"The Killing Stones"by Anne Cleeves ... I was provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review"
The author sets the stage for a solid, atmospheric mystery in the Orkney Islands, where tradition runs deep and secrets are well-kept. Detective Jimmy Perez, born and raised on the islands, is forced to confront both his past and his community when a close friend is found murdered with a Neolithic artifact. As more murders follow, Perez navigates a complex investigation while trying to stay objective. Cleeves captures the stark beauty of the islands and the quiet intensity of island life, all while keeping the reader guessing until the very end. A well-paced and engaging read.

#netgalley #thekillingstones #annecleeves

Greatly enjoyed my first Jimmy Perez novel after devouring all episodes of the Shetland TV series. The book and the series have exactly the same vibe - slow burn, many characters that interconnect, unexpected reveal at the end. This is not a crazy and wild thriller, but rather a well executed crime drama. I will now have the pleasure of going back and reading all of the earlier Ann Cleves novels. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
Ann Cleeves is my no. 1 favorite author and 'Vera' my favorite series. That said, I also really enjoy the Jimmy Perez series and it was such a treat being back with Jimmy, Willow and their little boy James. Plus, there will be a new baby soon!
The description of the islands is lovely and evocative. The case itself, the murder of Jimmy's best friend Archie, is causing not only heartbreak, but also frustration. But between Jimmy, Willow and Ellie, they get the culprit in the end.
Another excellent read and I'm hoping there will be another book in the series; looking forward to baby no. 2!

A solid, if plodding murder mystery set in the Orkney Islands. The setting and insights into the culture were enjoyable, but the tempo wasn't for me; even as the bodies dropped, I never felt a sense of urgency or truly got lost in the book. On the other hand, strong lead characters and smooth writing (and my love of deftly executed Scottish crime novels in general) keep this book on the high end of 3 stars, so I'll give it a four. Fans of Ann Cleeves will find it satisfying..

The ninth installment of the Shetland series, this mystery takes place in a new location — Orkney, a remote series of islands north of Scotland, rich with archeological significance. Famous for their Neolithic structures, the author incorporates two of these — a pair of ancient story stones from the local museum — as the murder weapon in a tale that begins with the killing of Detective Jimmy Perez’s oldest friend, Archie Stout.

Seeping with atmosphere, life on the remote Scottish islands is rugged, harsh, and close-knit, peopled with multi-generational families and couched in history, the longest of memories, and not surprisingly, many deep-seated grudges. As Jimmy, with his partner (in love) and sort-of-boss (in policing) Willow Reeves, immerses himself into the community, suspects, clues, and the occasional red herring abound. Willow, as a detective of higher rank than Jimmy, is a particularly intriguing character, and the juggling of personal and professional roles for the pair is both interesting and tricky.

With POVs presented by both Jimmy and Willow, this is an absorbing read and a satisfying mystery. For this reader, a huge fan of this author, the story felt both familiar, (with Jimmy and Willow, and that quietly mesmerizing writing style) and somewhat different, taking cues from the new geography. As expected on the islands, the pacing and character development moves slowly, with secrets unfurling, and tensions escalating, all the way to an unexpected ending, that could have perhaps used a tad more prodding to help the reader along, before the final revelations.

A solid read, as always, I’m looking forward to more of this series, and spending more time with these characters.

A great big thanks you to #Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

I was so excited to see that there was going to be another jimmy perez book. I have read all the books in the series. I would recommend if you enjoy character driven mysteries that take place in Shetland.

A deeply engrossed whodunnit by an extremely entertaining author. The language colloquialisms are abundant in this book, as is expected but despite and perhaps because of this, a slow read with an unexpected outcome. All of Ms. Cleeves books have been great reads, this is no exception. Well worth the time to understand and enjoy. A definite addition to your TBR list. Spend some time in Scotland and it’s isles through the eyes of this author.

I greatly enjoyed this book as I have the earlier books in the series. I enjoyed the mystery as well as the descriptions of the area. I was surprised at who the killer was, didn't expect that at all.

I am a long time Ann Cleeves fan having read all her series. Of course, the Vera series is my favorite. I did enjoy this and hope there are more books to come. There are references of the main characters back stories but the clarity will hopefully be in a future book. This is her usual great story telling.

Oh how I love Perez and Shetland this book went back to all the reasons I love Cleeves writing . I devoured this one and hope Jimmy stays for good
Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read and review this book

Detective Jimmy Perez is back, working to solve the murder of his childhood friend, Archie Stout, who was bludgeoned to death with a Neolithic stone. Perez's partner, Willow, is near the end of her pregnancy and is technically on maternity leave but finds herself unable to stay completely out of the investigation.

I was happy to revisit Perez and his associates; the Orkney Islands setting is as wild and lovely as ever but like another reviewer mentioned, for this title especially it would have been helpful to have a map of the islands---there was a lot of traveling between islands, and I wasn't always clear on where characters were in proximity to each other. I did not understand the friendship between Perez and Stout, who seemed like kind of an awful person. The ending was a little abrupt, with not much sense that the action was ramping up toward the mystery's resolution, but overall it was a good story.

