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George & Molly Palmer-Jones #7
The Mill on the Shore
Before Shetland and Vera, Ann Cleeves wrote the George and Molly Palmer-Jones series following remarkable mysteries in a birdwatching community—now in print for the first time in the US.
Meg Morrissey refuses to believe that her husband James committed suicide. James was in high spirits after he’d finally completed his long-awaited autobiography. He didn’t leave a suicide note. But even more the record of his life’s environmental achievement, his magnum opus, has gone missing.
Troubled, Meg calls in amateur sleuths George and Molly Palmer-Jones to investigate. They soon uncover that life in the Morrissey family is not as idyllic as it seems—relations with James’ ex-wife Cathy are not as friendly as Meg makes them out and James appears to have fallen for another women. But the disappearance of his autobiography is most puzzling of all—did he uncover a secret so damaging that someone was prepared to kill for it?
George and Molly must try to fit together the missing pieces of information to reveal who could have wanted James dead . . .
Meg Morrissey refuses to believe that her husband James committed suicide. James was in high spirits after he’d finally completed his long-awaited autobiography. He didn’t leave a suicide note. But even more the record of his life’s environmental achievement, his magnum opus, has gone missing.
Troubled, Meg calls in amateur sleuths George and Molly Palmer-Jones to investigate. They soon uncover that life in the Morrissey family is not as idyllic as it seems—relations with James’ ex-wife Cathy are not as friendly as Meg makes them out and James appears to have fallen for another women. But the disappearance of his autobiography is most puzzling of all—did he uncover a secret so damaging that someone was prepared to kill for it?
George and Molly must try to fit together the missing pieces of information to reveal who could have wanted James dead . . .
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 1994
204 people are currently reading
720 people want to read
About the author
Ann Cleeves
132 books8,914 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 - 30 of 47 reviews
March 21, 2016
Read by.............. Stephen Thorne
Total Runtime......... 7 Hours 37 Mins
Description: When Jimmy Morrissey, England's celebrated conservation conscience, kills himself with an overdose of antidepressants, the whole country mourns with his grieving widow. But private investigators Molly and George Palmer-Jones are convinced that what looks like suicide is really murder. After all, Jimmy made a lot of enemies while crusading as an environmental activist. Could one of them have been his wife? (British mystery featuring bird-watcher and crime solver George Palmer-Jones)
This didn't capture my imagination nor keep my attention, a latent susurration in the background.3* Raven Black (Shetland, #1)
2* White Nights (Shetland, #2)
3* Red Bones (Shetland, #3)
3* Blue Lightning (Shetland, #4)
3* The Crow Trap (Vera Stanhope, #1)
3* Telling Tales (Vera Stanhope, #2)
3* Hidden Depths (Vera Stanhope, #3)
3* Silent Voices (Vera Stanhope, #4)
3* The Glass Room (Vera Stanhope, #5)
3* Harbour Street (Vera Stanhope, #6)
3* Sea Fever (George & Molly Palmer-Jones, #5)
2* Another Man's Poison (George & Molly Palmer-Jones, #6)
Read
September 25, 2025A family saga dealing with industrial pollution. At least one awful character who is entirely divided between a shining public face and a totally selfish private one. As is so often the case the identity of the murderer is kind of painful; the reader would probably prefer it to be almost anyone else.
October 21, 2025
A great read. Interesting twist. Liked the characters
October 8, 2021
A decent mystery, interesting setting, but somehow, boring. Although I never guessed who-done-it, there wasn't any real tension in the novel.
November 21, 2023
The Mill on the Shore by Ann Cleeves
Blurb
When Jimmy Morrissey, England's celebrated conservation conscience, kills himself with an overdose of antidepressants, the whole country mourns with his grieving widow. But private investigators Molly and George Palmer-Jones are convinced that what looks like suicide is really murder.
After all, Jimmy made a lot of enemies while crusading as an environmental activist. Could one of them have been his wife?
My Opinion
With plenty of time spent in the car, I have now listened to two of these audiobooks in quick succession. With new characters in each book with the exception of George and Molly, each can easily be read as a standalone and the series is great to dip in and out of.
George has been asked to look into whether a suicide was actually a suicide, of course it turns out to be a murder and I have to say that I had many suspicions as to who the murderer was but in this case I have to say that I didn't guess it. Whilst difficult to connect with any of the characters it was an easy book to listen to and a rather enjoyable tale.
Rating 4/5
Blurb
When Jimmy Morrissey, England's celebrated conservation conscience, kills himself with an overdose of antidepressants, the whole country mourns with his grieving widow. But private investigators Molly and George Palmer-Jones are convinced that what looks like suicide is really murder.
After all, Jimmy made a lot of enemies while crusading as an environmental activist. Could one of them have been his wife?
My Opinion
With plenty of time spent in the car, I have now listened to two of these audiobooks in quick succession. With new characters in each book with the exception of George and Molly, each can easily be read as a standalone and the series is great to dip in and out of.
