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Shetland #6.2
Too Good To Be True
Too Good To Be True is a gripping Quick Read from Ann Cleeves, featuring Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez from the bestselling Shetland series.
When young teacher Anna Blackwell is found dead in her home, the police think her death was suicide or a tragic accident. After all, Stonebridge is a quiet country village in the Scottish Borders, where murders just don't happen.
But Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez soon arrives from far-away Shetland when his ex-wife, Sarah, asks him to look into the case. The local gossips are saying that her new husband, Tom, was having an affair with Anna. Could Tom have been involved with her death? Sarah refuses to believe it - but needs proof.
Anna had been a teacher. She must have loved kids. Would she kill herself knowing there was nobody to look after her daughter? She had seemed happier than ever before she died. And to Perez, this suggests not suicide, but murder . .
When young teacher Anna Blackwell is found dead in her home, the police think her death was suicide or a tragic accident. After all, Stonebridge is a quiet country village in the Scottish Borders, where murders just don't happen.
But Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez soon arrives from far-away Shetland when his ex-wife, Sarah, asks him to look into the case. The local gossips are saying that her new husband, Tom, was having an affair with Anna. Could Tom have been involved with her death? Sarah refuses to believe it - but needs proof.
Anna had been a teacher. She must have loved kids. Would she kill herself knowing there was nobody to look after her daughter? She had seemed happier than ever before she died. And to Perez, this suggests not suicide, but murder . .
112 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2016
567 people are currently reading
3414 people want to read
About the author
Ann Cleeves
133 books8,611 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 354 reviews
October 2, 2018
The book “Too Good To Be True” by Ann Cleeves is my first encounter with the author’s writing. Since the book sequence indicates this book is chronologically slated as taking place between books six and seven in her “Shetland” series this may seem to be a strange place to begin.
Over the past few weeks I have been viewing the television series titled “Shetland” currently playing on ‘Netflix’ based on Ms. Cleeves’ books, which I enjoyed, so giving the books a try seemed a sound conclusion. The Shetland islands, formerly called Zetland, are a group that is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies northeast of Great Britain. The islands lie some 168 km (104 mi) from the Scottish mainland. They form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The population is around 25,000. There are 16 inhabited islands.
In the series we have Jimmy Perez who is a detective inspector working for the Shetland police. He is assisted by Detective Sergeant Alison "Tosh" Macintosh. There are four seasons of the show. The first two seasons are based on Ms. Cleeves books. The first season consists of two episodes, a single two part story based on the novel “Red Bones”. The second season was extended to six episodes. This series features three two-part stories based on Ms. Cleeves' novels “Raven Black”, “Dead Water”, and “Blue Lightning”. Season three was the first season not adapted from any of Ms. Cleeves' novels. Nor was season four. A season five was announced in 2018.
In this book, we have Jimmy Perez leave the Shetland area to visits the small Scottish town of Stonebridge, Scotland, after getting a call from his ex-wife Sarah. She has asked him for his professional help. Sarah asks Perez to look into a recent suicide of Anna Blackwell, a young local school teacher. The gossip around the small town is that Sarah's new doctor husband, Tom, was having an affair with Anna and it's his fault that she killed herself. The local police, after a cursory investigation, found no foul play.
The book is a ‘quick read’, consisting of one hundred pages. No familiarity with the rest of the series of books was necessary. Watching the television series had made me familiar with the main character Perez, who here was a likeable and sympathetic character. My interest was sparked to read more of the series. If I had any problem with the plot, it would be Perez’s ability to resolve the issues presented in two day’s that the local law enforcement contingent was unable to even recognize.
This quality size paperback is labeled as a 'quick reads' and is produced by Pan Macmillan. It sells (new) for one English pound which is currently approximately one and a half U.S. dollars. It features the Shetland detective Jimmy Perez. This is an original novella in the "Shetland" series.
