Book Review: Wild Fire (Shetland #8) by Ann Cleeves

Title: Wild Fire
Author: Ann Cleeves
Series: Shetland Series #8
Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Publication date: 31st July  2018
Pages: 416
Format Read: Paperback
Source: courtesy of publisher

 Shetland: Welcoming. Wild. Remote.
Drawn in by the reputation of the islands, an English family move to the area, eager to give their autistic son a better life.
But when a young nanny’s body is found hanging in the barn of their home, rumours of her affair with the husband begin to spread like wild fire.
With suspicion raining down on the family, DI Jimmy Perez is called in to investigate, knowing that it will mean the return to the islands of his on-off lover and boss Willow Reeves, who will run the case.
Perez is facing the most disturbing investigation of his career. Is he ready for what is to come?

This is my first Ann Cleeves novel and I seem to have come in on the tail end as Wild Fire is the eighth and final novel in Cleeves’ Shetland series featuring DI Jimmy Perez.

Wild Fire completes the second of Ann’s Shetland Quartets, The Four Elements following the original Four Seasons Quartet. The spin-off TV crime drama “Shetland” has now been signed up for season 5. To read more on Ann Cleeves books and the Shetland series visit Ann’s website here 

I did wonder if I would find the characters difficult to connect with coming into the story at the end of the series but this book can easily be read as a standalone. There were occasional references of past events however nothing that prevented me from grasping the storyline.

Wild Fire was an enjoyable, easy read featuring a compelling mystery which kept my focus throughout. I found I became swept up in the lives of the people of Deltaness.

Helena, Daniel and their two children hoping to escape their busy London lives have moved to the quiet town of Deltaness located in the Shetland Islands. Malicious gossip and anonymous notes leave Helena wondering if they will ever be accepted in the community or will forever be the newcomers.  When a young woman is found murdered in a barn on the newcomers’ land Perez’s first impression is this is to do with the family not being accepted but when a born and raised local is found murdered he must rethink his ideas and try to find out how these two people were linked.

In true murder mystery style Cleeves gives out just enough information to have the reader believing anyone could have and had cause to murder the victims.

The characters are well drawn from the newcomers to the island, that feel like they don’t quite fit in, to the bitter gossiper who feels the need to dissect everyone’s actions and spread malicious gossip.

I actually thought I had the murderer pegged until my main suspect turned up as the next victim.

To finish off the series Cleeves gives Perez’s life a major upheaval which has him contemplating where he wants his future to go.

Many readers will be sad to see the end of DI Jimmy Perez and the Shetland series but I am happy to say I still have seven more books in the series to read and I’m eagerly looking forward to them.

If you enjoy old-style murder mysteries this series is for you.

*My thanks to Pan Macmillan for my copy to read.

My rating 5/5                                🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

Photo courtesy of Goodreads

Ann Cleeves is the author of over thirty critically acclaimed novels, and in 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez who can now be found on television in ITV’s Vera and BBC One’s Shetland. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide.
Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook, and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of ‘Murder Squad’, working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. Ann is also a passionate champion for libraries and was a National Libraries Day Ambassador in 2016. Ann lives in North Tyneside near where the Vera books are set.