Reading the Detectives discussion

Welcome to our April/May 25 buddy read of Raven Black The first book in the Shetland series was first published in 2006.

It is a cold January morning and Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunters eye is drawn to a vivid splash of colour on the white ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbour Catherine Ross. As Fran opens her mouth to scream, the ravens continue their deadly dance.

The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man - loner and simpleton Magnus Tait. But when police insist on opening the investigation, a veil of suspicion and fear is thrown over the entire community. For the first time in years, Catherine's neighbours nervously lock their doors whilst a killer lives on in their midst.

Please feel free to post spoilers in this thread.

I stayed up late to finish this last night as I really wanted to know who done it. The setting and characters are wonderful. I quite like that the old and new crimes were unconnected. The resolution of the cold crime was unexpected and believable, hinted at with earlier references to the doll.

But why did the author kill the raven! I'm really upset about that; Tait has so few pleasures. I'm hoping the mother and daughter visit him in future books. As well as hoping for love for Jimmy Perez.

I also really enjoyed the setting-so much so that I added a trip to Shetland to my last trip to the UK and it was really worth it-I think at least half and probably more of my tour group (we were about 12) were there because of the TV series and we got to see some of the settings from the series which was fun. I had watched this part of the series after reading the first book but I think the series diverts from the novels after a while and so I didn't watch any more as wanted to read the rest first.

I finished it today. The book wasn't quite up to the high praise showered on it. Cleeves just cannot create an atmosphere. Nowhere did I find any tension or dread. I am also not convinced about the motives of the murderer. I shall read the second book in the series as I became interested in a few characters and see whether I want to continue with the series or not. Incidentally, did Margaret suspect her daughter? She seemed to be falling apart towards the end.

Frances wrote: "I also really enjoyed the setting-so much so that I added a trip to Shetland to my last trip to the UK and it was really worth it..."

That sounds like a really interesting trip - I must admit I'd avoided the TV series as I thought it looked too dark for me, although my husband is a fan of it. Great to hear that you enjoyed your visit and saw some of the settings. I've got to ask, did you see any ravens?

Sandy wrote: "The resolution of the cold crime was unexpected and believable, hinted at with earlier references to the doll..."

I definitely didn't see this coming - I was very puzzled about whether Magnus had done it. I thought it was brilliantly written but I'm not so sure about it being believable, as I find it hard to believe he could hide the body so well and that police and their dogs would not have found it in all their previous searches.

I do wonder if the police would believe Magnus in real life. He would still be an accessory after the fact, anyway - I've just had a look back and I don't think we learn whether he is still going to be taken to court. I suppose it might depend on whether he is considered fit to stand trial.

Neer wrote: "I am also not convinced about the motives of the murderer... Incidentally, did Margaret suspect her daughter? She seemed to be falling apart towards the end...."

I didn't find the motivation convincing either, as Sally hasn't really seemed to be obsessed with Robert until late in the book, and the film doesn't really seem important enough to kill for.

I'm also not sure what to think about the fact that a lot is narrated from her viewpoint and yet her thoughts about what she has done are left out. In a way this seems like a cheat, although her coldness towards Catherine does become increasingly clear towards the end.

Great question about Margaret - this hadn't struck me at all. I'm not sure - she does seem to be increasingly afraid of telling Sally what to do, but would she let her go and babysit if she feared that she might be a killer? I'm not sure either way.

I fell in love with the series in 2017 and was happy to reread the first one. I have forgotten quite a bit of it and in retrospect, I think the series gets stronger. Magnus Tait was too obvious although he definitely knew something about Catriona. Sally's motive doesn't seem as strong as for instance Robert Isbister could have been. In terms of atmosphere, I think Marsali Taylor knows the islands better and her Cass Lynch books bring more of the atmosphere and language alive. The Shetlands remain on my list of places to visit, Frances!

I hadn't heard of Marsali Taylor before, Carolien, thank you for the recommendation. Sounds like another interesting author - I like books with lots of local atmosphere. I'd also like to visit the Shetlands!