Recommended for fans of Cleeves and mystery readers who enjoy evocative settings.

Jimmy Perez is back, this time living in Orkney with his wife Willow and their young son, with a baby on the way. A friend of his, a charismatic islander, has been murdered, his head smashed by a carved rock stolen from a local museum. It's not easy to pry into the lives of people Jimmy knows so well, but the team from Glasgow that would take over is stranded by a snowstorm (and by their own reluctance - it's only a few days until Christmas). When there's another murder with a second stone, it's hard to untangle the various motives and opportunities.

I enjoyed the setting and the overall story, though there were a lot of clues the investigators had to follow, but there wasn't a lot of information shared with the reader that would point to the actual killer. That aside, it was quite a good read and an interesting return to a character from the past.

The return of Jimmy Perez in Ann Cleeves' The Killing Stones is like visiting with an old friend. Whether you have read the precious Shetland novels or saw the television series, this standalone novel is a mysterious, suspenseful yarn that could be independently read from any of the other Jimmy Perez stories in the past. It also seems to be a good jumping off for Cleeves to continue writing about Perez in a new series. The setting is now the Orkney Islands but Willow is still present to help with the investigation. The story was quite enjoyable and I hope Cleeves continues to write more stories about Perez in Orkney.

Five stars! Highly recommended!

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a sneak peek. I can't wait for its release in the fall to buy a physical copy and read it again--and post reviews online to spread the word about such a terrific book.

I have read all of Ann Cleeve's mysteries and they are all fantastic. This one is right on track - the way that Cleeves describes the scenery of the Scottish Isles is authentic - at least I believe it to be - or at least very descriptive and engaging. She puts the reader on the isle with her characters. In The Killing Stones, there is an added element of Perez being good friends with the first victim, which allows his partner, Willow, to take a more active role in the story, which works really well. I love how she develops these two characters, reflects on their pasts, and allows them to take on new roles in this novel. I don't want to give away any of the plot - as it is a mystery - but Cleeves develops the plot and characters so well that it keeps the reader guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book to mystery lovers and I recommend reading all the books in the various series that Ann Cleeves writes - she does not disappoint! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this arc.

The vicious murder of his childhood friend Archie Stout brings Detective Jimmy Perez back to the Shetland Islands from his home in Orkney. Archie has been beaten with a Westray story stone, stolen from the island museum. He was an impulsive but popular islander, loved by his wife Vaila, two sons and the many people he helped. Who could have wanted him dead? The lonely, grieving woman he has been spending (too) much time with? Visitors to the island? Then another local resident, a beloved retired teacher, is found dead, also murdered by a story stone. Jimmy desperately rushes to find links between the two men, the story stones and his suspects before there is another killing.

Any book by Ann Cleeves is a gift to the reader. Expect a mystery, a police procedural and a character study. The plot is full of twists, turns and red herrings. The characters are vivid and full of life. The Killing Stones is no exception. A 5 star read.

I am so glad that the Shetland mysteries will be continuing in a new setting. Story reflected current issues in the world. Will recommend to patrons. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Jimmy Perez is back along with wife Willow and their young son James, in this latest addition to the Shetland series. Jimmy and Willow are heading the investigative team looking into the grisly murder of Jimmy's childhood friend Archie Stout. The murder occurs on a stormy Orkney evening, the murder weapon an ancient Viking stone, which had been stored in an historic island building until it was taken along with its matching stone. Things get even more murky when a local teacher is murdered with the matching stone a few days later.
Ann Cleeves weaves a wonderful Shetland narrative, full of Scottish history and heartwarming personal details of Jimmy Perez' touching family events.

I generally “read” most of Ann Cleeve’s work by watching the excellent BBC adaptations. This — the most recent of the “Shetland” series, and the first I’ve actually read — is so far from where the TV series has ended up that it was a bit of a shock for me!

The story takes place some time after Perez has left Shetland and is now living in Orkney with his partner and their child (with another on the way). It all starts when an old friend goes missing on Westray and found bludgeoned to death with one of the old Story Stones found in an archeological dig.

It’s a solid murder mystery full of island characters and relatable description of the incredible scenery (and weather) there. Not usually a fan of scenic descriptions, I could feel these descriptions and enjoyed them a lot. My only complaint is that the reader seems to be kept in the dark about the detective’s thinking so that the apprehension of the murderer is a bit of a surprise. Nonetheless, enjoyed it a lot.

