A Lesson in Dying by Ann Cleeves is being republished by Minotaur Books this spring. First written in 1990, it shows how far Cleeves has come as a writer. Whereas her later books had a great sense of place, this one did not. And while it’s the first in the Inspector Ramsey series, he truly is a minor character in the story.
The headmaster of a local primary school is found hung during a Halloween dance. He was an unlikeable man and the list of those with a reason to kill him is long. However, Ramsay immediately arrests the wife. The local councilman and custodian of the school fancies the wife and launches his own investigation to prove her innocence. He even draws his daughter, Patty, into helping him. Cleeves did a good job with the characters and they felt fully developed. But the plot felt clunky at times and the first 60% of the book moved at too slow a pace. As much as I have loved Cleeves’ other three series, I won’t be bothering to read the rest of this one.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for an advance copy of this book.

A Lesson in Dying is book 1 in Ann Cleeves’ Inspector Ramsay series, and was my first Ann Cleeves novel but won’t be my last. I’m surprised it has taken me so long to pick up one of her books because I love most of the series’ based on her books.

Note that this is a rerelease of a book that was first published in 1990, so may seem dated to some readers. Personally, the time period felt a bit nostalgic for me, so I rather enjoyed it.

In this first novel, Inspector Ramsay is mostly absent from the novel for at least the first half. Instead the first part of the story is told, in third person, through the eyes of many of the villagers who knew the victim.

A Lesson in Dying was relatively slow paced, but was very interesting, and kept my attention throughout, so it didn’t feel like it dragged at any point.

The ending, when it did come, was quick and suspenseful, and kept me on the edge of my seat.

I would recommend A Lesson in Dying to any fan of traditional mysteries.

Ann Cleeves is the master of suspense and twists and turns! She did not disappoint with this story. I’ve read several of her other books, but this was the first Detective Ramsey book I’ve read. The characters are unique and build throughout the story giving the reader the chance to get to know them on a personal level and to maneuver through the story right along with them. I was entranced by the writing style and the slow burn of discoveries of where the characters find themselves in several missteps. The scenery is the perfect setting and captures the dreariness, seasonal elements that push the story, and an ethereal presentation that transported me right into the story. I look forward to reading more from Ms Cleeves!

A Halloween party at a school takes a deadly turn when the headmaster is found hanging in the school yard. There's a long list of suspects due to him being a horrible man.
I found the story immature and the writing isn't up to pare with her other novels. My first Ann Cleeves novel I can't say I liked.

4 stars for book one in a new series by Ann Cleeves. I have read several of her books in her other series and enjoyed them. Harold Medburn, school headmaster in the small village of Heppleburn, in Northern England, is found hanging in the schoolyard. Inspector Ramsay discovers that he was having an affair with a woman not his wife. He arrests the wife. But the school caretaker, Jack Robson, believes that Kitty Medburn is innocent and starts investigating. He discovers other suspects, along with evidence of blackmail, adultery and other secrets.
The mystery is solved, but not before more people die. I found the characters believable and the plot moved along well. This is a short book , 240 pages, and I read it in 2 days.
Thank You St. Martin's Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.

Pub Date Mar 25 2025 |

This is the first novel in the Inspector Ramsey series, being rereleased from my understanding. The beginning of this book was a slow burn for me as I tried to get my ears on the characters, situation and region in the UK. I liked the character of Inspector Ramsey, but he didn’t feature as much as I expected in the book, and more or less is only introducing this character. The book mostly focuses on Patty and Jack, who are daughter and father, who involve themselves in the investigation of the local murder. This is similar to a darker version of Miss. Marple or Midsomer Murders if you’re a fan, you’ll love this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.

I must start by thanking both NetGalley as well as the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
It is obvious that this is an early book by Ann Cleeves, you can see the building in location but there is no strength in the Inspector Ramsey character yet.

The first book introducing Inspector Ramsay. This is a reintrodction of a series the author wrote in the easly 90s. It was a really refreshing mystery not filled with DNA, computers and cell phones, but with depth of character. I had no clue who was the culprit until the very end. I look forward to reading more in this series.

Ann Cleeves is back with the beginning of a new series set, again, in Northumberland.

As always, Ann crafts a delicious mystery... one with lots of twists and turns and one that made me wonder who actually "did it" after my (many) guesses were proven wrong! This mystery is solved in a very curious way... with community involvement! I don't want to give everything away, but I like Jack and his daughter very much! I think it will be wonderful to get to know Inspector Ramsay better and see if the community of Heppleburn continues to be part of the mystery solutions!

If you like Ann Cleeve's writing, you will absolutely enjoy A Lesson In Dying! I highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the digital copy of A Lesson In Dying. It will be published March 25, 2025.

