Based in Inverness, Detective Inspector Willow Reeves has looked forward to getting her first case as the Senior Investigating Officer. Yet, what gets handed to her by her boss is definitely not a "No Pressure" assignment. A London reporter found murdered in a boat in the Aith Marina and discovered by none other than the local Procurator Fiscal (Public Prosecutor). Reflecting on the few facts she has and being an islander herself (although from North Uist in the Hebrides and not the Shetland Islands in the north), the young and lanky Detective knows just how hard it will be to pry out information from clannish community members.

Her team is met at the airport in the Shetland Island by Sergeant Sandy Wilson, a competent policeman, but definitely not the brightest in the force. With his thick accent, Willow can barely understand him, but she is glad of his connection to the community. She has been hoping that Inspector Jimmy Perez would be well enough to join the investigation team, but now six months after the traumatic death of his fiancée, Perez is still sidelined from working as an investigator. Struggling with the crippling arms of depression and grief, what little energy he has is solely used to care for young Cassie, his fiancée's young daughter.

As Willow moves into heading the investigation, she is a little surprised by the reaction of the Fiscal, Rhona Laing. She feels certain there is something more there, yet she can't put her finger on it. Is she right or grasping at shadows? Perez slowly yields to the pull of the investigation. While Willow heartily welcomes his knowledge, skills and intuitive insights, she struggles with his actions as she tries to keep on top of the investigation. Even Sandy, a long-time friend feels nervous around Perez, worrying he will lash out in one of his abrupt and angry mood swings. Can they really work as a team to make sense of the small clues and bits of gossip that shroud the identity of the murderer?

Ann Cleeves is one of the most well-regarded and preeminent crime writers in the United Kingdom and increasingly recognized as such in North America. I became an ardent fan of hers after reading her Vera novels and am now happy to discover her Jimmy Perez series. DEAD WATER is the fifth book in this series and picks up after the shocking ending of Blue Lightening. Fans of Cleeves are sure to appreciate the new developments in Perez's life. While DEAD WATER also works well as a stand-alone book, I can assure you that new readers starting with DEAD WATER will definitely end up wanting to read all of Cleeves's earlier books.

One of Cleeves's many gifts as a writer is her ability to instantly pull you into the scene at hand and make both the characters, as well as the landscape, come alive for the reader. Even if one has never been to the Shetland Islands, you can't help but smell the sea air, feel the thickness of the fog, the lashing of the rain and follow the eyes of the islanders as they watch the investigation unfold. It is a small community where people know of each other and know each other's secrets and their past, but they are slow to reveal what they know. Yet, despite this slowness in getting clues, Cleeves masterfully develops the plot and storyline in such a realistic and authentic way, that you can't help but turn the page to find out how and where things are going.

Interspersed in the investigation are strong undercurrents of the issues that divide the Shetlanders, such as differences over new and old ways of living, the influx of outsiders and their ways and divisions over expansion into renewable energy investments. What and who can be trusted or not? While I won't drop a clue in that regard, I will say I am thrilled to know that Cleeves is busy writing another book in The Shetland Island Mysteries. I can't wait for it and I really hope we might hear more of Reeves and Perez. So, take the plunge into DEAD WATER and enjoy this terrific read!

Book Summary

Ann Cleeves returns to her critically acclaimed Shetland Island series with this stunning mystery featuring Inspector Jimmy Perez, who readers will remember from Raven Black, White Nights, Red Bones, and Blue Lightning. When the body of a journalist is found, Detective Inspector Willow Reeves is drafted from outside to head up the investigation. Inspector Jimmy Perez has been out of the loop, but his local knowledge is needed in this case, and he decides to help Willow.

The dead journalist had left the islands years before to pursue his writing career. In his wake, he left a scandal involving a young girl. When Willow and Jimmy dig deeper, they realize that the journalist was chasing a story that many Shetlanders didn't want to come to the surface. In Dead Water, a triumphant continuation to her Shetland series, Ann Cleeves cements her place as one of Britain's most successful crime writers.