White Nights

Really 3.5 stars. A fun easy read. Care about the detective and the characteres in the town. A good read.

There was just about enough in the first book in the series to tempt to me to buy the second. I will not be buying any more. It is not just that I never believed that the murderer would have behaved as depicted, nor that the structure of the book rather heavily pointed to the identity of the murderer, it is most particularly that there is something in the style of writing that does not quite work for me.

I think I can understand why they are popular but they just aren't doing it for me.

I loved this book and the chance to learn more about Shetland. I was just as fascinated in learning about the place as I was in the mystery. I googled many details about the place and looked up a lot of terms I didn't know. I even looked up a recipe for oat cakes and can't wait to make some. I was also intrigued to learn about the “midnight sun” or “white nights” which we also have where I live in Alaska. I looked at my son's globe and noticed that Alaska lines up with Shetland between the same two latitude lines close to the north pole so in some ways where I live is similar.

The story was very complicated and I was never sure who was to blame. Ann Cleeves is a master at weaving stories that are so unpredictable. The characters are well built and I felt like I knew them and could visualize their homes and their way of life. Just like with the first book there was a character that seemed the more obvious choice for the killer and I knew it wouldn't be that person BUT Ann would always leave me second guessing myself. As the story progressed I ended up thinking everyone in the book could be guilty at some point.

Ann Cleeves has now become a favorite author for me and I've already ordered the next book in the series.