Raven Black

Book One of the Shetland Island Quartet

By: Ann Cleeves

Narrated by: Gordon Griffin

Long a celebrated crime writer in Britain, Ann Cleeves' fame went international when she won the coveted Duncan Lawrie Dagger for this amazing suspense novel, Raven Black. Like Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse or Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks, Cleeves' new detective, Inspector Jimmy Perez, is a very private and perceptive man whose bailiwick is a remote hamlet in the Shetland Islands. It is a cold January morning, and Shetland lies beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a splash of color on the frozen ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbor, Catherine Ross. The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man - loner and simpleton Magnus Tait. But when detective Jimmy Perez and his colleagues from the mainland insist on opening out the investigation, a veil of suspicion and fear is thrown over the entire community. For the first time in years, Catherine's neighbors nervously lock their doors while a killer lives on in their midst.

Ann Cleeves is sure to dazzle US mystery listeners with this unforgettable series debut. This series is the basis for the hit BBC show Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall, which attracted over 12 million viewers in its first two nights on the air.

©2006 Ann Cleeves (P)2014 Macmillan Audio

Questionable Narration

I would have thought that the fact that the book takes place in the Shetland Islands of Scotland would have demanded a Scottish narrator. Instead we have a narrator from England that completely takes you out of the spirit of the book. And all of the characters he plays in the book sounds like a middle aged English man. The writing is solid and I enjoyed the book, but I don’t think I can listen to anymore of this narrator. Just my two cents.

I was kept guessing til the end

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book came as a surprise: as with every mystery I always try to work out who did it, but this book kept me guessing right up to the end. A lot of fun. I will definitely be reading more of Ann Cleeeve's books.

Great new series. I

I loved the TV series Vera and thus new story didn't disappoint Can't wait for the rest in the quartet.

Raven Black was excellent!

Atmospheric, suspenseful and surprising! I really liked the voice actor, too - that definitely added to the atmosphere of this story. i am looking forward to reading more in this series.

Not very compelling

Read this story for a book club. A rather subdued story with a light unexpected twist.

Great read. Annoying dictation.

A nice story that is more than a 2-D thriller. However, the narrator speaks in 7 syllables at a time which gets old after a few hours. However, he does great accents. I would check out another Cleaves, provided the narrator is different!

Soooo slow

I tried to like this book. Scandinavian crime is a fav of mine. However, this novel nearly put me to sleep. It wasn’t engaging or thrilling and I couldn’t finish it. Also, the narrator’s voice didn’t fit the genre for me. It was hard to buy into the narrative when the narrator sounded like he should’ve been reading nursery rhymes.

Good

The story was interesting. I’m definitely no expert on Shetland accents, but most of the narration was way more British than Scottish which was odd & disappointing. That said, I’ll continue on.

The surprise ending.

Sallys father remained a mystery, which was frustrating. I wish some of the other characters would have been fully drawn.

Very good mystery of who done it

This book is well written and it keeps you in suspense till the very end.I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the next book by Ann Cleeves. The narrator did an excellent job keeping you interested all the way til the end.