Over the past few weeks I have been viewing the television series titled “Shetland” currently playing on ‘Netflix’ based on Ms. Cleeves’ books, which I enjoyed, so giving the books a try seemed a sound conclusion. The Shetland islands, formerly called Zetland, are a group that is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies northeast of Great Britain. The islands lie some 168 km (104 mi) from the Scottish mainland. They form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The population is around 25,000. There are 16 inhabited islands.
In the series we have Jimmy Perez who is a detective inspector working for the Shetland police. He is assisted by Detective Sergeant Alison "Tosh" Macintosh. There are four seasons of the show. The first two seasons are based on Ms. Cleeves books. The first season consists of two episodes, a single two part story based on the novel “Red Bones”. The second season was extended to six episodes. This series features three two-part stories based on Ms. Cleeves' novels “Raven Black”, “Dead Water”, and “Blue Lightning”. Season three was the first season not adapted from any of Ms. Cleeves' novels. Nor was season four. A season five was announced in 2018.
In this book, we have Jimmy Perez leave the Shetland area to visits the small Scottish town of Stonebridge, Scotland, after getting a call from his ex-wife Sarah. She has asked him for his professional help. Sarah asks Perez to look into a recent suicide of Anna Blackwell, a young local school teacher. The gossip around the small town is that Sarah's new doctor husband, Tom, was having an affair with Anna and it's his fault that she killed herself. The local police, after a cursory investigation, found no foul play.
The book is a ‘quick read’, consisting of one hundred pages. No familiarity with the rest of the series of books was necessary. Watching the television series had made me familiar with the main character Perez, who here was a likeable and sympathetic character. My interest was sparked to read more of the series. If I had any problem with the plot, it would be Perez’s ability to resolve the issues presented in two day’s that the local law enforcement contingent was unable to even recognize.
This quality size paperback is labeled as a 'quick reads' and is produced by Pan Macmillan. It sells (new) for one English pound which is currently approximately one and a half U.S. dollars. It features the Shetland detective Jimmy Perez. This is an original novella in the "Shetland" series.
August 24, 2017
"Too Good To Be True" is a 'Quick Reads' book by Ann Cleeves and at under 100 pages long is a book you will easily read in one sitting.
I'm already a fan of Ann's Jimmy Perez 'Shetland' series and this follows on from number 6 in the series although it can be happily read as a standalone or as an introduction to the Shetland books.
A nice easy plot that I enjoyed, I highly recommend it and I will continue to follow Perez in future books.
4 stars.
I'm already a fan of Ann's Jimmy Perez 'Shetland' series and this follows on from number 6 in the series although it can be happily read as a standalone or as an introduction to the Shetland books.
A nice easy plot that I enjoyed, I highly recommend it and I will continue to follow Perez in future books.
4 stars.
September 30, 2018
A short but complete murder mystery featuring Jimmy Perez - loved it!
April 21, 2020
2.5 stars
Even if it was short it was a nice story!
I like reading about Jimmy Perez! It's refreshing to read about a detective that isn't the usual macho type or the type that is unfaithful! I love that he is kind and calm!
Anyway in this short story we get to meet his ex wife and I must say she didn't make a good impression on me!
I didn't figure who murderer was but I was sure as to who wasn't!
I enjoyed reading it!
Even if it was short it was a nice story!
I like reading about Jimmy Perez! It's refreshing to read about a detective that isn't the usual macho type or the type that is unfaithful! I love that he is kind and calm!
Anyway in this short story we get to meet his ex wife and I must say she didn't make a good impression on me!
I didn't figure who murderer was but I was sure as to who wasn't!
I enjoyed reading it!
March 2, 2017
A detective investigates an apparent suicide in a remote community.
The story was pretty good but some of writing was a bit clunky.
The story was pretty good but some of writing was a bit clunky.
March 20, 2016
At 88 pages a short story is really quite a hard ask. This was my first read of Ann Cleeves and was a great introduction to Jimmy Perez of the Shetland series. A very average mystery but enough to see that I like how Ann Cleeves writes and that I want to read more of her work.
