ka varētu arī turpināties citā arhipelāgā, ja autorei iegribēsies. Novērojums: latvieši (latvietes) ir visur - šajā konkrētajā gadījumā kāda Krista, kas strādā viesnīcā un noceļ sevišķi nejaukas tenku vāceles vīru
October 18, 2025
The perfect ending to a series I never saw coming.
September 30, 2018
First Sentence: Emma sat on the shingle bank and watched the kids on the beach below build a bonfire.
DI Jimmy Perez is approached by a Helena, a woman whose family are new residents on the island. She has been receiving anonymous notes with images from the game "hangman," and asks for Jimmy's help. When Emma, the nanny to the children of the Island's Doctor Moncrieff, is found hanged in Helena's barn, where the previous owner hanged himself, by her autistic son Christopher, Jimmy calls together his team, including Willow Reeves, the Chief Inspector of the Serious Crime Squad and Jimmy's occasional lover. Complex relationships hide dark secrets.
Cleeves brings one into a community so small that everyone new is subject to speculation. There is a good reminder of how interconnected are people in such communities—"There are only twenty-three thousand people in the islands, and most have some connection with each other."
There is an interesting shift in Jimmy and Willow's relationship. Willow is wonderfully done. She is very much an example of who many women have become; self-supporting, self-reliant, strong, not opposed to having a partner, but willing and able to get on alone if needs must while still feeling the hurt and uncertainty. Christopher and his autism is well handled. It feels just right, without being overdone.
What an interesting observation regarding the popularity and gentrification of what had been small communities—"Willow wondered if it caused resentment: these confident, educated incoming, buying up the nice houses, subtly changing the character of the place. …Wouldn't it feel like an invasion?" How also true is it that one never really knows what goes on within a family—"…the whole happy-family image seems to have been a bit of a sham."
Cleeves doesn't rely on twists, but when she does include one, it's very effective. She also does a very good job of increasing the level of mystery and suspense, keeping the killer's identity from the reader until the last possible moment.
"Wild Fire" is yet another excellent read from Ann Cleeves. Almost as intriguing is the reference at the end to the young women on the ferry. Those who know her history can't help but suspect the character is Ann herself in an homage to a place so special to her. Most intriguing of all the is the subtle Easter egg at the end. We shall just have to wait.
WILD FIRE (PolProc-Jimmy Perez-Shetland Islands, Scotland-Contemp) – Ex
Cleeves, Ann – 8th in series
Minotaur Books – Sept 2018
DI Jimmy Perez is approached by a Helena, a woman whose family are new residents on the island. She has been receiving anonymous notes with images from the game "hangman," and asks for Jimmy's help. When Emma, the nanny to the children of the Island's Doctor Moncrieff, is found hanged in Helena's barn, where the previous owner hanged himself, by her autistic son Christopher, Jimmy calls together his team, including Willow Reeves, the Chief Inspector of the Serious Crime Squad and Jimmy's occasional lover. Complex relationships hide dark secrets.
Cleeves brings one into a community so small that everyone new is subject to speculation. There is a good reminder of how interconnected are people in such communities—"There are only twenty-three thousand people in the islands, and most have some connection with each other."
There is an interesting shift in Jimmy and Willow's relationship. Willow is wonderfully done. She is very much an example of who many women have become; self-supporting, self-reliant, strong, not opposed to having a partner, but willing and able to get on alone if needs must while still feeling the hurt and uncertainty. Christopher and his autism is well handled. It feels just right, without being overdone.
What an interesting observation regarding the popularity and gentrification of what had been small communities—"Willow wondered if it caused resentment: these confident, educated incoming, buying up the nice houses, subtly changing the character of the place. …Wouldn't it feel like an invasion?" How also true is it that one never really knows what goes on within a family—"…the whole happy-family image seems to have been a bit of a sham."
Cleeves doesn't rely on twists, but when she does include one, it's very effective. She also does a very good job of increasing the level of mystery and suspense, keeping the killer's identity from the reader until the last possible moment.
"Wild Fire" is yet another excellent read from Ann Cleeves. Almost as intriguing is the reference at the end to the young women on the ferry. Those who know her history can't help but suspect the character is Ann herself in an homage to a place so special to her. Most intriguing of all the is the subtle Easter egg at the end. We shall just have to wait.
WILD FIRE (PolProc-Jimmy Perez-Shetland Islands, Scotland-Contemp) – Ex
Cleeves, Ann – 8th in series
Minotaur Books – Sept 2018
June 22, 2018
What a fitting tribute and farewell to Jimmy Perez. Having followed him and his cases since book one, this is the last in the series and there’s a very fitting ending although it’s a new start for many characters.
As for the case before that though. An interesting one. A woman comes to see Perez at home as she knew his wife, knows Cassie and has a problem. She moved to the village recently and now lives in a house where a man was previously murdered. Now that barn, the scene of the crime is the scene of something more and a case involving regret, despair and...well to tell you anything else is to give the game away and you have to say farewell to Jimmy yourself.
As ever, the setting of Lerwick and Shetland with a visit to Orkney is aptly and nicely done. The author loves this part of the world and it shows. Nearby islands are referred to, historical sites, local landmarks yes but also the names of birds, the type of food, sayings particular to the area, and in this novel, the Summer Solstice and the Helly Aa festival.
A roaring fire and fitting ending of a novel. Bye Jimmy, we’ll miss you!
As for the case before that though. An interesting one. A woman comes to see Perez at home as she knew his wife, knows Cassie and has a problem. She moved to the village recently and now lives in a house where a man was previously murdered. Now that barn, the scene of the crime is the scene of something more and a case involving regret, despair and...well to tell you anything else is to give the game away and you have to say farewell to Jimmy yourself.
As ever, the setting of Lerwick and Shetland with a visit to Orkney is aptly and nicely done. The author loves this part of the world and it shows. Nearby islands are referred to, historical sites, local landmarks yes but also the names of birds, the type of food, sayings particular to the area, and in this novel, the Summer Solstice and the Helly Aa festival.
A roaring fire and fitting ending of a novel. Bye Jimmy, we’ll miss you!
April 21, 2019
I almost hated to read this book as it would be the end of a fabulous series. Saying goodbye to these characters was a bit like saying goodbye to friends and family. Ann Cleeves certainly ended the series on a high note. As is Ann Cleeves usual habit she gave us suspects galore and a perfectly good reason for each of them to have committed the murder. She manged to keep us guessing until the very end. I'm glad to see that she has chosen to allow life to go on for the characters that we have come to love. "Slàinte mhath" Jimmy and friends.
June 14, 2019
This is the final Shetland novel but only my first and I think if I had started at the beginning of the series instead I may have enjoyed this more. I couldn't quite immerse myself in the story. The characters didn't quite come alive for me and it was quite slow to start. It was a decent enough read but I think I went in with too high expectations. I do like the Vera books so I'm tempted to read these from the beginning and try it again at a later date. At this moment in time though it didn't quite work for me.
December 29, 2018
Really only 2.5 stars but hated to give it only 2. It was a disappointing end to the Shetland series. It was obvious the author just wanted it to be done. The characters involved in the murder investigation were mostly unlikable and one dimensional. The recurring characters were only ghosts of themselves, not compelling at all. The series went on too long, but it deserved a better sendoff.
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