There is a saying that people save the best until last..... Well just maybe Ann has done this with the Shetland Novels? But you will have to read it for yourself to truly find out! Thank you to the publishers for this review copy, I love Ann's work so I was delighted to receive it! I am hoping that Ann will of course continue Vera but maybe start a new series too? This was the tenth of my 2018 holiday reads. It was certainly a gripping crime thriller with lots of twists and turns to keep you hooked right in! Sad to see Shetland come to an end but all good things do at some point. Definitely happy to recommend.

With Wild Fire being the last in her Shetland series, Ann Cleeves has once again given us a master class on how to write crime fiction. Her writing is evocative, deftly building up the characters, and every book in this series was better than the last. With her words Ann Cleeves paints pictures that bring The Shetland Isles to life, that are atmospheric, and the fog does help that, but it helps set the Shetlands as an intriguing and isolated location. It also shows how small communities, how ever close, may know each other’s secrets, but they do not know everything. When an English family move to the old Gear farm property, there are alsorts of whispers about them, even more so when Dennis Gear kills himself on the property. When a nanny is found hung is the same barn, by the autistic child, Perez kicks into full investigation mode. Hopefully in this tight knit community someone will have seen something and be able to help them. When Willow comes across from the mainland to head up the investigation, she needs to speak to Perez. She has some news for him and how he handles it will guide the course of his future. Will this news shake Perez, or just slow him down until he has worked everything out? As the investigation continues everybody knows everything but actually knows nothing so at times Perez feels they are going around in circles. When another murder happens not far from the old Gear property, they really need a break. Little did they know who would give them the break they needed to solve the case, and it leaves them shocked. But as they reveal the full horror, they can understand why some events happened, even though they disagree with them. Sad to see the Shetland series go, but goes out in style, and will we ever see Perez again? Only one person can answer that.

The first ann cleeves book I read was the quick reads shetland book. I enjoyed it so I tried the shetland books and then immediately read the vera books. I had put off reading her books for a long time as I though they may be too bleak for me. Instead I found them fascinating and a joy to read. I won't give any plots away as I don't normally like doing that. These are very impressive books. The writing is brilliant. And like my favourite crime writers such as Agatha Christie or j k Rowling's strike novels it's all about character, atmosphere and intriguing plots. The shetland books are fascinating. A great lead detective surrounded by good supporting characters with solid plots and a magnificent backdrop in the locations. I'm not as familiar with the shetland locations as I am with the vera books locations but I do know some and it's nice to see places I know in these books. These are deliberately slow paced novels. Characters are introduced and their lives are picked over to reveal the clues. Perez is a good character who goes through quite a lot over the course of the books. I thoroughly enjoyed the series and have to say I am impressed that cleeves has ended the shetland books. The vera stories have a large geographical area for murders to be committed whereas the shetland books could become silly if they continued. How many murders would be believable on a relatively small set of islands before you have to twin shetland with midsummer! I would be happy if she did return to these books occasionally but I'm very happy with the ones we have. A great series.

Very thrilling and captivating book. Very well planned plot which made it so hard to guess anything till the very end. Great book!

What a fitting tribute and farewell to Jimmy Perez. Having followed him and his cases since book one, this is the last in the series and there’s a very fitting ending although it’s a new start for many characters. As for the case before that though. An interesting one. A woman comes to see Perez at home as she knew his wife, knows Cassie and has a problem. She moved to the village recently and now lives in a house where a man was previously murdered. Now that barn, the scene of the crime is the scene of something more and a case involving regret, despair and…well to tell you anything else is to give the game away and you have to say farewell to Jimmy yourself. As ever, the setting of Lerwick and Shetland with a visit to Orkney is aptly and nicely done. The author loves this part of the world and it shows. Nearby islands are referred to, historical sites, local landmarks yes but also the names of birds, the type of food, sayings particular to the area, and in this novel, the Summer Solstice and the Helly Aa festival. A roaring fire and fitting ending of a novel. Bye Jimmy, we’ll miss you!