November 17, 2019
Honestly, this book is not worth reading if you're not an absolute fan of Ann Cleeves and/or the Shetland series. It's a quick read story and it sure felt like it. I read it in Swedish and it really felt like one of those books you read when you're trying to learn a new language. Not much substance to the story and lacking descriptions.
October 29, 2016
3rd book in the Shetland series I've read. Love them all just as much as the tv series.
Jimmy Perez back to solve another crime. This time for his ex wife and out of the Shetlands.
Short but sweet story. Really enjoyed it
Jimmy Perez back to solve another crime. This time for his ex wife and out of the Shetlands.
Short but sweet story. Really enjoyed it
July 18, 2020
Jimmy Perez Inspector from the Shetland Island is asked by his ex wife to investigate a suicide of a young girl from her village. He has only two days to investigate. He soon finds it to be a murder. He also finds his ex wife's husband is involved. Jimmy is away from his natural environment, in a close-knit, rather spiteful community, where he feels uncomfortable and longs to be back in his Shetland home with Cassie, his adopted daughter. Working with the head of the local school and the local PC he solves the crime, but not before he's almost caught in an unpleasant accident.
June 17, 2023
This was an okay small town mystery.
It's a short story, so I know it's hard to pack a lot in, but the details felt rushed.
Instead of lush descriptions of the landscape, those words could have been used to flush out more bits in the mystery/plot.
Still pretty good, just not as good as I wanted it to be?
It's a short story, so I know it's hard to pack a lot in, but the details felt rushed.
Instead of lush descriptions of the landscape, those words could have been used to flush out more bits in the mystery/plot.
Still pretty good, just not as good as I wanted it to be?
October 3, 2023
A decent mystery with a fairly satisfying ending, but I'm not okay with the idea that an incriminating piece of paper fell out of someone's pocket onto a desk. That is simply too convenient for me. Maybe if the paper had been found on the ground.... But even then, who murders someone and leaves something that so blatantly points to them as the culprit behind at the scene? No one is that incompetent.
February 13, 2016
A short book by the author of the popular Shetland mystery series and TV show.
Jimmy Perez, detective, receives a request from his ex-wife, Sarah. She asks him to leave his base on Shetland Island, and privately investigate a personal case which is making her distraught.
Sarah has married a doctor in a small village on the mainland of Scotland. A young unmarried school teacher has been found dead, and the local police have concluded she committed suicide. Local gossips
are spreading the word that Sarah's husband was having an affair with the teacher and may have murdered her.
Perez doesn't want to be away from his regular job and daughter for more than two days. He walks around the village questioning various people and neatly solves the case within that time. An interesting quick novella of about 100 pages, but the solution seems rushed.
Jimmy Perez, detective, receives a request from his ex-wife, Sarah. She asks him to leave his base on Shetland Island, and privately investigate a personal case which is making her distraught.
Sarah has married a doctor in a small village on the mainland of Scotland. A young unmarried school teacher has been found dead, and the local police have concluded she committed suicide. Local gossips
are spreading the word that Sarah's husband was having an affair with the teacher and may have murdered her.
Perez doesn't want to be away from his regular job and daughter for more than two days. He walks around the village questioning various people and neatly solves the case within that time. An interesting quick novella of about 100 pages, but the solution seems rushed.
June 27, 2016
I've tried a few Quick Reads by other crime series writers I enjoy and expected to like this. I was quite happy for it to be a bit of an odd interlude (otherwise you can mess up your main series, can't you?) I also liked that it involved Jimmy Perez visiting his ex-wife, and I was fairly happy about spotting one of the big secrets in the plot. But ultimately it felt a bit too rushed... maybe there should have been less plot to provide more of the physical atmosphere of the place, at which Ann Cleeves usually excels, as well as the claustrophobia of the village which is certainly there.
Read
March 9, 2016Thoroughly enjoyed this Quick Reads by Ann Cleeves. I had never read her books before but I will now
June 25, 2017
A novella, featuring Shetland series detective Jimmy Perez, down in the Scottish Borders, investigating a death as a favour to his ex-wife. An enjoyable two day investigation comes to a new conclusion, different from the local police.