George has been asked to look into whether a suicide was actually a suicide, of course it turns out to be a murder and I have to say that I had many suspicions as to who the murderer was but in this case I have to say that I didn't guess it. Whilst difficult to connect with any of the characters it was an easy book to listen to and a rather enjoyable tale.
Rating 4/5
December 14, 2022
Not one of her better books. This was another George and Molly Palmer Jones mystery. A famous BBC conservationist dies due to apparent suicide. His widow is not satisfied with the suicide verdict and calls in George to look into the case. Although it turns out that her motives were less than pure.
I found it hard to feel anything for the characters, except maybe the murderer. Even the widow's children weren't that sympathetic. The only part that I thought was authentic was the relationship between George and Molly, supportive but not exactly a relationship of equals. Molly is aware of this but George is blind to it. George and Molly feel more drawn out than anyone else in the story. But I want to get through the series. One more to go.
I found it hard to feel anything for the characters, except maybe the murderer. Even the widow's children weren't that sympathetic. The only part that I thought was authentic was the relationship between George and Molly, supportive but not exactly a relationship of equals. Molly is aware of this but George is blind to it. George and Molly feel more drawn out than anyone else in the story. But I want to get through the series. One more to go.
June 28, 2014
Very good, very British murder mystery. Cleeves is a worthy successor to the Agatha Christie tradition. Molly and George Palmer-Jones are similar, I think, to Mrs. Marple. They are unorthodox detectives, but they get results. And the plot is so full of false trails, you won't even guess whether or not there WAS a murder, much less who dunnit.
October 4, 2025
This early Cleeves series very much gets into its stride by the seventh and penultimate book. That said, eight books about murder among the UK's birdwatching population is probably enough even for those of us who love to read Ann Cleeves. There's only so far you can stretch the portrayal of conservationists and wildlife lovers as dark and murderous before it all starts to get a bit implausible. This is why, on the whole, the crime genre is usually better served by police as the main characters, rather than private investigators.
In this installment, George and Molly are called to investigate the death of a famous conservationist, once a BBC wildlife presenter, whose death has been ruled a suicide. His second wife is convinced that he has been murdered, and wishes to get to the truth of the matter. A cast of characters live in and around the famous couple, who have something of a blended famliy situation. Obviously, another dead body turns up before the mystery is resolved.
Plot-wise, this is a standard murder mystery and in many ways has an underwhelming resolution, but it is also extremely well observed in relation to the tensions and resentments that exist in households and in small-town communities.
In this installment, George and Molly are called to investigate the death of a famous conservationist, once a BBC wildlife presenter, whose death has been ruled a suicide. His second wife is convinced that he has been murdered, and wishes to get to the truth of the matter. A cast of characters live in and around the famous couple, who have something of a blended famliy situation. Obviously, another dead body turns up before the mystery is resolved.
Plot-wise, this is a standard murder mystery and in many ways has an underwhelming resolution, but it is also extremely well observed in relation to the tensions and resentments that exist in households and in small-town communities.
January 27, 2026
The Mill on the Shore showcases everything Ann Cleeves does so well: atmosphere, emotional intelligence, and a patient, thoughtful approach to crime fiction. Rather than relying on nonstop action, Cleeves builds her mystery through setting and character, allowing the landscape and the people who inhabit it to shape the story just as much as the crime itself.
The coastal setting is nicely created and presented. The mill and its surroundings feel isolated, windswept, and slightly haunting, creating the perfect backdrop for secrets to surface. Cleeves has a gift for making place feel like a character, and here the shore’s quiet rhythms contrast effectively with the tension simmering beneath the surface.
What really elevates the novel is its focus on human complexity. The suspects aren’t just puzzle pieces; they’re layered individuals carrying histories, regrets, and loyalties. Cleeves explores how small communities protect themselves, sometimes at the cost of truth. The investigation unfolds slowly, but with purpose, rewarding readers who enjoy unraveling motives rather than racing toward answers.
The coastal setting is nicely created and presented. The mill and its surroundings feel isolated, windswept, and slightly haunting, creating the perfect backdrop for secrets to surface. Cleeves has a gift for making place feel like a character, and here the shore’s quiet rhythms contrast effectively with the tension simmering beneath the surface.
What really elevates the novel is its focus on human complexity. The suspects aren’t just puzzle pieces; they’re layered individuals carrying histories, regrets, and loyalties. Cleeves explores how small communities protect themselves, sometimes at the cost of truth. The investigation unfolds slowly, but with purpose, rewarding readers who enjoy unraveling motives rather than racing toward answers.
July 16, 2022
There are 8 books in the Palmer-Jones series, but my library only has 5 of them. For several years I have checked book sections whenever I shop in a 2nd hand store that alphabetizes their books by author. This is not the only book I have been hunting for, but this is the one I found this week.
I enjoy the dynamic between George and Molly and the birdwatching themes. Here George is called in by the widow of a conservationist. The official verdict was suicide but was it murder? The widow is does not see Molly as part of the detective team, but, of course, Molly does plenty of detecting. I was well entertained.
