Raven Black by Ann Cleeves- a review

Raven Black Shetland Series Book 1 by Ann Cleeves

Shortly after the New Year, Fran Hunter of Ravenswick finds incomer 16-year old Yorkshire lass, Catherine Ross, in the snow. She and her father were coping with the loss of her mother in different ways. Black Ravens circle above her dead body. Fear quickly spreads in the community and Magnus Tait, a man on the margin of society, becomes the focus of suspicion by his neighbours. To make matters worse, another girl, Catriona Bruce, had disappeared eight years ago and Tait was a suspect in Catriona’s disappearance as well. Detective Inspector Roy Taylor, a large and energetic Englishman working in Inverness, joins local Shetland Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez and sergeant Sandy Wilson. As they solve Catherine’s murder, they also discover what happened to Catriona’s as well. In the background, a romance develops between Fran and Jimmy.

I have a paperback version and recommend this to those who enjoy slow and thoughtful styles of British crime mysteries and appreciate learning new words that add to the texture of Shetland culture.

Here's a map of Shetland featuring some of the places in the series.

Availability: Raven Black Paperback and an Audiobook

AMAZON sometimes offers a FREE TRIAL of their Audible product for audiobooks.

You may find the book, Mind the Gap, interesting.

Mind the Gap…Between British and American Language & Culture

Available on AMAZON as a Paperback or Kindle Book

Please check out my website www.suttong.com

and see my books on AMAZON or GOOGLE STORE

Also, consider connecting with me on FACEBOOK Geoff W. Sutton

Comments

The Great Sex Rescue – Challenging Harmful Evangelical Messages

The Great Sex Rescue – Challenging Harmful Evangelical Messages By Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, & Joanna Sawatsky Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton Review Summary The Great Sex Rescue is an evangelical Christian approach that challenges messages in several other Christian sex books, which do not focus on the sexual pleasure of women. In addition, the three writers challenge messages that emphasize dutiful wives meeting their husband’s sex needs regardless of how she feels or what aspects of a sexual experience would bring her more wholistic pleasure. T he authors offer a more woman-friendly interpretation of biblical texts that have been interpreted in unfriendly ways. More troubling are Christian sexual activity messages that may encourage men to simply use their wives for their pleasure or even abuse them. After explaining their concerns, the authors offer suggestions for better sex including addressing medical p...

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Christian Clients with Depression Book Review

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Christian Clients with Depression: A Practical, Tool-Based Primer By Michelle Pearce, Ph.D. Reviewed By Geoffrey W. Sutton I received Pearce’s book from the Templeton Press for the purposes of review. I submitted the review manuscript in 2016 to the Journal of Psychology and Theology , which was then reviewed and subsequently accepted for publication, March 1, 2017. I will provide links to the academic review below. Michelle Pearce, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the University of Maryland. Her book provides a useful summary of cognitive-behavioral therapy and shows how it may be adapted to help Christian clients draw upon Bible practices and teachings to cope with depression. I graduated from a school (University of Missouri-Columbia) where cognitive behavioral psychotherapy was the mainstay of treatment. But, like others from my era, we found ou...

Rape as Power: Revisiting Susan Brownmiller’s Against Our Will in Historical and Cultural Context

Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape by Susan Brownmiller Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton Abstract Susan Brownmiller’s Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape (2013), originally published in 1975, reframed rape as a political act of power and control rather than an isolated crime of passion. Drawing on history, law, warfare, slavery, racial politics, prisons, and cultural and victim narratives, Brownmiller argued that rape functions as a conscious tool of domination. This review summarizes her central arguments, highlights the book’s historical and cultural significance, and provides a historical framework against which we can measure progress or the lack thereof (Sutton, 2025, October 1). Keywords: rape, feminism, sexual violence, power, gender, survivor advocacy CITE THIS REVIEW Sutton, G. W. (2025, October 1). Rape as Power: Revisiting Susan Brownmiller’s Against Our Will in Historical and Cultural Context....

Interdisciplinary Book Reviews

Search This Blog