August 5, 2022
For any fans of the TV programme ‘Shetland’ and its detective Jimmy Perez, this short story is an excellent introduction to the books that spawned the series. Any synopsis would spoil the story for any potential reader and so I will simply say recommended.
July 24, 2024
A quick, easy mystery.
Perfect for fans of the Shetland show.
It's very short, so the story does not have much build-up
Perfect for fans of the Shetland show.
It's very short, so the story does not have much build-up
July 21, 2020
This was a satisfying novella from Ann Cleeves's Shetland series, featuring DI Jimmy Perez.
While chronologically, Too Good To Be True fits between Thin Air and Cold Earth, the novella reads well as a standalone, especially for those readers who may only be familiar with Perez through watching the BBC adaptation of the series.
Perez is mysteriously summoned by his ex-wife, Sarah, to visit her home in Stonebridge, a small village in the Scottish Borders. It transpires that a local school teacher, Anna Blackwell, has died recently as a result of presumed suicide. Sarah is concerned as there are rumours circulating the local community to the effect that her husband, local GP Tom, was conducting an affair with the young woman, and may even be responsible for her death. Perez reluctantly agrees to undertake a follow-up investigation, with the grudging permission of the local CID.
Too Good To Be True is a well-constructed and evocative exploration of the dynamics of rural village life. Community solidarity and wariness of outsiders barely cover a dark underbelly of petty grievances and damaging gossip. Despite being popular with her young pupils, incomer Anna had faced her share of community disapproval and exclusion, not least from Perez's ex-wife Sarah.
As Perez closes in on the truth of Anna's untimely death, he uncovers a variety of hidden motives, jealousies and misconceptions amongst the villagers and surrounding landholders.
While not featuring the dramatic Shetland setting of the "main" novels, or any of the normal collection of supporting characters, I found this an intriguing addition to the Perez oeuvre. A quick and enjoyable read.
While chronologically, Too Good To Be True fits between Thin Air and Cold Earth, the novella reads well as a standalone, especially for those readers who may only be familiar with Perez through watching the BBC adaptation of the series.
Perez is mysteriously summoned by his ex-wife, Sarah, to visit her home in Stonebridge, a small village in the Scottish Borders. It transpires that a local school teacher, Anna Blackwell, has died recently as a result of presumed suicide. Sarah is concerned as there are rumours circulating the local community to the effect that her husband, local GP Tom, was conducting an affair with the young woman, and may even be responsible for her death. Perez reluctantly agrees to undertake a follow-up investigation, with the grudging permission of the local CID.
Too Good To Be True is a well-constructed and evocative exploration of the dynamics of rural village life. Community solidarity and wariness of outsiders barely cover a dark underbelly of petty grievances and damaging gossip. Despite being popular with her young pupils, incomer Anna had faced her share of community disapproval and exclusion, not least from Perez's ex-wife Sarah.
As Perez closes in on the truth of Anna's untimely death, he uncovers a variety of hidden motives, jealousies and misconceptions amongst the villagers and surrounding landholders.
While not featuring the dramatic Shetland setting of the "main" novels, or any of the normal collection of supporting characters, I found this an intriguing addition to the Perez oeuvre. A quick and enjoyable read.
February 17, 2016
It is what it is. A quick read. One of a series of short books written by bestselling writers. It is still a fast and satisfying read for regular readers and is intended to encourage more adults to discover the pleasure of reading.
Having read the entire Shetland series by Ann Cleeves I had to see how she would cope with a short story composed around her detective inspector Jimmy Perez who arrives in the Scottish Borders at the request of his ex-wife Sarah to investigate the death of Anna Blackwell, a local teacher. The police believe her death was either suicide or a tragic accident. Being a short read there is little time to develop a meaty plot and Perez solves the mystery with scant clues to go on, perhaps stretching credulity somewhat.
For all that, I enjoyed it - read in a couple of hours. I am a big fan of Ann Cleeves and Jimmy Perez. What's not to like....
