Ann Cleeves is the author behind ITV’s Vera and BBC One’s Shetland. She has written over thirty novels, and is the creator of detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez – characters loved both on screen and in print. Her books have now sold millions of copies worldwide. In 2012 she was inducted into the CWA Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame and is the 2017 recipient of the CWA Diamond Dagger, the highest honour in British crime writing. Ann lives in North Tyneside.
Genres: Mystery
Series
George and Molly Palmer-Jones
1. A Bird In The Hand (1986)
2. Come Death and High Water (1987)
3. Murder In Paradise (1988)
4. A Prey To Murder (1989)
5. Sea Fever (1991)
6. Another Man's Poison (1992)
7. The Mill On The Shore (1994)
8. High Island Blues (1996)
1. A Bird In The Hand (1986)
2. Come Death and High Water (1987)
3. Murder In Paradise (1988)
4. A Prey To Murder (1989)
5. Sea Fever (1991)
6. Another Man's Poison (1992)
7. The Mill On The Shore (1994)
8. High Island Blues (1996)
Inspector Ramsay
1. A Lesson In Dying (1990)
2. Murder In My Backyard (1991)
3. A Day In The Death Of Dorothea Cassidy (1992)
4. Killjoy (1993)
5. The Healers (1995)
6. The Baby Snatcher (1997)
1. A Lesson In Dying (1990)
2. Murder In My Backyard (1991)
3. A Day In The Death Of Dorothea Cassidy (1992)
4. Killjoy (1993)
5. The Healers (1995)
6. The Baby Snatcher (1997)
Vera Stanhope
1. The Crow Trap (1999)
2. Telling Tales (2005)
3. Hidden Depths (2007)
4. Silent Voices (2011)
5. The Glass Room (2012)
6. Harbour Street (2014)
7. The Moth Catcher (2015)
8. The Seagull (2017)
8.5. Frozen (2020)
9. The Darkest Evening (2020)
9.5. The Woman on the Island (2022)
10. The Rising Tide (2022)
1. The Crow Trap (1999)
2. Telling Tales (2005)
3. Hidden Depths (2007)
4. Silent Voices (2011)
5. The Glass Room (2012)
6. Harbour Street (2014)
7. The Moth Catcher (2015)
8. The Seagull (2017)
8.5. Frozen (2020)
9. The Darkest Evening (2020)
9.5. The Woman on the Island (2022)
10. The Rising Tide (2022)
Shetland
1. Raven Black (2006)
2. White Nights (2008)
3. Red Bones (2009)
4. Blue Lightning (2010)
5. Dead Water (2013)
6. Thin Air (2014)
7. Cold Earth (2016)
8. Wild Fire (2018)
Shetland (2015)
Too Good To Be True (2016)
1. Raven Black (2006)
2. White Nights (2008)
3. Red Bones (2009)
4. Blue Lightning (2010)
5. Dead Water (2013)
6. Thin Air (2014)
7. Cold Earth (2016)
8. Wild Fire (2018)
Shetland (2015)
Too Good To Be True (2016)
Detective Matthew Venn
1. The Long Call (2019)
2. The Heron's Cry (2021)
2.5. The Girls on the Shore (2022)
3. The Raging Storm (2023)
1. The Long Call (2019)
2. The Heron's Cry (2021)
2.5. The Girls on the Shore (2022)
3. The Raging Storm (2023)
Novels
Omnibus
Collections
Crime Writers: A Decade of Crime (2013) (with Mark Billingham, Harlan Coben, P D James, Val McDermid and Steve Mosby)
Offshore (2014)
Bloody Scotland (2017) (with Lin Anderson, Chris Brookmyre, Doug Johnstone, Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid, Peter May, Denise Mina, Craig Robertson and Sara Sheridan)
Offshore (2014)
Bloody Scotland (2017) (with Lin Anderson, Chris Brookmyre, Doug Johnstone, Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid, Peter May, Denise Mina, Craig Robertson and Sara Sheridan)
Series contributed to
Anthologies edited
M.O. Crimes of Practice (2008) (with Robert Barnard, Martyn Bedford, Martin Edwards, Kate Ellis, Sarah Hilary and Christine Poulson)
The Starlings and Other Stories (2015)
The Starlings and Other Stories (2015)
Non fiction
The Library Book (2012) (with Alan Bennett, Seth Godin, Susan Hill, Tom Holland, Val McDermid, Lucy Mangan, China Miéville, Caitlin Moran, Kate Mosse, Julie Myerson, Bali Rai, Lionel Shriver and Hardeep Kohli Singh)
Awards
|
Ann Cleeves recommends

Still Life (2005)
(Chief Inspector Gamache, book 1)
Louise Penny
"A cracking storyteller, who can create fascinating characters, a twisty plot and wonderful surprise endings."

The Cipher Garden (2005)
(Lake District Cold-Case Mysteries, book 2)
Martin Edwards
"A beautifully crafted book, and for lovers of the classic whodunnit, there's a delicious twist in the tail."

The Great North Road (2007)
Annabel Dore
"A gothic, surreal melodrama... perceptive and affectionate."

Witness (2011)
Cath Staincliffe
"A painfully honest exploration of an ordinary family under stress... A stunning piece of work."

Everyone Lies (2013)
(DI Kate Simms, book 1)
A D Garrett
"This is thriller writing at its best: prose that's startling in its pace and clarity, characters who come to life immediately and the bonus of knowing that all the forensic details are entirely accurate."

