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The Killing Stones
It's been several years since Detective Jimmy Perez left Shetland. He has settled into his new home in Orkney, the group of islands, off the northern coast of Scotland, with his partner Willow Reeve and their growing family. One stormy winter night, his oldest and closest friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Ever the detective, Perez catches a boat to the island of Westray, where Archie worked as a farmer and lived with his wife and children. But when he arrives he finds a shocking scene: Archie's body, on an archaeological dig site and an ancient Westray story stone with precise spirals carved into it beside him, the clear murder weapon. The artifact, taken from a nearby museum, seems to suggest a premediated murder. But Perez is so close to the case that he struggles to maintain an objective distance from the potential suspects. He finds it difficult to question Archie's wife, whom he's known for years. Rumors swirl about the dead man's relationship with a young woman new to the island, an artist. With each new lead, the case becomes more twisted and Perez wonders if he will ever find out what happened in his friend's final days.
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Murder In My Backyard
Murder in My Backyard is the second mystery novel in the Inspector Ramsay series by Sunday Times bestselling author of the Shetland, Vera Stanhope and Two Rivers crime series. No one in Heppleburn has a bad word to say about Alice Parry . . . but here she is, murdered in her own backyard on a bitter St David’s Eve. When Inspector Ramsay starts asking questions in the village, a more ambiguous picture begins to emerge. Yes, old Mrs. Parry was loved by everyone, but sometimes her kindness had caused trouble. Yes, her two nephews were devoted to her, but they didn’t really want her interfering in their complicated personal lives. Even among her neighbours, Alice Parry’s helpfulness had sometimes misfired. And after her death, tension tight as a clenched fist grips the uneasy village. Meanwhile, the suspects keep rolling in, as Heppleburn’s friendly neighbourhood killer continues his nasty work . . . Praise for Ann Cleeves: ‘Stunning’ – David Baldacci, New York Times bestselling author of the Atlee Pine series ‘Clever, compassionate and atmospheric’ – Elly Griffiths, author of the Ruth Galloway series