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Blue Lightning

Series: Shetland
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( 23,284 ratings, 1,733 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
Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves is a gripping crime thriller set in the remote Shetland Islands. Detective Jimmy Perez investigates a chilling murder at a secluded bird observatory during a fierce storm, cut off from the outside world. As tensions rise among the isolated group, secrets unravel, and Perez must untangle the mystery with urgency and insight.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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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 stories set in remote locations with complex characters and an intriguing plot, this book will captivate you. The gripping storyline and the vivid depiction of its setting make it perfect for those who appreciate a well-crafted mystery with unexpected twists.

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Blue Lightning is the fourth book in the Shetland series from Ann Cleeves, the number one bestselling author and creator of Vera and The Two Rivers. As autumn storms surround the island, a body is found – and with no way back to the mainland, Inspector Jimmy Perez must stop the killer alone . . .

A remote island on lockdown. A killer on the loose . . .

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

The fourth Shetland novel

A remote island on lockdown. A killer on the loose...

Shetland detective Jimmy Perez knows it will be a difficult homecoming when he returns to Fair Isle to introduce his fiancée to his parents. With the autumn storms raging, the island is cut off from the rest of the world.

Then a woman's body is discovered at the renowned bird observatory, with feathers threaded through her hair. Perez has no support from the mainland and must investigate the old-fashioned way. He soon realises that this is no crime of passion - but a murder of cold and calculated intention.

There's no way off the island until the storms abate - and so the killer is also trapped, just waiting for the opportunity to strike again.

Blue Lightning is the fourth book in Ann Cleeves' Shetland series, filmed as the major BBC One drama starring Douglas Henshall. Ann Cleeves will be donating her royalties from the sale of this edition of Blue Lightning to support the Fair Isle Bird Observatory.

Series: Shetland

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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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  • Pre-order
    Raven Black
    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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  • Dead Water
    Dead Water - The fifth Shetland novel A journalist working a story. Now his murder is a headline . . . When the body of a journalist is found in a traditional Shetland boat, Detective Inspector Willow Reeves is drafted in to head up the investigation. Jimmy Perez has been out of the loop, but his local knowledge is needed...
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  • Raven Black
    Introducing Inspector Jimmy Perez, Raven Black is the first book in Ann Cleeves' bestselling Shetland series - 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 of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a vivid...
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  • White Nights
    On Shetland the launch of an exhibition at The Herring House art gallery is disturbed by a stranger who bursts into tears, then claims not to remember who he is or where he comes from. The next day Detective Jimmy Perez finds his body in a fisherman's hut. Initially it seems to be a straightforward case of suicide, yet this...
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  • White Nights
    The second Shetland novel When the sun never sets it brings to light deadly secrets On Shetland the launch of an exhibition at The Herring House art gallery is disturbed by a stranger who bursts into tears, then claims not to remember who he is or where he comes from. The next day Detective Jimmy Perez finds his body in...
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  • Blue Lightning
    The fourth Shetland novel A remote island on lockdown. A killer on the loose... Shetland detective Jimmy Perez knows it will be a difficult homecoming when he returns to Fair Isle to introduce his fiancée to his parents. With the autumn storms raging, the island is cut off from the rest of the world. Then a woman's body is discovered...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Wild Fire
    The eighth and final Shetland novel On a small island, rumours can be deadly . . . A new English family have moved to Shetland, eager to give their autistic son a better life. But when a young nanny's body is found hanging in the barn of their home, rumours of her affair with the husband begin to spread like...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Raven Black
    Introducing Inspector Jimmy Perez. Raven Black is the first book in Ann Cleeves' bestselling Shetland series - 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 of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a vivid splash of colour...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

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?

Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves has been praised for its gripping mystery and vivid portrayal of the remote and atmospheric Fair Isle, showcasing Cleeves' skill in creating a compelling crime narrative that captivates readers.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529050219

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 18 March 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Pan Books

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 24.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 260g

Pages: 368

About the Author

Ann Cleeves is the author of over thirty 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 and Jimmy Perez, who can now be found on television in ITV's Vera and BBC One's Shetland. 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 is also a passionate champion for libraries and was a National Libraries Day Ambassador in 2016. Ann lives in North Tyneside near where the Vera books are set.

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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 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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