The Trowie Mound Murders (2014)
(Shetland Sailing Mysteries, book 2)
Marsali Taylor
"This series is a must-read for anyone who loves the sea, or islands, or joyous , intricate story-telling."

Snowblind (2015)
(Dark Iceland, book 1)
Ragnar Jónasson
"Seductive ... an old-fashioned murder mystery with a strong central character and the fascinating background of a small Icelandic town cut off by snow. Ragnar does claustrophobia beautifully."

With Our Blessing (2015)
(Inspector Tom Reynolds Mystery, book 1)
Jo Spain
"Absolutely my comfort reading."

Brain Storm (2016)
(Angela Richman, Death Investigator, book 1)
Elaine Viets
"A very powerful and unusual novel. I think you’ve got everything here that a reader lovesa hospital drama and thriller, a strong central character. Made much more interesting because the central character is a very unreliable narrator."

A High Mortality of Doves (2016)
(Albert Lincoln, book 1)
Kate Ellis
"I loved this novel. Set just after the First World War, its clever plotting hides a powerful story of loss, malice and deception."

Shallow End (2017)
(Stonechild and Rouleau Mystery, book 4)
Brenda Chapman
"Great cast of characters and very clever plotting... Altogether a very satisfying mystery!"

Brothers in Blood (2017)
(Zaq & Jags, book 1)
Amer Anwar
"A fine debut novel. With his engaging characters and skilful plotting, Anwar brings a fresh and exciting new voice to the genre."

Sweet Little Lies (2017)
(Cat Kinsella, book 1)
Caz Frear
"An astonishingly confident and individual voice."

Beside the Syrian Sea (2018)
James Wolff
"This important book...brought home to me the complex and shifting situation in the Middle East and the danger of looking for simple responses or explanations. I loved the character of Jonas - the quiet man pushed by his own guilt into becoming a hero."

Splinter in the Blood (2018)
(Carver and Lake, book 1)
Ashley Dyer
"A taut and compelling thriller, as sharp as the thorns that feature in the plot."

The Quaker (2018)
(Duncan McCormack, book 1)
Liam McIlvanney
"This is a terrific novel, dark, powerful and beautifully written. I finished it a while ago, but I'm still haunted by the characters and the place."

Red Devil Drive (2018)
(John Q Mystery, book 3)
J M Gulvin
"A subtle sense of place, the clear writing pulls you in right from the start, and its ingenious plot line is both shocking and inevitable."

Scrublands (2018)
(Martin Scarsden, book 1)
Chris Hammer
"Intelligent, thought-provoking... I loved it."

The Unexpected Return of Josephine Fox (2019)
(Josephine Fox, book 1)
Claire Gradidge
"A terrific debut novel, which captures brilliantly the atmosphere of wartime Britain."

Trace of Evil (2019)
(Natalie Lockhart, book 1)
Alice Blanchard
"A powerful and unexpected denouement. I look forward to reading more in the series."

Black River (2020)
(Tuva Moodyson Mystery, book 3)
Will Dean
"Just finished Will Dean's Black River. Splendid to catch up with Tuva Moodyson and that very special world... Such a BRILLIANT central character...great on women’s friendships."

The Lucky One (2020)
Lori Rader-Day
"This might well be my favorite Rader-Day so far: a brilliant premise intriguingly developed, totally believable characters and a climax that took my breath away."

The Creak on the Stairs (2020)
(Forbidden Iceland, book 1)
Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
"Fans of Nordic Noir will love this moving debut from Icelander Eva Bjork Aegisdottir. It's subtle, nuanced, with a sympathetic central character and the possibilities of great stories to come."

Before He Kills Again (2020)
(Detective Cassie Rowan, book 1)
Margaret Murphy
"Pace, taut plotting and great characterisation from the first page. Add humour and some wonderful one liners and you have a popular novel with depth."

Midnight at Malabar House (2020)
(Malabar House, book 1)
Vaseem Khan
"The leading character is the deftly drawn Persis Wadia, the country's first female detective. She's a wonderful creation and this is a hugely enjoyable book."

The Waiter (2021)
(Detective Kamil Rahman, book 1)
Ajay Chowdhury
"A hugely entertaining first novel for lovers of traditional crime fiction, taking us from Kolkata to Brick Lane. I can't wait to read more about disgraced detective Kamil and his wonderfully drawn companion Anjoli."

Nine Lives (2022)
Peter Swanson
"I loved Nine Lives. Swanson's sharp and insightful characterization brought to life a fascinating premise. The whole resolution is beautifully worked out."

Dead Rich (2022)
G W Shaw
"A joyous escape of a book. A real adventure story set on the high seas, with engaging central characters and a pacy narrative. And because it's by William Shaw, it is, of course, beautifully written."

Stay Buried (2022)
Kate Webb
"A wonderful addition to contemporary crime: clear, assured story-telling, insightful, engaging characters, and absolutely brilliant plotting."

Blackwater Falls (2022)
(Detective Inaya Rahman, book 1)
Ausma Zehanat Khan
"A gripping and compulsive mystery, but much more than that: an exploration of faith, prejudice and fear of the unknown."

City Under One Roof (2023)
Iris Yamashita
"A well-crafted novel, told through the eyes of three very different women, with a wonderfully claustrophobic and atmospheric background."
Visitors also looked at these authors