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A Prey to Murder

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( 1,774 ratings, 76 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
A Prey to Murder by Ann Cleeves is a gripping crime novel set in a rural English zoo where tensions run high. When a murder disrupts the delicate balance of this close-knit community, a detective is drawn into the investigation, navigating a web of secrets, rivalries, and hidden motives. As the layers of mystery unravel, the detective must uncover the truth in an environment where everyone might have something to hide.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you enjoy atmospheric crime novels with intricate plotting and engaging character development, this book may appeal to you. The story weaves together suspense and mystery, set against a compelling pastoral backdrop, making it a gripping read for any crime and thriller enthusiast.

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The fourth mystery novel in the Palmer-Jones series by Ann Cleeves, winner of the 2017 CWA Diamond Dagger.

The fourth mystery novel in the Palmer-Jones series by Ann Cleeves, winner of the 2017 CWA Diamond Dagger.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
Ann Cleeves Classic Crime - engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet again A Prey to Murder is the fourth mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series. The huge and powerful hawk dominated the scene. Its talons pierced the woman's flesh and the beak pointed towards her eyes . . . The sight is a particularly horrible shock for George Palmer-Jones, ornithologist and amateur detective, as he was an old friend of the victim Eleanor Masefield. George and his wife Molly are staying at Eleanor's family-run hotel, and whilst George believed Eleanor was a beautiful and charming widow, Molly has other ideas. Is Molly a little jealous? Or was Eleanor more a black widow - a ruthless manipulator of all those caught in her far-reaching web? Can Molly prove it in time to prevent another death?

Series: George and Molly Palmer-Jones

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  • High Island Blues
    High Island Blues is the eighth and final mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series. Swarms of migrating birds fall from the sky seeking shelter as the spring storms begin, but the birders are distracted by a far more shocking sight: Mick Brownscombe's dead body... Old college friends...
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  • The Mill on the Shore
    The Mill on the Shore is the seventh mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series. Meg Morrissey refuses to believe that her husband James committed suicide. James was in high spirits because he'd finally completed his long-awaited autobiography. He didn't leave a suicide note. But even more suspiciously,...
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    $3100
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  • A Bird in the Hand
    Ann Cleeves Classic Crime - engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet again. A Bird in the Hand is the first novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series. In England's birdwatching paradise, a new breed has been sighted - a murderer . . . Young Tom French is...
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    $1500
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  • Sea Fever
    Ann Cleeves Classic Crime - engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet again. Sea Fever is the sixth mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series. A rare and unrecorded sea bird captures all the birders' attention whilst right under their noses the most fanatical birder of them...
    Paperback
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    Pre-order
    Out
  • A Prey to Murder
    Ann Cleeves Classic Crime - engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet again A Prey to Murder is the fourth mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series. The huge and powerful hawk dominated the scene. Its talons pierced the woman's flesh and the beak pointed towards her...
    Paperback
    $1500
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Come Death and High Water
    Ann Cleeves Classic Crime - engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet again. Come Death and High Water is the second mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series. The picturesque privately owned island of Gillibry off the North Devon coast turns out to be the perfect site...
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  • Murder in Paradise
    Ann Cleeves Classic Crime - engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet again Murder in Paradise is the third mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series. Cheerful festivities take a dark turn when the groom's sister slips and tumbles to the perilous rocks below . . ....
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Ann Cleeves is celebrated for her engaging writing style and careful plot construction, drawing readers in with her natural flair for detective fiction. Known as a master of creating unsettling atmospheres, her reputation as a leading crime novelist is well-regarded. Critics praise her work for its skilful storytelling and ability to maintain suspense leading to a satisfying climax.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529073461

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 December 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Pan Books

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 131.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 188g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Ann Cleeves is the author of more than thirty-five critically acclaimed novels, and in 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television in ITV's Vera, BBC One's Shetland and ITV's The Long Call respectively. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide. Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of 'Murder Squad', working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. Ann also spends her time supporting access to books and advocating for reading to improve health and wellbeing. In 2021 her Reading for Wellbeing project launched with local authorities across the North East. She lives in Northumberland where the Vera books are set.

Also by Ann Cleeves

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  • A Lesson in Dying
    Ann Cleeves Classic Crime - engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet again. A Lesson in Dying is the first mystery novel in the Inspector Ramsay series by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series. Who hung the headmaster in the playground on the night of the school Halloween Party? Almost everyone in Heppleburn either...
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  • The Long Call
    Now a major ITV series, The Long Call, adapted for television by screenwriter Kelly Jones and starring Ben Aldridge. The Long Call is the No.1 bestselling first novel in the Two Rivers series from Sunday Times bestseller and creator of Vera and Shetland, Ann Cleeves. In North Devon, where the rivers Taw and Torridge converge and run into the sea,...
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  • The Raging Storm
    Detective Matthew Venn returns in The Raging Storm, the next captivating novel in the Two Rivers series from Ann Cleeves, the number one bestselling author and creator of Vera and Shetland. When Jem Rosco - sailor, adventurer and local legend - blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have...
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  • The Dark Wives
    The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves is a gripping and atmospheric mystery that delves deep into the ancient folklore and hidden secrets of the Northumbrian countryside. The eleventh novel in the acclaimed Vera Stanhope series, this captivating tale sees the return of DI Vera Stanhope, the shrewd and determined detective beloved by millions through ITV's popular series, Vera. As always,...
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  • The Killing Stones
    When a violent storm descends upon Orkney, the body of Archie Stout is left in its wake. An unusual murder weapon, a Neolithic stone bearing ancient inscriptions, is found discarded nearby. Archie was a popular, larger-than-life character, and his death is a shocking blow to the community. Detective Jimmy Perez, no stranger to the complexity of human nature and the...
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  • The Baby-Snatcher
    Ann Cleeves Classic Crime - engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet again. The Baby-Snatcher is the sixth and final mystery novel in the Inspector Ramsay series by Ann Cleeves, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Shetland, Vera Stanhope and Two Rivers crime series. Marilyn Howes and her mother Kathleen are an inseparable duo, until one night Kathleen doesn't...
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  • The Dark Wives
    Vera Stanhope, star of ITV's Vera, returns in the eleventh novel in Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller Ann Cleeves' acclaimed series. The man's body is found in the early-morning light by a local dog walker on the common outside Rosebank, a care home for troubled teens. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous...
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  • Murder in My Backyard
    Murder in My Backyard is the second mystery novel in the Inspector Ramsay series by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope 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 detective Stephen...
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  • The Mill on the Shore
    The Mill on the Shore is the seventh mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series. Meg Morrissey refuses to believe that her husband James committed suicide. James was in high spirits because he'd finally completed his long-awaited autobiography. He didn't leave a suicide note. But even more suspiciously,...
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  • High Island Blues
    High Island Blues is the eighth and final mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series. Swarms of migrating birds fall from the sky seeking shelter as the spring storms begin, but the birders are distracted by a far more shocking sight: Mick Brownscombe's dead body... Old college friends...
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    Pre-order The Killing Stones, the return of Detective Jimmy Perez now! Introducing Inspector Jimmy Perez. Raven Black is the first book in Ann Cleeves's bestselling Shetland series, adapted into a major BBC One drama starring Douglas Henshall. A remote community with a killer in their midst . . . On New Year's Day, Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer...
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  • Cold Earth
    Cold Earth is the seventh Shetland novel. The darkest secrets are buried deepest... In the black days of a Shetland winter, torrential rain triggers a landslide that crosses the main road and sweeps down to the sea. At the burial of his old friend Magnus Tait, Jimmy Perez watches the flood of peaty water and mud smash through a croft...
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