The Killing Stones is the 9th book in the Shetland series. Jimmy Perez has been brought back for this story. He is not living on Shetland but now living in Orkney with his significant other, Chief Inspector Willow Reeves who is on maternity leave. along with his son, Jimmy gets a call from Vaila saying that her husband, Archie Stout is missing. Archie is his best childhood friend. He leaves a note for Willow saying he is going to Westray as Archie is missing. He arrives at the island during a very bad storm. After arriving he speaks with Vaila. She tells him that he was restless but was himself. Jimmy goes searching for him and finds him dead at the abandon archaologist excavation. It is part of the Neolithic settlement. He stays with the body until his team from Orkney to arrive. HIs team detectives Phil Bain and Ellie Shearer arrive along with Dr. Grieve, coroner, who is overseeing the body. He is interested in the story stone that is next to the body. The stone is part of a pair from the Westray Heritage Center. Dr. Grieve says that Archie was killed at the site. Willow decides to join Jimmy and the case.

Jimmy goes to the Inn to get a room and to speak with Annie and her husband, Bill, who own the Inn. She had grown up and lived there but her husband was a city person and an outsider. He asks Annie to check the Heritage Center to make sure the other stone is there. Annie calls Jimmy the other stone is missing. There is a rumor that Archie was having an affair with Rosalie Greeman. She is renting a cottage and plans to make the island her permanent home as her husband had died. Willow and Jimmy go to interview her. She is upfront about her relationship with Archie. Said that he loved her but they had not had sex. She realized that Archie would never leave his wife and she would never marry him as she was still in love with her dead husband. She had seen Archie that afternoon and seemed troubled.

Willow feels that Jimmy is too close to the case as Archie was his friend and sends him back to Orkney with Phil to check out things from there. Ellie stays with Willow at the Inn. Vaila goes back with to the police station with them and Phil takes her statement and she goes back to the island. She tells Jimmy that Archie owned a percentage of the Inn that he had inherited from his father. Annie and her husband wanted to buy him out but he wouldn't sell.

Willow and Ellie decide to met the other people staying at the Inn for the holidays and interview them. Godfrey Landsdown was there to be close to his wife who he had spread her ashes around Noltland. He and his wife had been friends with Archie's parents. He was writing a small history of the island. He also loved to go birdwatching. The other couple who were there were Barbara and Tony Johnston. They were at the island for their anniversary as their children had other holiday plans. In speaking to them Willow found out that Tony was a college professor and still worked in archiology. He was interested in the Vikings. She worked for a community art center in Gateshead. They had both worked at the site when they were students in college. They were there when the stones were discovered. One side is Neolisthic spirnals and the other Viking graffiti. He said one of the sayings was "I am Olaf, teller of tales and the other said====. They didn't know Archie but ran into him that afternoon coming out of a store. He seemed preoccupied and rude. They both walked in other directions. When Archie was killed they were at the Angel's house for dinner. They are Vaila's parents. They were there when Vail called to tell her parents that Archie was missing. They left and went back to the Inn.

Willow and Ellie decided to go to talk to the Angel's. They were checking where people were when Archie died. They asked if they were with the Johnston's. They told Willow that Archie and Vaila. They did not go to the Inn. She wanted to talk to the boys. Lawie said they had talked about the farm, holiday and school. The two boys said their father was quiet at dinner but himself. Vaila told Willow that they were going to stay at a hotel in Kirkwell for the holidays as she wanted to get away from the island. Lawie was planning to participate in the Ba.

Willow and Ellie decide that they would go home for the holiday and send Phil back to the island to oversee the people. Going back they sit with Bill who tells them that he was going to the city to do some shopping and spend a few days there. He missed the city so went back once a month for a visit.

This is where I will leave the story for the reader to enjoy. There is so much going on that I can't put all on paper. There will be two more deaths. The author keeps the reader guessing and wanting to find out who the murderer is to the surprising and suspenseful ending.

The ending was a complete surprise. I never expected it. So many lives were changed because of the three deaths. I hope that the author might continue with other stories of Jimmy Perez.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC.

THE KILLING STONES is #9 in the DI Jimmy Perez series by Ann Cleeves. I haven’t read any other books in this series but I had no problem following the backstories of the main investigators, Jimmy Perez and Willow Reeves.

The narrative begins with the murder of Archie Stout, who is an old friend of Jimmy’s. It takes place on Westray, one of the many small islands in the Orkney Island group. When he hears Archie is missing, Jimmy takes the ferry to Westray, discovers his body, identifies several possible suspects, and then Willow takes over the investigation on Westray while Jimmy follows leads in Kirkwall, the largest town in Orkney.

There are several potential suspects and many leads to follow but I didn’t have any problems keeping the characters and plot details clear in my mind. Also, the identification of the murderer came as a surprise, definitely not on my “potential suspects” list. The problem I had with this novel is that it read like a travelogue, with the mystery as a sideline. The action moved too slowly.

I didn’t empathize with any of the characters. Jimmy was nice, Willow was nice, and most of the potential suspects were basically nice; only one character was somewhat obnoxious, and he wasn’t the killer. Furthermore, I couldn’t understand the killer’s motive once it was revealed. There was no build-up to suggest such a personality flaw.

I love Ann Cleeves “Vera” series, and I have always been able to empathize with characters in that series. Cleeves is a good writer, but I am obviously not a member of the target audience for her Shetland series, which appears to be aimed more towards describing a geographical region rather than portraying individuals with their psychological quirks.