Blue Lightning
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Winning the prestigious Crime Writer’s Association Dagger for best crime novel did not necessarily glean for Cleeves the kind of kudos she clearly deserves -- although the remarkable Raven Black no doubt enjoyed a welcome sale fillip. A new TV series with Brenda Blethyn may do the trick, and it won't be a moment too soon. If you doubt this encomium to Ann Cleeves’ writing skills, do yourself a favour and pick up her latest, Blue Lightning -- a further demonstration of her considerable narrative skills and (her ace in the hole) persuasive evocation of atmosphere. Her Shetland detective Jimmy Perez is not looking forward to his journey to the Fair Isles. It is (famously) a very tight-knit community, which does not extend open arms to incomers. As Jimmy knows, the islanders are a hardy breed -- and they need to be, as winter approaches with its inevitable storms, making an already insular community close in further upon itself. It is in this pressure cooker atmosphere that murder takes place (this is an Ann Cleeves novel, after all) and the body of a woman is found with her hair laced with feathers. With the locals in a furious and fractious mood, it’s up to Jimmy to investigate the killing as quickly and efficiently as he can; not an easy task, as he has no resources to call on except his own. And as the clock ticks, the inevitability of another murder looms ever larger.
As in Ann Cleeves’ earlier Shetland mysteries, the trick here is to utilise the apparatus of the Christie-style murder mystery (most notably the cloistered, cut-off setting) and reinvigorate it with a healthy dose of plausible contemporary psychology. This Cleeves does splendidly, and even though Jimmy Perez may be a familiar kind of figure to those who read a great deal of crime fiction, there are still some canny changes that the author is able to ring on the familiar formula. Best of all, though, is the skill with which she evokes the experience of being on these dangerous islands; the author is a well-known aficionado of Scandinavian crime fiction, and she is able to transmit that Nordic feeling into her own exemplary work. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
'Jimmy Perez takes his fiancée to Fair Isle to meet his parents, but when bad weather cuts off the island and a body is found at its bird observatory, where sexual tension and professional rivalry are rife, he takes charge of the investigation. Perez alone realises the murderer is still on the island and prepared to kill again, leading to events that make him question his career...' --Sunday Times
'Blue Lightening crackles with atmosphere and tension... It's meticulous crime fiction which does its job outstandingly of whisking the reader away to other worlds, and provides the reader with an almighty jolt just as it seems to be plain sailing at the end. And it's made me want to investigate those earlier books in the series' --reviewingtheevidence.com
'The thriller writer Ann Cleeves has really hit her stride with the series of novels she is currently writing in the Shetlands (the islands are principal characters in the books). This year's Blue Lightning is the last and best in the series. Be warned: it has a surprise ending of real emotional punch.' --John Lancaster, Telegraph Review
'If you are looking for a well-crafted Agatha Christie-type murder mystery with a strong atmosphere, you cannot do better than Ann Cleeves'
--Lady Antonia Fraser, The Lady
'Blue Lightening crackles with atmosphere and tension... It's meticulous crime fiction which does its job outstandingly of whisking the reader away to other worlds, and provides the reader with an almighty jolt just as it seems to be plain sailing at the end. And it's made me want to investigate those earlier books in the series' --reviewingtheevidence.com
'The thriller writer Ann Cleeves has really hit her stride with the series of novels she is currently writing in the Shetlands (the islands are principal characters in the books). This year's Blue Lightning is the last and best in the series. Be warned: it has a surprise ending of real emotional punch.' --John Lancaster, Telegraph Review
'If you are looking for a well-crafted Agatha Christie-type murder mystery with a strong atmosphere, you cannot do better than Ann Cleeves'
--Lady Antonia Fraser, The Lady
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the fourth and final story in Ann Cleeves's Shetland Quartet, and Perez is on his home territory of Fair Isle, to take his fiancee, Fran to meet his parents. The murder of a woman in Fair Isle's bird observatory during a period of particularly turbulent weather means that Perez has to begin his investigations alone because it isn't possible to call on help from the Shetland Mainland. The number of suspects is limited by the location and the weather but that doesn't make Perez's task any easier. At the best of times, Fair Isle is an isolated location and the atmosphere generated in this excellent novel during a period of late autumn storms just increases this sense of isolation. Cleeves's detective Perez is an excellent creation whose character has deepened as the series has progressed, and in this story, Fran plays a more prominent role than in the previous book (Red Bones). Perez's parents are also well-drawn and realistic characters and the cameo roles for other islanders are also nicely drawn. There is lots of material here about "twitchers" and detail about the birds themselves and the work of the bird observatory which has been well-researched. As usual, it is the evocation of the setting which steals the show but the plot is labyrinthine and intricate making this an absorbing read. I would recommend that you read the other three books in the Shetland Quartet before embarking upon this one. Although the murder mystery here is complete in itself, this one definitely feels like the culmination of the series.
