Blue Lightning: A Thriller (Shetland Island Thrillers) [Hardcover]

Ann Cleeves (Author)

Book Description

Series: Shetland Island Thrillers | Publication Date: September 28, 2010

Inspector Jimmy Perez takes his fiancé home to Fair Isle, the tiny island he comes from, to meet his parents. The island is a magnet for bird watchers, who congregate at the local inn and lighthouse. When a local married celebrity, who had an eye for the lads, is murdered, Perez discovers that the suspects are very close to him indeed. With a sensational ending destined to create much buzz in the mystery world, Blue Lightning will thrill suspense fans everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Veteran mystery author Cleeves transports readers to Fair Isle, a tiny island off the coast of Scotland that is a mecca for bird-watchers. Inspector Jimmy Perez, an island native, brings his fiancée, Fran, home to meet his parents. During their visit, a celebrity scientist who ran the island’s bird-research center is murdered. As Perez investigates, he uncovers a nest of complicated relationships and petty academic rivalries. The stormy weather adds to the gloom as more bodies pile up. This variant on the locked-room mystery (the third in Cleeves’ Perez series) delivers a unique atmosphere and a shocking ending that is sure to please. --Barbara Bibel

Review

 

“Stunning… Sure to enshrine the entire series in the ranks of the unforgettable.”

--The Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Delivers a unique atmosphere and a shocking ending that is sure to please.”

--Booklist

"Chilling...enough to freeze the blood."

--The New York Times on Raven Black

“Riveting.”

--Val McDermid on Raven Black

“Cunning… Pulls the wool over our eyes in true Christie fashion.”

--Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse mysteries, on White Nights

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (September 28, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312384351
• ISBN-13: 978-0312384357
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #234,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "This was her own moment of triumph.", September 28, 2010

By 

Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Lightning: A Thriller (Shetland Island Thrillers) (Hardcover)

The setting is remote, Fair Isle a rocky stretch of land in the Shetland Islands, where avid birdwatchers and naturalists gather. Angela Moore, warden of the Fair Isle field centre, is married to the much older Maurice Parry, a spouse who heartily supports his wife's stellar accomplishments. Angela is quite a celebrity in this rarified world, with a best-selling book and frequent appearances on television as an expert in her field. Beautiful and ambitious, Angela demands perfection from those who inhabit her kingdom, indulging in small cruelties when it pleases her. The Fair Isle field centre is a serious enterprise, but filled with the sounds of celebration at the engagement party of local Jimmy Perez, a detective, and his fiancé, Fran. Taking a break from work, Jimmy introduces Fran to his parents, proud of the talented and witty artist with whom he has fallen in love.

The engagement party is a welcome diversion from petty competition among birdwatchers, but the festivities end abruptly with the discovery of a murder. As a storm rages, access to the island is cut off, Perez the only law enforcement official available. Until facts prove otherwise, the detective must consider everyone a suspect. Fair Isle is the lair of dedicated birdwatchers and naturalists: "They're all obsessive, these birdwatchers. They come across an area of research and dig away at it." Passion runs deep with this group, secrets buried under the guise of common interests, one of them driven to murder. The relative quiet of the naturalists' pursuits shattered by unexpected bursts of violence, Perez longs for a few hours of seclusion with his fiancé, ordered to lead the investigation until backup arrives.

Jimmy's one-on-one interviews expose the cracks in Angela's stellar reputation, the number of potential suspects increasing exponentially. Fran's uncomplicated support is the only relief for the beleaguered Jimmy. In an absolutely stunning denouement, no one is completely innocent, not even Perez, as facts collide, a ruthless killer revealed. While I might have wished for a glossary of common terms for birdwatchers, there was no escaping the author's deft exploration of the duplicity of human nature and the deadly seeds of revenge. Luan Gaines/2010.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Spoils the series, May 13, 2011

By 

E. Suhre "braisl4" (Alhambra, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Lightning: A Thriller (Shetland Island Thrillers) (Hardcover)

I was fast becoming an Anne Cleeves fan having read the first two thrillers of the Shetland Island Series, Raven Black and White Nights. But after having read the third book in the series, I wish I hadn't read the first fwo.

Anne Cleeves has the talent to draw the reader into close relationships with her characters, so much so, I found the ending of Blue Lightening gut wrenching. If she has anymore suprises such as the one in this book, I doubt if I will read any more of her books no matter how well they are written.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, January 3, 2011

By 

Susan Johnson "book nerd" (Willits CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blue Lightning: A Thriller (Shetland Island Thrillers) (Hardcover)

As I was reading some of the reviews, I wondered if they had read the same book I had. I found this book so good that it surprised me not once, not twice but three times. I was shocked at some of the choices the author made and really hope she decides to extend the series. I found the bird watching information really helpful to the story. I had never thought of the bird watching community having stars but it just goes to show you that every world has its own. I highly recommend this book.