Raven Black: (1 Shetland)

It is a cold January morning and Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a vivid splash of colour on the white ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbour Catherine Ross. As Fran opens her mouth to scream, the ravens continue their deadly dance...The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man loner and simpleton Magnus Tait. But when police insist on opening out the investigation a veil of suspicion and fear is thrown over the entire community.For the first time in years, Catherine's neighbours nervously lock their doors, whilst a killer lives on in their midst. "Raven Black" is a haunting, beautifully crafted crime story, and establishes Ann Cleeves as a rising talent in psychological crime writing..."A riveting read. Ann Cleeves probes beneath the surface of a community to reveal the darkness that can fester when everyone thinks they know each other's secrets" - Val Mcdermid.

About the Author :
Ann Cleeves is the author of more than thirty-five 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, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television in ITV’s Vera, BBC One’s Shetland and ITV's The Long Call respectively. 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 also spends her time advocating for reading to improve health and wellbeing and supporting access to books. In 2021 her Reading for Wellbeing project launched with local authorities across the North East. She lives in North Tyneside where the Vera books are set.

Review :

'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

'A fine and sinister psychological novel in the Barbara Vine style. Cleeves is part of a new generation of superior British writers who put refreshing new spins and twist on the old forms'

Globe and Mail

'Ann Cleeves won the Duncan Lawrie Gold Dagger for Raven Black and rightly so. It's in the tradition of the small community murder mystery, but done with a depth that infuses this genre with new realism. A young girl is murdered in the Shetlands and an elderly recluse stands accused, as the lives of a complex society become intertwined to a fascinating effect'

Independent

'Raven Black breaks the conventional mould of British crime-writing, while retaining the traditional virtues of strong narrative and careful plotting'

Independent

'If this sounds like The Wicker Man meets Psycho then that was my initial reaction, but, as the plot develops, this turns out to be an exquisitely original story in its own right. In fact, I was less able to fathom who the "killer" was than in either of the aforementioned films. This is an absolute must for crime drama fans and you'll be kept guessing right up until the last crucial moments on a beach as to who is the real villain of the piece'

Radio Times (about the Radio 4 Saturday Play of Raven Black)

'Raven Black shows what a fine writer Cleeves is . . . an accomplished and thoughtful book'

Sunday Telegraph

'Beautifully constructed . . . a lively and surprising addition to a genre that once seemed moribund'

Times Literary Supplement