I enjoy the dynamic between George and Molly and the birdwatching themes. Here George is called in by the widow of a conservationist. The official verdict was suicide but was it murder? The widow is does not see Molly as part of the detective team, but, of course, Molly does plenty of detecting. I was well entertained.
January 24, 2022
Before Vera and Shetland Ann wrote this great series about the retired couple who like to solve crimes. As with all her books I could see the location and feel as if I knew all the characters. In this one I really wanted the killer to be the only person I disliked. Naturally I was disappointed as I knew I would be. I especially enjoyed the description of the local policeman. This is the third book in the series that I have read and I am very happy to know there are more.
July 12, 2024
I think I was interrupted too many times because this book just didn’t hang together for me.
I’ve enjoyed all the Shetland books and as many Vera Stanhope as I can find, so I do think it is me. Molly and George were not very interesting and didn’t seem to like each other very much. Never a plus. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, especially for this distracted reader. As always, the environment and the birds were just right.
I’ve enjoyed all the Shetland books and as many Vera Stanhope as I can find, so I do think it is me. Molly and George were not very interesting and didn’t seem to like each other very much. Never a plus. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, especially for this distracted reader. As always, the environment and the birds were just right.
July 23, 2019
A reprint of a 1994 novel. I generally like Ann Cleeves’ books, but I wasn’t familiar with this early series.
The book was ok, though rather depressing. I didn’t guess the killer, so it worked n that level.
A lot of her characters are birders, dedicated to birdwatching, in this and other series, so I’m guessing that’s one of Cleeves’ own interests too.
The book was ok, though rather depressing. I didn’t guess the killer, so it worked n that level.
A lot of her characters are birders, dedicated to birdwatching, in this and other series, so I’m guessing that’s one of Cleeves’ own interests too.
January 20, 2026
slow moving
Loved the previous books in this series, but almost abandoned this book at the halfway point. The only character in the book that I cared about was a child… even Molly and George were unlikable. Alas, I plodded through and finished it, but it truly was disappointing and probably will be forgettable for me.
Loved the previous books in this series, but almost abandoned this book at the halfway point. The only character in the book that I cared about was a child… even Molly and George were unlikable. Alas, I plodded through and finished it, but it truly was disappointing and probably will be forgettable for me.
April 12, 2021
It’s great that this older series of Ann Cleeves has been reprinted and is also in ebook form as it means I’ve more titles of this author to read. I enjoyed the book...it coasts along in quite a gentle way but it certainly held my interest.
October 27, 2023
A retired wealthy man dies. Supposedly of an overdose. But his wife doesn't believe it. She thinks it was murder because he had just finished an autobiography and was quite well known. So she hired George and Molly to investigate.
March 14, 2024
Molly and George Palmer-Jones are called by the widow of a major conservationist to investigate an apparent suicide. The marriage was messy and Molly seems irritated by the widow's perfect mother brand.
December 18, 2024
This is the 7th of eight books in the George and Molly Palmer-Jones series written by Cleeves in the 1990’s. James Morrissey is dead, declared suicide by officials but his widow, Meg, thinks otherwise. She hires George to find the truth. George insists on bringing Molly because they are partners in business. This development of the biases held by us all, here Meg thinking Molly is just a ‘social worker’ is analysed with great skill by Cleeves. I really enjoyed how Molly handles the various ‘ignores’ by Meg and George too, at times. The ending was OK. It seemed a little out of character and I needed more hints at the quiet anger hidden underneath to really believe. 3 1/2 stars.
March 9, 2025
I’m not sure about this book and George & Molly. Trouble is when you’ve seen Vera Stanhope & Jimmy Perez in the TV series, they are hard acts to follow. Their characters come to life in the novels. I’ll give another George & Molly book a try and then decide if it’s a series worth following.
December 31, 2017
George is summoned to investigate the death of a naturalist. A classic style amateur sleuth mystery.
July 12, 2020
Another slow and gentle book in the series. Sounds odd to say that about a murder mystery, but that is the feeling I always get from these books.
August 2, 2020
A decent read. I enjoy this author and this book doesn’t change that. Bird watching, environmental issues and a murder...or two.
August 24, 2020
Big fan of Vera; curious to see how A. Cleeves is as a writer. Engrossing enough; finished quickly.
November 15, 2021
The George and Molly Palmer-Jones books are sadly let down by having no redeeming characters so you end up not really caring about any of them. George and Molly are flat and uninteresting, too.
May 16, 2023
Murder or suicide. Environmental issues being problems
June 23, 2023
I am an avid follower of Ann Cleeves but it did take time to get into this book. Still a good read but slow to get going and my attention was not riveted.
January 7, 2024
It was a good book, but a bit boring.
I was surprised with the murderer reveal, but at the same time the first half of the book could be scrapped.
I was surprised with the murderer reveal, but at the same time the first half of the book could be scrapped.
June 20, 2024
Not exactly acthrilling read. George especially getting a bit too old for excitement.
August 6, 2024
Excellent story
September 19, 2024
Definitely better than first 4 in series
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews