Based in Inverness, Detective Inspector Willow Reeves has
looked forward to getting her first case as the Senior
Investigating Officer. Yet, what gets handed to her by
her boss is definitely not a "No Pressure" assignment. A
London reporter found murdered in a boat in the Aith Marina
and discovered by none other than the local Procurator
Fiscal (Public Prosecutor). Reflecting on the few facts
she has and being an islander herself (although from North
Uist in the Hebrides and not the Shetland Islands in the
north), the young and lanky Detective knows just how hard it
will be to pry out information from clannish
community members.
Her team is met at the airport in the Shetland Island by
Sergeant Sandy Wilson, a competent policeman, but
definitely not the brightest in the force. With his thick
accent, Willow can barely understand him, but she is glad of
his connection to the community. She has been hoping that
Inspector Jimmy Perez would be well enough to join the
investigation team, but now six months after the traumatic
death of his fiancée, Perez is still sidelined from
working as an investigator. Struggling with the
crippling arms of depression and grief, what little energy
he has is solely used to care for young Cassie, his
fiancée's young daughter.
As Willow moves into heading the investigation, she is a
little surprised by the reaction of the Fiscal, Rhona
Laing. She feels certain there is something more there,
yet she can't put her finger on it. Is she right or
grasping at shadows? Perez slowly yields to the
pull of the investigation. While Willow heartily
welcomes his knowledge, skills and intuitive insights, she
struggles with his actions as she tries to keep on top of
the investigation. Even Sandy, a long-time friend feels
nervous around Perez, worrying he will lash out in one of
his abrupt and angry mood swings. Can they really work as
a team to make sense of the small clues and bits of gossip
that shroud the identity of the murderer?
Ann Cleeves is one of the most well-regarded and preeminent
crime writers in the United Kingdom and increasingly
recognized as such in North America. I became an ardent
fan of hers after reading her Vera novels and am now happy
to discover her Jimmy Perez series. DEAD WATER is the fifth
book in this series and picks up after the
shocking ending of Blue Lightening. Fans of Cleeves are sure
to appreciate the new developments in Perez's life. While
DEAD WATER also works well as a stand-alone book, I can
assure you that new readers starting with DEAD WATER will
definitely end up wanting to read all of Cleeves's earlier
books.
One of Cleeves's many gifts as a writer is her ability to
instantly pull you into the scene at hand and make both
the characters, as well as the landscape, come alive for the
reader. Even if one has never been to the Shetland Islands,
you can't help but smell the sea air, feel the thickness of
the fog, the lashing of the rain and follow the eyes of the
islanders as they watch the investigation unfold. It is a
small community where people know of each other and know
each other's secrets and their past, but they are slow to
reveal what they know. Yet, despite this slowness in
getting clues, Cleeves masterfully develops the plot and
storyline in such a realistic and authentic way, that you
can't help but turn the page to find out how and where
things are going.
Interspersed in the investigation are strong undercurrents
of the issues that divide the Shetlanders, such as
differences over new and old ways of living, the influx of
outsiders and their ways and divisions over expansion into
renewable energy investments. What and who can be trusted
or not? While I won't drop a clue in that regard, I will
say I am thrilled to know that Cleeves is busy writing
another book in The Shetland Island Mysteries. I
can't wait for it and I really hope we might hear more of
Reeves and Perez. So, take the plunge into DEAD WATER and
enjoy this terrific read!
Ann Cleeves returns to her critically acclaimed Shetland
Island series with this stunning mystery featuring Inspector
Jimmy Perez, who readers will remember from Raven Black,
White Nights, Red Bones, and Blue Lightning. When the body
of a journalist is found, Detective Inspector Willow Reeves
is drafted from outside to head up the investigation.
Inspector Jimmy Perez has been out of the loop, but his
local knowledge is needed in this case, and he decides to
help Willow.
The dead journalist had left the islands years before to
pursue his writing career. In his wake, he left a scandal
involving a young girl. When Willow and Jimmy dig deeper,
they realize that the journalist was chasing a story that
many Shetlanders didn't want to come to the surface. In
Dead Water, a triumphant continuation to her Shetland
series, Ann Cleeves cements her place as one of Britain's
most successful crime writers.
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