Review: "A Dying Light," Ann Cleeves

Tide House sits in an enviable spot on the North Devon coast. Hannah Armstrong’s parents own it, and she and her friend, Lottie, head down from London a day ahead of them and her brothers for a getaway. The young women have completed their secondary education and are headed for uni. They are looking forward to a little freedom in a beautiful spot. Plus, a nearby farm is hosting a music festival that could be fun.

But when Hannah’s parents arrive, they find Lottie dead in their pool—and Hannah missing.

Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team—DS Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May—are quickly on the case (their fourth outing) in this absorbing and satisfying mystery.

Paul Armstrong is a member of Parliament, which opens up all sorts of possible motives. The team also has its eye on pub owner Jim, who seems to have anger management issues. Lottie had fashioned herself as a snarky influencer, so there could be trouble there too.

The farm’s owners, Bob and Tessa Brennan, are salt of the earth. Their son, Jake, is in a relationship with Hannah. The festival brought in crowds of strangers, and the Brennans also rent out “glamping” pods. The girls were at the concert and could have met any number of strangers.

Then the team discovers that Karen and Geoff Kinzalow, two of the glamping guests, know the Armstrongs. Their daughter was friends with Lottie and Hannah. Are they in the area simply by coincidence?

There are more than enough leads, but the case seems stuck. Matthew finds himself distracted by his husband, Jonathan, who is preparing to meet his birth mother. Jonathan is understandably anxious and while Matthew tries to be understanding, he also feels jealous.

Tensions mount as the team seems to be treading water. Then, suddenly, another young person goes missing…

The truth, when uncovered, is unexpected, yet totally believable.  

Jonathan meets his mother, and that encounter is surprising, too.

Ann Cleeves has once again produced a gentle, solid and very human mystery. She has a knack for final twists that are not shocking or jarring, but just right.

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I read A Dying Light as an advanced reader’s copy provided through NetGalley. It will be published on September 29, 2026.

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Review: "The Killing Stones," Ann Cleeves

It is good to see Jimmy Perez back, even if he is in the Orkney Islands rather than Shetland.

Cleeves had said Wild Fire would be the last book in the popular series. But after a visit to the Orkneys—which lie off the coast of Scotland—where she’d sent Jimmy and his partner, Willow, to live, Cleeves thought she’d like to check in with the characters again.

Jimmy and Willow are thriving. They now have a four-year-old, James, and Willow is expecting. They’re enjoying their new lives on the Orkneys main island and looking forward to celebrating Christmas together.

But tragedy strikes when Jimmy’s good friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Jimmy heads out to Westray Island, where Archie and his family lived, to look for him. He finds Archie dead—murdered; and the weapon is a Neolithic “story stone,“ stolen from the island’s heritage center.

Archie was a bigger than life character. Maybe he could be abrasive at times, but who would want to kill him? Jimmy quizzes Annie and Bill, landlords of the Pierowall Hotel. There had only been a few outsiders on Westray recently, including Godfrey Landsdown, a quiet naturalist, and the Johnsons, a married couple. He’s a professor and a minor celebrity, due to his television presentations on the history of the island.

Then there’s George Riley, a flamboyant but dedicated history teacher at the grammar school on the mainland (as the main island is known), which all the older Orkney children attended. He was on Westray as well when Archie went missing.

Another person of interest is the jewelry maker, Rosalie Greeman. Archie was besotted with this island newcomer. And it wasn’t his first romantic entanglement outside of his marriage.

Willow is Jimmy’s boss, and she shares the investigation. I wasn’t happy when Jimmy got involved with her, but she has grown on me and the two work well together. As they dig deeper into the lives of the Stouts, other islanders and the visitors, an undercurrent is thrumming. On Christmas Day, a mass football game called The Ba’ is a major, all-consuming event on the mainland. Even a murder can’t detract from the momentum that is building.

Crowds descend on Kirkwall, Orkney’s main town, to watch the “uppies” (from the upper end of the mainland) face off against the “doonies” (from the lower end and other islands). The competition explodes into the streets—merchants and residents board up their windows to prevent damage. Confusion reigns.

Amid this fever-pitch excitement, Jimmy and Willow let the game play out—and then arrest Archie’s murderer.

Ann Cleeves writes well-plotted cozy mysteries with intelligence and emotion. Her settings are always fascinating and dramatic, populated by interesting characters. They are as warm as a Fair Isle sweater. I did feel that the resolution of The Killing Stones came as too much of a surprise. Other than that, this was a first-rate outing to a place that, as I now know, is as wild, historic and appealing as Shetland.