Cold Earth by Ann Cleeves -- a review

Cold Earth Shetland Series Book 7 by Ann Cleeves

Magnus Tait, the intellectually challenged man encountered in a previous novel (Raven Black),has died. There's a burial for Magnus. Then it pours with rain, which produces a horrible and destructive mudslide. A croft house is damaged. The gloomy scene is a setup for murder.

The Shetlanders thought the croft was uninhabited but the storm exposes the body of a mysterious dark-haired woman in a red silk dress. She's been murdered.

Willow Reeves and Jimmy Perez work together to solve the mystery, which has the slow twists common to Cleeves' writing style. In the background, the Willow-Jimmy romance limps along. And Sandy Wilson continues to mature.

I continue to appreciate Cleeve's ability to portray rich characters on the Shetland Islands and simultaneously weave a complex story. I'm a fan of her style but those who prefer a more action-packed American style mystery may find it too slow.

If you like the series, you might find this Shetland Islands background page helpful

The Shetland Series

You might find this Shetland map helpful.

Cold Earth on AMAZON

I have a paperback version as part of a box set and recommend this volume 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. I usually prefer digital books but found the paperback set less expensive.

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