Great book. The setting is unusual and given a nice almost noir feel. The characters are interesting. Some authors overdo the psychology, but it is just right in this book. Enough to provide possible motives, explain actions. A satisfying read ( )

I first saw parts this story of this mystery either on PBS or Netflix, but I didn't know that when I first started reading this book. As for the book, its very well written. The mystery had many plausible red herrings. I also learned a bit about the Shetland Isles - like how kids who lived on remote islands were often sent to boarding school, or the Up Helly Aa Festival, and a bit of the controversies that surround it. ( )

Wikipedia: Raven Black is a 2006 novel by Ann Cleeves that won the Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award for the best crime novel of the year.[1] The novel is the first in a series known as the Shetland Island seriesIt is a cold January morning and Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a vivid splash of colour on the white ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbour Catherine Ross. As Fran opens her mouth to scream, the ravens continue their deadly dance ...The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man¥loner and simpleton Magnus Tait, who was the prime suspect a number of years earlier when a young girl named Catriona disappeared. But when police insist on opening out the investigation a veil of suspicion and fear is thrown over the entire community. For the first time in years, Catherine's neighbours nervously lock their doors, whilst a killer lives on in their midst.[2]Detective Jimmy Perez, who grew up on the nearby Fair Isle is called in to investigate.

(2006)First in the Shetland series, read this after seeing the complete BBC series on PBS. Very good story of the finding of the body of a young girl and the deliberate finding of clues and the ultimate solution that it was her best friend who kills her out of jealousy. Inspector Perez tries to solve the crime despite the intervention of mainland police. BooklistOn the remote island of Shetland, teacher Fran Hunter is walking home when she spots a splash of red in the deep, white snowdrifts, with black ravens flying above. What a perfect picture it makes, she thinks. But on closer inspection, she finds that the "perfect picture" is the dead body of local teenager Catherine Ross, whose red scarf has been used to strangle her. Suspicion immediately falls on recluse Magnus Tait, who was accused--but never convicted--of kidnapping another girl eight years earlier. Policeman Jimmy Perez, assigned to the case, isn't convinced of Magnus' guilt. As he investigates, he uncovers a web of sinister secrets, strange superstitions, petty rivalries, thwarted love, and illicit affairs--the dark underbelly of Shetland's tight-knit community. Cleeves offers up a dark, brutal, suspenseful page-turner that will keep even seasoned mystery buffs guessing right up to the end. Emily MeltonCopyright ? American Library Association.

This is a detective tale that makes good use of its setting, Shetland is as much a character as a location. It starts with Fran Hunter finding a girl's body. Catherine Ross lived in the same house as Catriona Bruce, who went missing some decade ago, was never found and the case never solved. The locals have their eye on Magnus Tait, an old man who lives alone and who is a little slow at times. He was questioned about Catriona and is now questioned about Catherine. There are lots of strands in here, with the relationships between some of the key protagonists reflecting the small town nature of the community, there's not a lot you an do without someone knowing about it. It's atmospheric and keeps you reading to the end.
I'd read her first novel, A Bird in the Hand, this is a lot tighter. ( )