"A Lesson in Dying" by Ann Cleeves is a promising start to a new mystery series. - 4 Stars - Out March 25th

Ann Cleeves introduces a new detective, Inspector Ramsey, in this engaging mystery centered around the murder of a widely disliked headmaster. With a long list of suspects and a second murder adding to the intrigue, the novel keeps readers guessing until the very end. Cleeves’ strength lies in her vivid descriptions of the town and its residents, making the setting feel immersive and the emotions of the characters strikingly real.

While the mystery itself is well-paced and compelling, Inspector Ramsey doesn’t command the story as much as expected. He feels more like an observer than the driving force behind the investigation, which makes his role a bit underwhelming. Hopefully, like television pilot episodes, this book is just getting the character arc started.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This review is my own and I receive so compensation for this honest and fair write up. #netgalley #alessonindying #anncleeves #mystery #thriller

I've read quite a low of Ann Cleeves work over the last year. This book feels very much in the style of her others and reminds me a bit of the first Vera Stanhope book. That being said, I did not find the characters quite as engaging. I find that I need to care about a character in order to really engage in the story. I found that I didn't really care about most of the characters. Definitely a worthwhile read if you enjoy Cleeves' style and other works. But the characters are not quite as strong as her Shetland and Vera series.

This is the first book in the Inspector Ramsay series which was written before the Vera Stanhope, Shetland Islands and Two Rivers series. In this book, the local school has a very disliked headmaster, Medburn. The school has a halloween party, and the headmaster is found hanging in the playground of the school. Although many folks could have been responsible, Ramsay decides to arrest Kitty, Medburn's wife. Another village man, Jack Robson, who is somewhat in love with Kitty wants to get her released, and thus is "helping" Ramsay to find the real killer. Jack gradually finds out that Medburn has been blackmailing several people, belittling a new teacher, and running around with a woman who isn't his wife. Although Jack doesn't find the killer before Kitty has committed suicide in the jail, he does finally solve the mystery.

I enjoyed this book very much, and look forward to future publications in the series. I thank Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC so that I could read the book before publication.

So excited that this Ann Cleeves series is being printed the USA. A very horrible headmaster is hanged in the playground. No one is upset about, rather they are relieved. Jack Robson, retired miner, takes a wild flight of fancy and decides to defend suspect number 1, the dead man’s wife, Kitty. His daughter, flighty, wonderful Patty, is also investigating, asking random questions and getting very interesting answers. Inspector Ramsay is also investigating but in a very quiet manner that involves a lot of sitting around with people he likes. There are lots of suspects and not very nice people. Ramsay is a delight and I hope Patty is in the other novels, too!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this DRC.
#ALessoninDying #NetGalley

This was the first of Ann Cleeves Inspector Ramsay novels. Written in 1990, it's being released by NetGalley again. It was written before the Vera and the Shetland series, and I believe her writing has improved greatly. And yet the story was good. Set in a small village in Northumberland, the school principal, disliked by many and feared by a few, is found murdered. Ramsay leads the investigation, but a local man and his daughter make their own investigations, and eventually Ramsay uses their information to help him.

Many thanks to NetGalley for this novel.

Ann Cleese is my absolute favorite, from Vera to Jimmy Perez I never miss any of her books. In this story we have Inspector Ramsey. This is set on a small village in Northumbrian. When the village school gets ready for Halloween, the schools headmaster is found hung and from there we see the classic mystery of whodunnit and finding the culprit when lots of different people got notice. It was a good read,

Thank you NetGalley for this copy, all opinions are my own.

I couldn’t get through it. I love this sort of detective series and I do love many of Anne Cleaves’ books, but the characters seemed thin and predictable. I’m sorry that I did not finish it because it just didn’t hold interest.

I chose this book by the seemingly indefatigable Anne Clives not realizing that it was an early effort, written decades before those that have made her a go-to. Being a fan of her later work, I found this predictable, uninteresting, and won't follow through if any others in the series are published.

Excitement in the town of Heppleburn! Parents and children are enjoying their first-ever Halloween party at the town’s school. A damper is suddenly put on the celebration when Harold Medburn, the school's headmaster, is found dead. Inspector Ramsey leads the investigation with several suspects available, but his main focus is on the headmaster’s wife, whom he jails on suspicion of murder.
Jack Robson, the school governor and caretaker, has different ideas. He and his daughter Patty move full speed ahead with their investigation and finally find the murderer after sifting through the lies, deceit, adulterous relationships, and even blackmail that infest the small town.

Sorry, I’m a big Ann Cleeves fan, but I just did not like Inspector Ramsay. This is not a series for me, which makes me sad.

First time reading this author even though they've written a number of books. While I really feel I should like the books, at this time, I had a hard time keeping track of who was who and what was going on.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.