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Awards
Winner 2006 Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award
Synopses & Reviews
Long a celebrated crime writer in Britain, Ann Cleeves' fame went international when she won the coveted Duncan Lawrie Dagger for this amazing suspense novel,
Raven Black. Like Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse or Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks, Cleeves' new detective, Inspector Jimmy Perez, is a very private and perceptive man whose bailiwick is a remote hamlet in the Shetland Islands.
It is a cold January morning and Shetland lies beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a splash of color on the frozen ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbor, Catherine Ross.
The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man — loner and simpleton Magnus Tait. But when detective Jimmy Perez and his colleagues from the mainland 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 neighbors nervously lock their doors, while a killer lives on in their midst.
Ann Cleeves is sure to dazzle U.S. mystery readers with this unforgettable series debut.
Review:
"Set in the remote Scottish Shetland Islands, Cleeves's taut, atmospheric thriller, the first in a new series, will keep readers guessing until the last page. Det. Insp. Jimmy Perez investigates the murder of teenage Catherine Ross, found strangled on a snowy hillside shortly after New Year's. While the police and citizens alike are quick to lay the blame on local eccentric Magnus Tait, who was not only the last person to see Catherine alive but also the prime suspect in the disappearance eight years earlier of another girl, Perez has his doubts. He's soon drawn into an intricate web of lies as he unearths the long-buried secrets of everyone from a roguish playboy to Catherine's only school friend. Cleeves, winner of the CWA's Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award (formerly the Gold Dagger), masterfully paints Perez as an empathetic hero and sprinkles the story with a lively cast of supporting characters who help bring the Shetlands alive. When the shocking identity of the murderer is revealed, readers will be as chilled as the harsh winds that batter the isolated islands. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"'Set in the remote Scottish Shetland Islands, Cleeves's taut, atmospheric thriller, the first in a new series, will keep readers guessing until the last page. Det. Insp. Jimmy Perez investigates the murder of teenage Catherine Ross, found strangled on a snowy hillside shortly after New Year's. While the police and citizens alike are quick to lay the blame on local eccentric Magnus Tait, who was not only the last person to see Catherine alive but also the prime suspect in the disappearance eight years earlier of another girl, Perez has his doubts. He's soon drawn into an intricate web of lies as he unearths the long-buried secrets of everyone from a roguish playboy to Catherine's only school friend. Cleeves, winner of the CWA's Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award (formerly the Gold Dagger), masterfully paints Perez as an empathetic hero and sprinkles the story with a lively cast of supporting characters who help bring the Shetlands alive. When the shocking identity of the murderer is revealed, readers will be as chilled as the harsh winds that batter the isolated islands. (June)' Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)"
Review:
"A fine and sinister psychological novel in the Barbara Vine style. Cleeves is part of a new generation of superior British writers." The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Review:
"Ann's characterization is worthy of the best writers in the field....Rarely has the sense of place been so evocatively conveyed in a crime novel." Daily Express (UK)
Review:
"Cleeves is a very good writer...strong on atmosphere, plot and people." The Times (UK)
Review:
"The premise is intriguing enough to draw readers in and the setting is interesting to read and learn about, but the fascination slowly fades away as the story moves forward, making Raven Black a take-it-or-leave-it novel." Chicago Sun-Times
Synopsis:
Outstanding Praise for
Raven Black
“A fine and sinister psychological novel in the Barbara Vine style. Cleeves is part of a new generation of superior British writers.”
---The Globe and Mail (Canada)
“A riveting read.”
---Val McDermid, author of A Place of Execution
“Beautifully constructed . . . brings alive the tensions in a place where everyone knows everyone else and nothing can be forgotten. Raven Black is lively and surprising.”
---Times Literary Supplement (UK)
“Ann’s characterization is worthy of the best writers in the field. . . . Rarely has the sense of place been so evocatively conveyed in a crime novel.”
---Daily Express (UK)
“With a cast of well-drawn and convincing characters and an unexpected conclusion, Raven Black is the perfect novel to while away the long winter evenings by the fire.”
---The Tribune (UK)
“Raven Black shows what a fine writer [Cleeves] is . . . accomplished and thoughtful.”
---The Sunday Telegraph (UK)
“Cleeves is a very good writer---strong on atmosphere, plot and people.”
---The Times (UK)
About the Author
Ann Cleeves grew up in the British countryside. She is reader-in-residence for the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, and she was twice shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award before winning the first Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award for Raven Black. She lives with her husband, Tim, in Yorkshire, England. Visit her Web site at www.anncleeves.com.
