The island of Whalsay is one of the most easterly of the Shetland Islands. It is where Jimmy Perez's colleague Sandy Wilson comes from. The arrival of spring brings with it the resumption of an archaeological dig taking place on land near Sandy's grandmother's croft. There is great excitement when first the remains of a merchant's house, some bones, and then a hoard of silver coins is found. But the excitement fades when first of all Sandy's grandmother, then one of the young archaeologists is found dead. Neither of the deaths look like murder at first, although Sandy's grandmother's appears to be a tragic accident. Jimmy Perez is not so sure. There are secrets on Whalsay - talk of a Norwegian murdered during World War II - and there is ambition too.

Jimmy Perez's lady friend Fran Hunter has gone south for a holiday to London with her daughter Cassie. RED BONES largely concentrates on Jimmy's relationships with his colleague Sandy Wilson, and his feelings for Fran. We also get insights into why Jimmy is such a good detective. And somehow in this novel, whether it is the effect of the narrator's characterisation of Jimmy's voice I'm not sure, Jimmy seems older, more mature than he did in the two earlier novels.

I thoroughly enjoyed RED BONES. Ann Cleeves is a top notch teller of tales.

My rating of RED BONES: 4.7

You'll have noticed that I said RED BONES is #3 in the Shetland series.
So do you have to read them in order? I'm afraid the answer is yes.
Console yourself with the fact that this is #3, and that they are all excellent reads. The final in the series, BLUE LIGHTNING, is due to be published in 2010. There is more to this series than the central character Jimmy Perez: there are the Island relationships he is part of, the seasons in which the novels are set, and the Shetland culture that Cleeves appears to understand so well. ( )

This is the third in what the publishers call The Shetland Islands Quartet in some places, A Shetland Islands Thriller in others. I hope that this betokens a realization on the part of Cleeves and her publishers that the series has the essential ingredient for longevity: Terrific characters entwined in believeable relationships.

We see Jimmy Perez, our sleuth, living without gal-pal Fran Hunter while she's down south in London to visit family and friends. His every waking thought seems to return to her, to her daughter Cassie, and to the natural fears of a man in love whose lover is far away: Is she safe, is she having too good a time to want to come back, is this the end of my dream of happiness, all the stuff men think but never admit they're thinking.

Sandy, Perez's Detective Sergeant, is also away, though closer to home...he's on Whalsay, a short ferry ride from Lerwick where Jimmy is based. While visiting home, Sandy's beloved grandmother is shot. It looks like a horrible, horrible accident. Sandy is first cop on the scene, naturally, and has to make hard calls about how to pursue the matter before Jimmy shows up to take over. Sandy's family will never be the same again, of course, but more importantly for the story, Sandy won't either. Jimmy helps Sandy grow into his manhood during this investigation, and this makes the book far richer than we'd have any right to expect from a simple thriller. When a second horrible death occurs, Sandy and Jimmy both conclude there are connections here that the two of them aren't making, and whether or not the deaths were intentional, the connections need to be investigated and explored. This takes each of them farther from his comfort zone than either expected.

Cleeves's plot snake-twines around each character, squeezing the past and the present tightly together, and finally forcing the characters into one inevitable crushing future. It looks nothing like the present. It looks nothing like the future the characters saw coming. And that's why I recommend this book, and this series, with such a strong voice. ( )

Another in the mystery series by Ann Cleeves. Set in the Shetland Islands,this novel has a strong sense of place,and good character development. ( )

Some like to spend their winter evenings with coffee, a heater and the TV but for me there’s nothing to beat bed, a book and a cup of tea: a recent spate of first class thrillers is perfect for those who prefer the later scenario.

Red Bones is set in Whalsey, one of the Shetland Islands and home to the most Northerly British golf course: the location is all important and Cleeves evokes the foggy romance of the isles very well.

Detective Jimmy Perez is called to investigate the accidental but fatal shooting of an old woman, followed shortly by the suicide of a young archaeologist just metres away from where the old woman was killed.

Mist, murder and mystery are key elements but the appeal of the story lies in the scenery, the lifestyle and the personalities of the people who inhabit these historically rich but remote islands

A hot water bottle, a bedside lamp and a couple of dozen books like the above and you’re all set for a long and comfortably cosy winter: bring on the Ice Age. ( )

Love the setting ( )