Having read the entire Shetland series by Ann Cleeves I had to see how she would cope with a short story composed around her detective inspector Jimmy Perez who arrives in the Scottish Borders at the request of his ex-wife Sarah to investigate the death of Anna Blackwell, a local teacher. The police believe her death was either suicide or a tragic accident. Being a short read there is little time to develop a meaty plot and Perez solves the mystery with scant clues to go on, perhaps stretching credulity somewhat.
For all that, I enjoyed it - read in a couple of hours. I am a big fan of Ann Cleeves and Jimmy Perez. What's not to like....
October 28, 2018
I know this is a “Quick Read” (a novella aimed at adults that don’t normally read, so it has to have a limited vocabulary) but I hoped some of the writing craft bypassed the format limitations. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and the style is bland.
The plot has some gaping holes, too, like local police being unable to find some obvious evidence, the murderer having an incredibly stupid reason for murder, and people acting weird for equally stupid reasons (no less than three characters suffer brain farts so that the plot could make some semblant of sense).
Oh well, at least it kept me interested until the end so I guess that was an OK book. 2 stars, and I’m not sure I’ll want to read anything else by her.
The plot has some gaping holes, too, like local police being unable to find some obvious evidence, the murderer having an incredibly stupid reason for murder, and people acting weird for equally stupid reasons (no less than three characters suffer brain farts so that the plot could make some semblant of sense).
Oh well, at least it kept me interested until the end so I guess that was an OK book. 2 stars, and I’m not sure I’ll want to read anything else by her.
October 10, 2016
Let me begin by saying I am a fan of Ms Cleeves and all of her books. However, really fantastic short stories are an art form. This quick book feels more like a prece for a publisher pitch than a satisfying short story. Perhaps the title is worthy after all.
May 20, 2016
Nice little quick read, one book that ended with a happy ended. I must read more if her books
November 24, 2017
I don't really think that the short story is the right medium for Ann Cleeves' kind of story-telling. A quick read, but an ultimately unsatisfying one.
June 18, 2021
“Do you think Anna Blackwell committed suicide?”
Maggie answered straightaway. “Not in a thousand years. She adored her daughter. There was no way she would have killed herself and left Lucy without a mother.”
Shetland detective Jimmy Perez is urgently invited down to the Scottish Borders village of Stonebridge by his ex-wife Sarah, who wants to get to the bottom of the circumstances surrounding a young teacher’s death. Was the prescription drug overdose fatally administered by Anna herself, unable to cope with gossip about her supposed relationship with Sarah’s second husband, or by persons unknown? The local police think there are no suspicious circumstances but what could Jimmy discover with a bit of judicious sleuthing over a couple of days?
Taking care not to step on the toes of a colleague in the local police force, Jimmy begins a methodical but quiet investigation, witnessing the rumours, half-truths and intrigues common to small communities. A number of suspects suggest themselves to him, but it isn’t until an attempt is made on his life that he gets a real inkling of what really happened on the night Anna died.
This novella packs a lot into its less than a hundred pages of easy-to-read type. Jimmy is the main protagonist of Ann Cleeves’ crime fiction series set in the Shetland Islands and so is an established character (as is also Sarah I assume, though this is my first foray into the cases Perez has to deal with). The author approaches this mystery clinically: Perez has to determine not only if it was murder rather than a tragic suicide but also who might have the motivation, opportunity and means.
In the little time he has allocated himself he considers a list of suspects: a neighbour, the schoolteacher whom Anna replaced, Sarah’s doctor husband, a widowed farmer and her brother, even Jimmy’s ex-wife:
He stood for a moment on the path, looking in at the kitchen and the well-behaved children at the table. Sarah was stirring something in a pan on the stove. It all looked too good to be true.
Or is it the stranger who watches from a distance? Bit by bit, conversing with school staff, an estate agent, the landlady of the hotel where Perez stays, his police colleague and other locals he builds up a picture, helped by spotting a couple of vital clues missed at the scene. And it is indeed a crime scene, as he soon establishes — and for Jimmy it all becomes personal.
