Wild Fire is the much-anticipated final entry in Ann Cleeves’s beloved Shetland series, which is now a hit television show starring Douglas Henshall. “Nothing short of riveting.”–Louise Penny on Blue Lightning “Gripping from start to finish.”–Booklist “Jimmy Perez is a fine creation.”–Peter Robinson The betrayal of those closest burns most of all . . . Hoping for a fresh start, an English …
The betrayal of those closest burns most of all . . .
Hoping for a fresh start, an English family moves to the remote Shetland islands, eager to give their autistic son a better life.
But when a young nanny’s body is found hanging in the barn beside their home, rumors of her affair with the husband spread like wildfire. As suspicion and resentment of the family blazes in the community, Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez is called in to investigate. He knows it will mean his boss, Willow Reeves, returning to run the investigation, and confronting their complex relationship.
With families fracturing and long-hidden lies emerging, Jimmy faces the most disturbing case of his career.
more
Loved returning to Shetland – the land of dark secrets. Ann Cleeves is a master
Well, I am sad to say, this is the end of this beautifully written series set in Shetland Island. I will miss the intriguing Inspector Jimmy Perez and his dysfunctional relationships.
The trouble starts when ‘incomers’ designer Helena Fleming and her architect husband Daniel Fleming —move into the north of Shetland. Their purchase and remodel of an old island home triggers resentment, and Helena begins to receive small drawings of a gallows and a hanged man.
Fortunately the series, with a few small changes in the characters, is still available on Netflix! I might have to actually buy a television. I haven’t watched TV for nearly 16 years. Cheers Lynda L. Lock (Isla Mujeres Mysteries)
Ann Cleeves’s Shetland series is probably my favorite mystery series ever written. So when I heard Wild Fire would be the last book, I waited a long time to read it. I hated to say goodbye to the characters, moody Jimmy Perez, his sidekick Sandy, and his boss Willow Reeves. Cleeves is a master with setting–lonely, wild Shetland reflects and affects the people who live there and the crimes they commit. As usual, I never guessed the murderer, though the pool of suspects was not large. Maybe because I was so caught up in rooting for the main characters to sort out their complicated emotional lives. I will miss these people!
“Wild fire” By Ann Cleeves, is part of the Shetland series and the inspiration for TV’s crime drama of the same name. It is not necessary to have read the previous books, and new readers can jump right in without any problem. Each character is briefly introduced, and current scenarios easily reveal the previous books and relationships. Throughout the series, we have watched Jimmy Perez grow and change. He is now struggling with very big changes, as continuing characters should. We know the major characters well, and the story is about their personal and professional interaction as they solve this crime. As always, Shetland is the backdrop.
The opening foreshadows events to come as is Emma Shearer, aged twenty-four, employed as a childminder by a local family, sits with her friend Magnie watching the kids on the beach below build a bonfire. A young boy watches with his eyes shut and his hands over his ears to block out the sound.
The phone call.
“What’s happened there? Something terrible. There’s been another death. Another hanging. Emma Shearer. Our nanny.”
Jimmy Perez has a case, but he has to arrange childcare just like any other single parent. Nothing is “close” or “convenient. Assisting Perez is Willow Reeves, his senior officer, his boss. They had worked together previously, and very recently, they had a personal, intimate connection. Their relationship is complex and multifaceted, and while they make every effort to keep it secret, perhaps it is just too big to remain a secret forever.
Few people know much about Emma Shearer’s personal life, or at least nothing they admit, not even the Moncrieff family for whom she had worked for seven years. Outsiders are not readily welcomed in the almost closed society on the island. Perez searches for answers because it is impossible to have secrets when there are only twenty-three thousand people in the islands, and most of them have some connection with each other.
Vivid descriptions remind readers of the unique geographic setting.
“The land here was very low, separated from the shore by dunes and irregular fields where sheep grazed; there was a series of freshwater lochans, with iris and marsh marigolds at the fringes, everywhere the call of lapwings and oystercatchers. A breeze blew the flowers and nothing seemed fixed. Everything was moving: feather, reed, water.”
