The Killing Stones
The Return of Jimmy Perez
by Ann Cleeves
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Pub Date Sep 30 2025 | Archive Date Sep 25 2025
Pan Macmillan | Macmillan
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Description
Detective Jimmy Perez returns in The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves, New York Times bestselling author of the Vera, Shetland, and Two Rivers series.
When a violent storm descends upon the Orkney Islands, the body of Archie Stout is left behind in its wake. An unusual murder weapon, a Neolithic stone bearing ancient inscriptions, is found discarded nearby. Archie was a popular, larger-than-life character, making his death a shocking blow to the community.
Detective Jimmy Perez, no stranger to the complexity of human nature and the darkness it can harbour, is soon on the scene. He counted Archie as a childhood friend, making this case more personal than most. Now living in Orkney with his partner Willow and their son, Perez is soon drawn into the lives of the islanders, many of whom carry secrets. Dark secrets that could have led to the man's murder.
Here, in these ancient lands where history runs deep, Perez must discern the truth from legend before a desperate and dangerous killer strikes again.
Advance Praise
"Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers." —Louise Penny, New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache series
“Ann Cleeves’s elegance as a wordsmith, the ingenuity of her plots, and the depth of her characters can be matched by few writers. In The Killing Stones she brings back the beloved Jimmy Perez in a tale that highlights the entire spectrum of her formidable talents. I was instantly caught up in the sparkling world of her imagination and propelled through several hundred pages of great storytelling on the lonely isle of Orkney, where bodies keep turning up. This novel is more than worth every minute you spend with it.” —David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Reading a new Jimmy Perez novel is like snuggling up with dear friends around a crackling fire. The Killing Stones is classic Ann Cleeves: a complex mystery, beloved characters, and a setting so vivid you can feel the chill of wind and rain on your face.” —Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Guests
“Lord GOD lads, this was fecken fantastic! Jimmy is back, in Orkney now instead of Shetland, and Ann Cleeves is a stone cold genius.” —Marian Keyes, #1 international bestselling author of My Favorite Mistake
“It’s a new island and a new chapter for Perez and his family, but in the extraordinary hands of Ann Cleeves—surely one of our greatest ever crime writers?—the result is predictably brilliant. It’s new but familiar. Exciting but comforting. It's a masterpiece in character and location—welcome back Jimmy Perez!” —M.V. Craven, award-winning author of Nobody's Hero
“Like Rendell and James before her, like McDermid and Rankin today, Ann Cleeves is one of our secret chroniclers, charting—under cover of a series of expertly plotted and mesmerizing crime novels—how we live now.” —Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781035043163 |
| PRICE | CA$25.99 (CAD) |
| PAGES | 384 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Jackie M, Reviewer
The Killing Stones: The Return of Jimmy Perez by Ann Cleeves. Jimmy Perez and Willow Reeves #1. Pan Macmillan | Macmillan, 2025.
The Killing Stones begins just before Christmas on Orkney, four years after Wild Fire, the 8th and last of the Shetland series. Cassie is fourteen, away on Shetland for the holidays, Jimmy and Willow’s son James is four, their next child is due in six weeks. The two detectives work out of the same Police Scotland station in Kirkwall, Orkney, and because of weather preventing travel from Glasgow, for the first time, together on this case. Jimmy is a Detective Inspector overseeing a small team of uniformed police. Willow is Chief Inspector, responsible for policing in the Scottish Islands.
Archie, one of Jimmy’s lifelong best friends, is found on Westray with his head bashed in. The weapon is beside him, a square stone with carved spirals and Norse writing – one of a pair from the local heritage centre. As several of Archie’s peccadillos come to light, Jimmy realizes some are familiar, his preference has been to overlook and excuse rather than see how they might add up and influence.
Readers of Ann Cleeves’ books who – like me – like to read UK crime fiction will recognize the quality of her writing. It stands out among police procedurals, and does in this newest book. The plot is woven from the intercomplexities of setting and characters. We come to know the victims, their friends and families, the investigators in depth as details of both their current situations and past experiences emerge. Once a string of likely suspects has been investigated then ruled out, the culprit emerges, and it all makes sense without being contrived.
At points in the book, comparisons are drawn between Orkney and Shetland islands, with Orkney seen as less bleak, less macho, gentler and more rounded, the feminine of the two. I found this Orkney story somewhat similar, it is mellower. While there is pressure to find the murderer quickly, travel between the islands takes time, allowing for more explanation of feelings.
,Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Killing Stones free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #TheKillingStones #NetGalley.
Judy O, Reviewer
The Killing Stones is another outstanding book in the Shetland series featuring the beloved Jimmy Perez.
He now resides in Orkney with his wife Willow (also his boss) with one son and another child on the way.
Archie one of Jimmy's best friends is murdered and found by Jimmy. Although he is too close to the case he is determined to bring the killer to justice.
Ann Cleeves has done a remarkable job brining Jimmy back into the fold as if it was just yesterday we saw him.
Bodies continue to pile up and the team are baffled.
This is an island and is someone killing to keep a secret or is there more to this than meets the eye.
Suspects are on the list and I didnt trust any of them .
The book is cleverly plotted and will have you guessing to the very end.
I hated The Killing Stones to End and hope we see Jimmy and Willow back very soon.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan/MacMillan for the privilege of reading and reviewing The Killing Stones with one of my all time favourite characters Jimmy Perez.
