Skip to main content

Wild Fire by Ann Cleeves -- a review

 

Wild Fire   Shetland Series Book 8 by Ann Cleeves


Wild Fire is Ann Cleeves’ final instalment of the Shetland series. The team of Willow Reeves, Jimmy Perez, and Sandy Wilson collaborate one last time to solve murders closely connected to two families in Deltaness.


Emma grew up in an abusive family in Orkney. She came to Shetland to work as a nanny for the four children of Robert and Bella Montcrief who appear emotionally distant from their children. Each of the children play a role in the mystery. Martha is a 17-year old rebellious teen and Charles, dad’s favourite, is 16. The younger two have occasional appearances in the narrative.


Helena and Daniel Fleming are friends of the Montcriefs. Bella Montcrief handles public relations for Helena’s designs. Daniel, is an architect who struggles with depression. Their older son, Christopher has an autistic disorder. He has an interest in CSI and plays a prominent role in identifying the murderer of Emma. Emma’s startling death is linked to another murder. Ellie, the little sister, appears as a happy and highly active youngster.


In the background, Cleeves takes us through the ups and downs of Willow and Jimmy’s growing relationship. Meanwhile, Sandy gains confidence as he pursues Louisa. These relationships are resolved when the team discusses the clues that led them to discovering how the two women were murdered. Cassie Hunter is away with her biological father so she doesn’t add to the complications of life-work balance for her primary caregiver, Jimmy Perez who was charged with her care when her mother and Jimmy’s fiancé, died in an earlier story.

I recommend Wild Fire and the whole of the Shetland series, which I have reviewed. I like Ann Cleeves’s style of slowly building a story against an inviting backdrop textured by contrasting landscapes and richly developed characters.

This map of Shetland may help you locate the stories and characters.











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.

Read about the rest of the Shetland series


Wild Fire is available on AMAZON

 as a   PAPERBACK    and an

     AUDIBLE  book











Ad

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    

   X  @Geoff.W.Sutton    

The box set may be a lower price overall.




 

 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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....
Post a Comment
Read more