This is a title written for The Reading Agency’s Quick Read series, designed for regular readers but also “ideal for adults who are discovering reading for pleasure for the first time.” Though I fall into the first category I think the author has catered extremely well for the second. There is sufficient characterisation to build individual picture of the main actors, but not so much as to detract from the kind of pace common to the genre, necessary to hold the reader’s interest, and the satisfaction which comes from a story well told.
Why did the author agree to write this novella — or rather novelette? The answer comes in the dedication: "To the library staff who made me an enthusiastic reader and continue to share their passion for books." Clearly it’s all about giving back and passing on that enjoyment that comes from engagement with the written word.
April 6, 2019
At last I thought I would try out Cleeves crime fiction.
As a quick read I am willing to concede that this book was written with the express purpose of being simple and straightforward. Indeed the plot is what drove me to read on, accommodated as it was by the plain style. I do not know if this is indicative of Cleeves' general writing and am loath to say with so little experience.
While I was engaged by Too Good To Be True's small town intrigue, this only really happened when I was about halfway through the book. It took a short while to get past setting up Perez's involvement in the investigation and to start accumulating evidence for the crime. I was relieved that the Shetland backstory wasn't essential to reading this book but did feel that Perez's character was diminished as a result. Then again I am going off of snippets from the TV series.
I am still curious about Cleeves and her wide appeal but will give the Vera series a try as it clearly has a more eccentric lead which is something that I am personally more drawn to.
In the meantime I recommend Too Good To Be True to fans of the Shetland series wanting to enjoy another story before concluding with the final novel Wild Fire. Also if you're an adult wanting to get more into reading but without the pressure of a more complex crime narrative, this would be a good start.
As a quick read I am willing to concede that this book was written with the express purpose of being simple and straightforward. Indeed the plot is what drove me to read on, accommodated as it was by the plain style. I do not know if this is indicative of Cleeves' general writing and am loath to say with so little experience.
While I was engaged by Too Good To Be True's small town intrigue, this only really happened when I was about halfway through the book. It took a short while to get past setting up Perez's involvement in the investigation and to start accumulating evidence for the crime. I was relieved that the Shetland backstory wasn't essential to reading this book but did feel that Perez's character was diminished as a result. Then again I am going off of snippets from the TV series.
I am still curious about Cleeves and her wide appeal but will give the Vera series a try as it clearly has a more eccentric lead which is something that I am personally more drawn to.
In the meantime I recommend Too Good To Be True to fans of the Shetland series wanting to enjoy another story before concluding with the final novel Wild Fire. Also if you're an adult wanting to get more into reading but without the pressure of a more complex crime narrative, this would be a good start.
September 13, 2020
When young teacher Anna Blackwell is found dead in her home, the police think her death was suicide. Jimmy Perez is asked to look into the case by his ex-wife, Sarah, (I'd forgotten Jimmy had been married before Fran) because local gossips are saying that her new husband, Tom, a local doctor, was having an affair with Anna. But does that necessarily mean he's involved with her death?
So it's a change of scenery for Jimmy as he leaves Shetland & heads to the Scottish Borders. As Anna had been a teacher who loved kids & taking into account the fact that she had a young daughter who surely she'd never leave, Jimmy thinks this suggests murder rather than suicide.
There isn't much else to the story, it's not hard to work out whodunnit (though why didn't spring readily to my mind!) as there's not a great wealth of characters to chose from. Nevertheless, this is a short but satisfying read & having it set away from Shetland also means it doesn't interfere with the continuity of the series.
So it's a change of scenery for Jimmy as he leaves Shetland & heads to the Scottish Borders. As Anna had been a teacher who loved kids & taking into account the fact that she had a young daughter who surely she'd never leave, Jimmy thinks this suggests murder rather than suicide.
There isn't much else to the story, it's not hard to work out whodunnit (though why didn't spring readily to my mind!) as there's not a great wealth of characters to chose from. Nevertheless, this is a short but satisfying read & having it set away from Shetland also means it doesn't interfere with the continuity of the series.
