The return of Jimmy Perez
Out now, an exciting new book from best-selling crime writer Ann Cleeves, a new mystery for long-time favourite detective DI Jimmy Perez! Readers said a sad goodbye to Jummy at the end of Wild Fire when he left the Shetland islands to make a new life with partner Willow Reeves and the baby they were expecting. Jimmy's many fans have been wondering how they were getting on - and so, it seems, has Ann! To find out, she has written a new standalone novel, The Killing Stones, which will be published by Pan Macmillan on the 7th October 2025.
As Ann explained in her new newsletter,
I'd thought I'd finished writing about Perez after Wild Fire, the last of the Shetland books, but he's become a part of my life again. I'd felt a longing to return north in my writing, a kind of homesickness for the islands. Wild Fire ended with a trip to Fair Isle, before the central characters flew on to their new home in Orkney. It occurred to me that I could move with them too. After all, I thought, why not?"
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More about The Killing Stones here - or read more about Shetland: the tv series and the books.
Jimmy Perez may have left the islands, but the BBC's thrilling crime drama is managing just fine without him: Wednesday 5th November saw the start of aew investigation - a stunning tenth series - for Detectives Ruth Calder and Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh. In the first episode they travel to the isolated hamlet of Lunniswick to investigate the sinister killing of an elderly woman. They discover that the body of the retired social worker has been out in the elements for a number of days. The case will see Tosh and Calder excavate the victim's life, past and present, as well as the lives of those who knew her. They soon begin to uncover dark secrets and terrible deeds at the heart of this close knit community.
If you missed it, watch it now on the iPlayer; and all the previous series are there as well! Series 10 is once again made up of six episodes; Ann said "I'm looking forward to watching the new season of Shetland starring Ashley Jensen and Alison O'Donnell," Other returning regulars include Shetlander Steven Robertson (Sandy), Lewis Howden (Billy) and Anne Kidd (Cora).
A local myth. A deadly threat. And Vera
Vera Stanhope returns to her beloved hills to solve a suspenseful mystery in Ann Cleeves' eleventh VERA novel. The Dark Wives, now available in paperback in both the UK and the US.
A man's body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker in the park outside Rosebank, a care home for troubled teens in the coastal village of Longwater. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous night but never showed up.
DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death. Her only clue in this, her eleventh case. is the disappearance of one of the home's residents, fourteen year old Chloe Spence; Vera can't bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder - but even she can't dismiss the possibility.
Vera, Joe and new team member Rosie Bell, are soon embroiled in the case, which takes Vera back to her beloved Northumberland hills, and when a second connected body is found near the Three Dark Wives monument in the wilds of the Northumberland countryside, superstition and folklore begin to collide with fact. Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, and the dark secrets in their community that may be far more dangerous than she could have ever believed possible.
More about The Dark Wives - and about all things Vera - in print and on TV - here.
"Like Rendell and James before her, like McDermid and Rankin today, Ann Cleeves is one of our secret chroniclers, charting - under cover of a series of expertly plotted and mesmerising crime novels - how we live now"
Mick Herron, author of 'Slow Horses'
"I do love Vera!"
Val McDermid
The Raging Storm
When Jem Rosco - sailor, adventurer and local legend - blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. The residents think nothing of it when Rosco disappears again; that's the sort of man he is.
Until the lifeboat is launched to a hoax call-out during a raging storm and his body is found in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own....
"Cleeves crafts a devilishly intricate mystery that will surprise even seasoned genre fans, and Venn remains an appealing lead every bit as memorable as the author's Vera Stanhope or Jimmy Perez. Cleeves's fans and newcomers alike will be hungry for the next entry."
"A surprising denouement moves this character-based mystery to the top tier."
The Raging Storm is now available in paperback, hardback, Kindle and audiobook (read by Jack Holden) editions. It was longlisted for the Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2024; voting has now closed, and we await the announcement of the shortlist!
Read more about The Raging Storm.
Helping to bring The Woodyard to life
The latest mystery novel from award-winning author Ann Cleeves is The Raging Storm, out now in the both the UK (where it is also available in paperback) and the US. Matthew Venn must unravel a third case, set in a remote fishing village in the area of North Devon where he - and Ann - grew up.
If you are already a fan of Ann's Matthew Venn stories, you probably recognise the name 'The Woodyard', the combination of community hub, arts centre, café, and place for people to meet and explore ideas where Matthew's husband Jonathan works. Now Ann is supporting a project to set up a real life Woodyard, and she is inviting you to be part of it too!
Ann explains a bit more about the Woodyard project, what it is and why she is supporting it...
A Champion for Libraries
Award-winning novelist Ann Cleeves has been an outspoken advocate for public libraries throughout her career; she was a worthy first recipient of the new Public Library Champion award. This has been established to recognise a public figure who has used their platform to promote, celebrate and raise awareness of libraries. Ann says "Delighted to pick up my Public Library Champion Award last week at the Libraries Connected 2024 Awards Ceremony. Met some great people too. Without libraries, I wouldn't be a writer. There'd be no Vera or Shetland on our screens, selling all over the world and bringing money and tourists into our country. More importantly, I probably wouldn't be a reader."
Ann Cleeves Classic Crime
Book Break guides you through the books of Ann Cleeves: you may know Vera Stanhope, but did you know about Ann's first series set in Vera's county of Northumberland, featuring Inspector Stephen Ramsay? Or maybe you've read all of the Shetland books, but didn't know about Ann's standalone titles. Or maybe you'd like to read some short stories next...?
Some of Ann's classic crime novels are now easier to find than they used to be. A series of temptong new editions from Pan Macmillan started in 2023 with two stunning standalone mysteries, The Sleeping and the Dead and Burial of Ghosts. Next came the chance to discover Ann's very first detective series, featuring George Palmer-Jones, an elderly birdwatcher - helped by his wife, Molly, starting with A Bird in the Hand.
The latest arrival is Another Man's Poison places Molly Palmer-Jones at the heart of the enquiry: she arrives at her aunt Ursula's house one morning, only to find her body slumped lifeless on the sofa...
Ursula Ottway's beautiful cottage is wanted by her landlord, politician Marcus Grenville, so he can convert it into a holiday residence. So when Ursula discovers that the illegal use of poisoned bait on Grenville's land has killed not only a rare bird of prey but also her two beloved cats, she storms to his house and threatens revenge...
More details of Ann Cleeves's stand-alone mysteries, and other books here.
In true Agatha Christie style, Cleeves once again pulls the wool over our eyes with cunning and conviction
Colin Dexter
A most satisfying mystery set in an isolated and intriguing location
Peter Robinson
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Last update: 6th November 2025.