Conversation drives the story along, and the relationships make this a compelling novel. The characters are complex, well developed, and multi-faceted. Even the “minor” players are well defined with captivating personalities and intriguing pasts.
I loved “Wild Fire.” I received a review copy from Ann Cleeves, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley, and I highly recommend the entire series. Although the “official” description states that this is the last in the series, the end also hints that we might see more in the future, perhaps in a new series. I certainly hope so.
Wild Fire is the eighth and final book in the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves. We rejoin Jimmy Perez just as Daniel and Helena Fleming relocate to Shetland from London in the hope of their autistic son Christopher finding some sort of acceptance within the smaller community. There is an undercurrent of resentment towards them though after the previous owner of their house hung himself in their barn shortly after their arrival. This escalates when Emma Shearer, nanny to the local GP is also found hanging in the same barn. Closer examination quickly rules out suicide and soon the rumours and accusations start to fly. Jimmy Perez however is off his game. Not only is Helena an old friend of his late fiancée Fran, perhaps clouding his judgement when it comes to her involvement in the crime but when Willow Reeves arrives to head up the investigation she brings with her a bombshell that will rock Jimmy’s world and force him to confront the guilt he has carried since Fran’s death.
I love this author’s work. Her books are so well written and her love of Shetland shines through in her descriptions of the islands. They are so vivid I can visualise the scenes in my head as they play out. The development of her characters throughout the series has left them so well rounded and believable that they’ve almost become real to this reader. The plot develops slowly perhaps because no one really knew who the first victim was or anything about her to give a motive as to who would have wanted her dead but ultimately everything is explained and at the end, once the killer is exposed you can look back and see how this came about, unlike some crime novels where you have to suspend believe in the outcome especially when the killer is an eleventh hour addition to the plot.
The only slight issue I have with Wild Fire is the ending. Yes, the killer is denounced and the crime solved but the situation with Jimmy is left quite vague but then again perhaps that’s just my preference for having a line drawn under things especially when it’s the end of a series.
Read 9.27.2021
GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY. I never, ever, ever, guessed who the killer was and I just cannot wrap my head around the whole reveal. SUCH a good book, but so so so sad. WOW. I am sad that this series is over; these have been some amazing books.
Never visited Scotland or the Shetlands….get the real flavor the easy way with Ann Cleese’s. Methodical in building the plot the reader feels transported to the realistic characters and locales. The cops, less slick than their US cousins, are realistic and deferential to the local gentry but still get the job dome. If you are series about these stories read them in order as the experience builds which each episode.
Ann Cleeves has written another book in which she immerses us in the beauty and culture of the Shetland Islands. The plot has so many twists and turns that, as an avid mystery reader, Ireached the end and had no idea who the murderer was. There was also a love story woven into the plot to confuse and entertain us. I can’t wait to finish the Shetland series!
The last book in the Shetland Series didn’t disappoint. As with all of the novels I have read written by Ann Cleeves, I found the characters believable and well drawn. Having spent many years living in Highland Scotland I found myself remembering the changeable weather and moody, atmospheric conditions as well as the good nature of the locals.
The writing is descriptive, well paced and pulls you effortlessly through the book. I found myself unwilling to stop reading. The story line is not action packed but more character driven, keeping me guessing until the very end. A sign of a good crime mystery is where the end is not telegraphed. The author manages this very well indeed. A fitting end to the series.
This was the last of Ann Cleeves Jimmy Perez series. Though I’m sorry to see the last of this Shetland detective I enjoyed the story. Looking forward to her new series.
Love all Ann Cleeves books!!!
This is the last of the Shetland series and it’s a wonderful capstone. What I love about Cleaves is that she skillfully creates atmosphere without burdening the story with too much narrative. The series creates a meaningful emotional arc for protagonist detective Jimmy Perez. A great package for entering this world deeply, if you don’t know it, would be to read the series from the start and watch the video series “Shetland” as well. It would be an unforgettable experience.
One of her very best.