January 3, 2024
It was a good page turner. But was it believable? Or had a surprising impact of twist? Nope. Could it have been better? Yes. The moment you could figure out slightly who that lurking dark figure was, it gets easy to find who the real murderer of Anna Blackwell is! There were places where the author mentions how hopeful and happy Anna was, right before the date—so the detective Perez comes to a conclusion that it can’t be a suicide by depression —doesn’t it go against what we know by far from depression? She was on antidepressants for months and suddenly she feels happy? And the detective rules out suicidal thoughts? Also what did Anna go through really to take antidepressants??
Maybe too much to ask from a quick read of 112 pages, but the author could have chosen a better motive and a better murderer!! And I can’t, for the life of me, understand how the police who investigated the case first, failed to find the prime evidences like the single washed glass on the cupboard and a note left on her dressing table!
Maybe too much to ask from a quick read of 112 pages, but the author could have chosen a better motive and a better murderer!! And I can’t, for the life of me, understand how the police who investigated the case first, failed to find the prime evidences like the single washed glass on the cupboard and a note left on her dressing table!
January 10, 2019
3.5 ☆ for a beginner
2 ☆ for me
Finished reading ... Too Good to be True / Ann Cleeves ... 10 January 2019
ISBN: 9781509806119 … 94 pp.
Having recently bemoaned the fact that the Shetland series has come to an end, I came across this Jimmy Perez story, set on the Scottish mainland. It was written for the Quick Reads series which is described as perfect for regular readers and also ideal for adults who are discovering reading for pleasure for the first time.
This volume has an OK but pared back plot line and is written in quite simple, almost stilted language, almost laboured over to be made suitable for an imagined beginner reader. It wouldn't be a quick read for a beginner but for the regular reader … you won't need a bookmark, you'll get through it in an hour, two max.
If you come across it, it's an OK read but it's not something you'd go out of your way to find.
Borrowed from my local library.
January 20, 2021
Not one of her best. Of course, it’s only a short story (never one of my favoured formats) and it’s not set in Jimmy Perez’ home island (the moody northern atmosphere is so important), so it’s lacking some of the elements that make the Shetland series so enjoyable. The solution to the mystery is entirely based on a serendipitous encounter – I guess a short story can’t really support a long procedural investigation – so that’s also a bit disappointing. Still, I love Ms. Cleeves’ work, and am glad to have added this to my reading history. I’m looking forward to the newly published entry, Wild Fire, which I understand will be the end of the series.
May 23, 2025
Very much enjoyed this short story of murder and family secrets.
This was a trial to see if I liked Ann Cleeve’s style of storytelling. Safe to say I do, and I will be reading the rest of the Shetland series!
Jimmy Perez is a detective, he’s travelled to Stonebridge where he is investigating the death of a young single mother, Anna Blackwell. As he inspects the crime scene he finds it to be a detailed representation of Anna’s life, from
Which he is able to deduce a solid starting point for his investigation.
As he continues to unravel the truth about Anna’s life and how she died, the village of Stonebridge is stirred. Gossiping begins and attempts to put a stop to Perez’s progress are made.
Full of twists and turns, a truly great example of a murder mystery. Attention to detail and human psychology are at the forefront of this story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a trial to see if I liked Ann Cleeve’s style of storytelling. Safe to say I do, and I will be reading the rest of the Shetland series!
Jimmy Perez is a detective, he’s travelled to Stonebridge where he is investigating the death of a young single mother, Anna Blackwell. As he inspects the crime scene he finds it to be a detailed representation of Anna’s life, from
Which he is able to deduce a solid starting point for his investigation.
As he continues to unravel the truth about Anna’s life and how she died, the village of Stonebridge is stirred. Gossiping begins and attempts to put a stop to Perez’s progress are made.
Full of twists and turns, a truly great example of a murder mystery. Attention to detail and human psychology are at the forefront of this story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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