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Shetland #8.5
Missing in the Snow
A Shetland Short Story
10 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2023
3 people are currently reading
745 people want to read
About the author
Ann Cleeves
132 books8,822 followersAnn is the author of the books behind ITV's VERA, now in it's third series, and the BBC's SHETLAND, which will be aired in December 2012. Ann's DI Vera Stanhope series of books is set in Northumberland and features the well loved detective along with her partner Joe Ashworth. Ann's Shetland series bring us DI Jimmy Perez, investigating in the mysterious, dark, and beautiful Shetland Islands...
Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs - child care officer, women's refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard - before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.
While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person's not heavily into birds - and Ann isn't - there's not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.
In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.
For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival's first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries.
Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony
Ann's short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award - once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.
In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA's Gold Dagger award, and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world's largest award for crime fiction.
Ann's success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London's Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. She said: "I have never won anything before in my life, so it was a complete shock - but lovely of course.. The evening was relatively relaxing because I'd lost my voice and knew that even if the unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So I wouldn't have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!"
The judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray (an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime fiction), Heather O'Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).
Ann's books have been translated into sixteen languages. She's a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs - child care officer, women's refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard - before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.
While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person's not heavily into birds - and Ann isn't - there's not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.
In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.
For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival's first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries.
Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony
Ann's short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award - once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.
In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA's Gold Dagger award, and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world's largest award for crime fiction.
Ann's success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London's Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. She said: "I have never won anything before in my life, so it was a complete shock - but lovely of course.. The evening was relatively relaxing because I'd lost my voice and knew that even if the unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So I wouldn't have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!"
The judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray (an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime fiction), Heather O'Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).
Ann's books have been translated into sixteen languages. She's a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 24, 2023
Perhaps not the best time for reading this one, with heatwave outside, it would be more enjoyable to indulge in it wrapped in blanket by the window from which stretches the view of waves crushing on shores of Shetland to eerie soundtrack of wind whistling as winter closes its freezing hug (now longed for weather), but this certainly was refreshing content, and moreover it was exclusive story sent to me by Pac Macmillian as part of special limited offer on their website, and I am not losing on a chance to review first EVER free book that I have received in eight years that i have been active on this platform! (I am kickstarting this review business fr now) (okay maybe there was one more that was free on kindle. but looooooong time ago tho.)
Queen Cleeves really put in 20 pages twist after twist unraveling in immaculate writing that flows like river under ice, pulling you along to current of masterly crafted prose.
There is lot of talk these days how to review books and how not to, but this book like any cleeves' work, doesnt leave space for overthinking when it comes to praise: bloody brilliant!
Queen Cleeves really put in 20 pages twist after twist unraveling in immaculate writing that flows like river under ice, pulling you along to current of masterly crafted prose.
There is lot of talk these days how to review books and how not to, but this book like any cleeves' work, doesnt leave space for overthinking when it comes to praise: bloody brilliant!
October 31, 2025
A little disappointing. Too short. Could have taken some more interesting tacks for sure. Much ado about nothing.
July 15, 2023
Short story with a tempting ending
September 1, 2023
Felt rather pointless, if I'm honest. It's difficult to do anything interesting with crime fiction in the short story format, especially if it's as short as this. Rankin is probably the one exception I've come across in that regard.
August 26, 2023
Cute very short story that units the book series and the TV series by introducing Tosh to the book series. Of course it's Ann's take on the character of Tosh not a direct copy of tv character which I liked.
We get an update on Jimmy and Willow. Married with a son and most importantly Jimmy is happier. Cassie is mentioned but no information is given. Cassie was nine in the last Shetland novel and this novel references Ann losing her laptopbin 2022. (cute joke) so that would make Cassie about 14-15. Seemed a bit odd she wasn't spoken about as if she was still living with Jimmy. But story doesn't really tell us how much time has past between the last novel and now. I'm making guesses.
Tosh is married with two kids and has taken over Jimmy's old role. Fitting fate for such a good character.
Sandy is refenced beliefly but no update on his life.
The hint that Jimmy's cousin possible murder could be investigated and possibly turned into a future short story or novel is fun note to end the story on.
We get an update on Jimmy and Willow. Married with a son and most importantly Jimmy is happier. Cassie is mentioned but no information is given. Cassie was nine in the last Shetland novel and this novel references Ann losing her laptopbin 2022. (cute joke) so that would make Cassie about 14-15. Seemed a bit odd she wasn't spoken about as if she was still living with Jimmy. But story doesn't really tell us how much time has past between the last novel and now. I'm making guesses.
Tosh is married with two kids and has taken over Jimmy's old role. Fitting fate for such a good character.
Sandy is refenced beliefly but no update on his life.
The hint that Jimmy's cousin possible murder could be investigated and possibly turned into a future short story or novel is fun note to end the story on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2025
Left me wanting more (as short stories tend to do). All the same, an enchanting quick read where I noticed a link between characters of another Ann Cleeves short story recently read. Hope I can find a full novel that expands the concepts more.
July 16, 2023
A nice visit with Tosh and Jimmy and a snowbound mystery that isn't as deep as it looks.
July 17, 2023
Very short short story, but always nice to see Tosh and Jimmy together
July 23, 2023
Very short freebie story, but a lovely little read none the less.
November 12, 2023
Jimmy Perez short story!
December 22, 2023
Tosh asks for Jimmy’s help when an author renting a place disappears.
I love how settled into their places the characters are.
3 stars
I love how settled into their places the characters are.
3 stars
August 15, 2024
Χαριτωμένη μεν, αχρείαστη δε, χωρίς να προσθέτει κάτι στο lor της σειράς.
February 18, 2025
Clever short story. Even a wee fix of Shetland and Jimmy Perez is worth it.
June 15, 2025
great quick read
August 22, 2025
This is a very short story that, while entertaining could be skipped. It was nice to return to the series, even if the story was very short and basically a non-story.
November 7, 2025
Nice little short but really too insubstantial for more than 3 stars. It felt strange to have the story told in the first person POV of Tosh. I also felt the end fell a bit flat.
June 5, 2025
Short story - Perez back on Shetland.
August 16, 2025
2X Rereading before the return of Jimmy Perez in The Killing Stones. I was so excited when Ann Cleeves announced she was going to not continue Shetland but see what's going on in Orkney with Jimmy and Willow.
1X What a treat! Inspired by author Ann Cleeves losing her laptop last winter in Shetland. (It was found and returned.) Set after Shetland book series ends but also incorporates TV show's Tosh.
* Actually read back in Summer. At that time it wasn't listed on Goodreads.
1X What a treat! Inspired by author Ann Cleeves losing her laptop last winter in Shetland. (It was found and returned.) Set after Shetland book series ends but also incorporates TV show's Tosh.
* Actually read back in Summer. At that time it wasn't listed on Goodreads.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews