Wild Fire (Shetland, 8)

Product Information

I am extremely sad that we will no longer be able to read about DI Jimmy Perez's adventures, and although I thoroughly enjoyed the journey towards the conclusion, I found myself deflated by the resolution. I feel it is very important to produce a spectacular climax to a novel, but especally when it is the last book in a fantastic series. I know I will miss Perez as will many other readers. I felt there was much more to come from him, and his story didn't feel like it had come to an end. All in all, exactly what we have to come to expect from Cleeves: a wonderful setting, a thrilling story, exceptionally drawn characters and atmosphere. No one evokes the landscape better! Goodbye Jimmy, you'll be a miss! The saying goes, “you write what you know” and at this point in her life, Ann knew the area very well. However, it was always Ann and her husbands dream to eventually settle in the Northeast and in 2006, they finally did. Both her daughters are now happily married to men from Newcastle, England. Books by Ann Cleeves I took a 1/2 star off because I thought Perez displayed some very unPerez behavior and I was a trifle disappointed in him. Still it didn't spoil the work. I am thinking of organizing a world wide plea to Cleeves to write more. I will miss this series. Ms. Cleeves knits all this together in her usual credible fashion, devising clues, red herrings and plausible and implausible conclusions. Jimmy has to get this all figured out while his personal life looms large. Will he be able to get past the “ghost” of his lost love, Fran, long enough to build a new life with Willow? Does he even want to? Questions are raised within and without, until the stunning conclusion of the murder investigation, and the completion of Jimmy’s story. When you began writing the first Shetland book, did you envisage it becoming a series? If so, how did you see the characters developing and did this change as the series progressed?

In this story after some news shared Perez and Willow behave like 10year olds and that felt a bit out of character and I wish the author would choose another way to handle the problem they are faced with!One of the most successful book series that Ann Cleeves has written are the Inspector Ramsey books. This six part series was released throughout the 1990s and is now become so successful that copies of the books have become collector’s items. This series is a perfect example of how Ann’s surroundings affected her work as they are set mainly in her then home, Northumberland. Deft plotting, strong characters and the masterful evocation of a rugged landscape make this a splendid ending to an excellent series." I did wonder if I would find the characters difficult to connect with coming into the story at the end of the series but this book can easily be read as a standalone. There were occasional references of past events however nothing that prevented me from grasping the storyline. We see how bitterness and an unsatisfactory life can affect a person and the trouble this person can cause to himself and to others! Taking inspiration from the novel, Wild Fire is a balanced London Dry Gin with juniper and sweet spice notes that have a lingering and warming finish. Tasted neat, there are notes of warming cinnamon and sweet orange that linger on the palate. The long finish has an aromatic spice with a touch of heat from dried red chillies. Wild Fire pairs beautifully with premium tonic, which softens the heat from the spices and lifts the sweet citrus notes of the sorrel and orange peel. It is best enjoyed with a slice of orange and a copy of Ann Cleeves's Wild Fire.

But now it seems that the story had its dark beginnings not in Lindon but in the islands. If you missed anything, watch the series to date now on the BBC iPlayer. Episode 5 follows at the same time on Wednesday 29th November. I'm the first to say I dislike much personal drama in crime novels but Ann Cleeves could have taken some more time to develop all that took place in a single installment of her series! Too Good To Be True is a complete novella-length story, originally selected as one of 15 books to be given away, free, on World Book Night, April 23rd 2016. It has been issued in Canada in an exclusive edition, available only from independent bookstores, for Canadian Independent Bookstore Day (April 29th, 2023). Fans disappointed to see the last of Cleeves’ hero will be happy to know that the final case in this complex, character-driven series (Cold Earth, 2017, etc.) is a tour de force.An original 6-part drama DVD now available in the UK (Region 2) and in the USA (Region 1). Series 6 Ann Cleeves said: "What better way to celebrate the last of the Perez books than by raising a glass of Wild Fire gin produced in the islands by the wonderful Shetland Reel?" The prose is intricate and deft. The characters are flawed, complex and intriguing. And the plot is a compelling, well crafted, police procedural full of suspects, clues, deduction, jealousy, obsession, manipulation, swirling emotions, secrets, familial drama, and murder.