Dead Water by Ann Cleeves ****

Reading dates: 15 February – 09 March 2021

Dead Water is another solid crime novel from Ann Cleeves. I love Shetland and the fact that, in this fictional series, there is such a high proportion of serial killers on these northerly isles. I want to visit although probably nothing is going on there in real life. All the same, the landscape sounds dramatically beautiful, the weather eventful and the air nourishing. I love Jimmy Perez as a character.

The latter part of Dead Water kept me up until 2am. I got the murderer wrong although is not entirely my fault. Ann Cleeves has this way of working where the killer is always an NPC (non-playing character) and the last clues are determining. I got my NPC wrong until the very end, but it was an enjoyable process of detection and discovery, and the final resolution made sense.

In these protracted pandemic times, the Shetland novels are a comfort to me. I cannot engage my brain much more than this before going to sleep and immersing myself in a landscape from the country I am in (even if is is still strange), allow me both for travel and recognition. The mixture works a treat even if sometimes my heart races too much as Jimmy speeds up through the roads of Shetland.

The addition of the new cat-like Hebridean detective Willow Reeves is much welcome too. I love the image of her spreading on the floor in front of the fire. Finally someone I can relate to. I cannot wait for the next TV series, which should start filming soon.