Red Bones
"...another intensely satisfying and well-constructed story from Ann Cleeves."
Synopsis:
In this third book of Ann Cleeves' Shetland series, Jimmy Perez is called in to investigate the shooting of an elderly woman living alone in an isolated croft on one of the smaller islands. The woman was discovered by her grandson, Sandy Wilson, who also happens to be a colleague of Perez in the Shetland police. It appears to be an accidental shooting, but Perez has a few doubts that he needs to resolve before he can assure the Procurator Fiscal that no murder investigations are needed. An archaeological dig is sited on the old woman's land and recent investigations have indicated some interesting facts, culminating in the discovery of some bones which may or may not be very old.
Perez finds himself uncomfortable in the tensions arising between the two old families on the island, and he is not convinced that everything is as it appears. When another body is discovered, he plunges into the past and discovers the line of events which have lead to the tragedies.
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Review:
This is another intensely satisfying and well-constructed story from Ann Cleeves. It concentrates on the unravelling of the plot, whilst at the same time giving a detailed and convincing description of life in a rural and remote community with sympathetic and attractive characters. Jimmy Perez is a thoughtful and conscientious detective whose relationship with his artist girlfriend remains important, but is not centre stage as she is away for most of the story. The young Sandy Wilson develops some maturity as he experiences sadness in his life and even begins to consider the feelings of others. Their development and their relationships with the communities contribute to the well rounded feel of the book. Shetland and its people have a distinctive flavour of their own and this is beautifully portrayed in this work.