I do hope that Ann Cleeves can be persauded to revisit the Shetlands and Jimmy Perez at some point in the future.
This is a superb series of detective stories which maintains its high standard throughout!
I do hope that Ann Cleeves can be persauded to revisit the Shetlands and Jimmy Perez at some point in the future.
This is a superb series of detective stories which maintains its high standard throughout!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've really enjoyed the Shetland series thus far, but it all goes wrong when Jimmy Perez returns to his native Fair Isle, with his fiancee Fran, to visit his parents. Then someone is found stabbed and as the weather is too bad to bring in more people Perez must investigate on his own.
One of the most pronounced and unusual things about the preceding three books was the way in which Jimmy investigated crimes through the network of island associations and rumour. This is abandoned in this book as the only defined island characters are Jimmy's parents, the rest of the story deals with outsiders at the bird sanctuary. The claustrophobia that Cleeves may have been trying for as a trade off didn't really work for me.
The ending is a bit of an anticlimax, with a couple of gratuitous plot twists at the end that left the next 20 pages feeling a bit superfluous. Again, I can see what she might have been aiming for, but it didn't really come off. And its hard to imagine the charcoal document would have any legal standing or be acceptable.
Overall, I wish I'd stopped at book number three. I wish the author had as well, as its fairly easy to predict which way the story will go after this - if it returns at all and I'm not sure I trust her any longer to deliver the goods.
One of the most pronounced and unusual things about the preceding three books was the way in which Jimmy investigated crimes through the network of island associations and rumour. This is abandoned in this book as the only defined island characters are Jimmy's parents, the rest of the story deals with outsiders at the bird sanctuary. The claustrophobia that Cleeves may have been trying for as a trade off didn't really work for me.
The ending is a bit of an anticlimax, with a couple of gratuitous plot twists at the end that left the next 20 pages feeling a bit superfluous. Again, I can see what she might have been aiming for, but it didn't really come off. And its hard to imagine the charcoal document would have any legal standing or be acceptable.
Overall, I wish I'd stopped at book number three. I wish the author had as well, as its fairly easy to predict which way the story will go after this - if it returns at all and I'm not sure I trust her any longer to deliver the goods.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This absorbing detective novel has a complex but credible plot, a sympathetic hero and an interesting location. The quartet comes to an end with a jarring plot development which I felt was unnecessary and seems to preclude further Jimmy Perez novels. Whether this is a good career move for Anne Cleeves remains to be seen.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A very satisfying read
As with all the Jimmy Perez novels this is a very satisfying read. A story well told in a way reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Crime Buff
Rare birds and deadly birders
This is number four in Ann Cleeves' Shetland Island/Jimmy Perez series, and though the quality of the writing is still very good, the eclectic plot and stunning ending are not... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Blue in Washington
Enthralling
Unfortunately I read this book not realising it was the last in a series. But it was fabulous, atmospheric and almost mesmeric. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Mrs. S. Partridge
A real page-turner!
Having visited the Shetland Islands many times in the past 40 years I was intrigued to discover Ann Cleeves' 'Shetland Quartet'. Read more
Published 10 months ago by V. Rendall
Gripping Read
This is a fabulous read from start to finish. The 4th book in Ann Cleeves Shetland quartet is every bit as good as the first three. Read more
Published 11 months ago by R K
excellent detective novel
Latest or last (?) novel in this series about Shetland detective Jimmy Perez was an excellent read. keeps you guessing right until the end. Read more
Published 11 months ago by K. Warden
Eerily compelling
Having read all in the Shetland Quartet series I think for me this is Ann Cleeves best offering. It has all the ingredients of a good thriller - people trapped on a small island... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mrs. V. Bradley
Read in order
I've written previously that Ann Cleeves is an excellent writer and in Blue Lightening her skill has not gone away, although why the title is Blue Lightening passed me by. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Martin A. Chambers
disappointing
Like other reviewers, I loved the first three books and was looking forward to reading this one. Unlike other reviewers, I didn't feel it was anywhere near as good. Read more
Published 18 months ago by utlendigur
Blue Lightening
I have loved reading the Shetland Quartet books and thought this one was particulary good, a real page turner. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Mrs. J. B. Schofield
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