Raven Black (Shetland, 1) - Tapa blanda

WINNER OF THE 2006 DUNCAN LAWRIE DAGGER FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL

No one knew he had this beautiful creature to visit him. She was his treasure, the raven in his cage.

It is a cold January morning and Shetland lies beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a splash of colour on the frozen ground, ravens circling above. It is the 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 - the loner Magnus Tait. But when detective Jimmy Perez and his colleagues from the mainland insist on opening out the investigation, a veil of suspicion and fear is cast 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.

'Raven Black breaks the conventional mould of British crime-writing, while retaining the traditional values of strong narrative and careful plotting' Independent

'Ann's characterization is worthy of the best writers in the field . . . rarely has the sense of place been so evocatively conveyed in a crime novel' Daily Express

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