Beloved Detective Returns in New Orkney Setting
Acclaimed crime writer Ann Cleeves has resurrected her famous detective DI Jimmy Perez in a thrilling new literary series, despite the character's absence from the current BBC television adaptation. The bestselling author, renowned for creating both Shetland and Vera, has relocated her iconic investigator to the Orkney islands in her latest novel, The Killing Stones.
From Shetland to Orkney: A New Chapter
Cleeves explains that Perez's move to Orkney marks a significant shift from his previous Shetland setting. "Orkney is much gentler than Shetland, it's more green, fertile, in a sense it's more Scottish," the 71-year-old author reveals. The detective was last seen moving to Orkney in her 2018 novel Wild Fire, which Cleeves initially believed would be his final appearance.
The author experienced a "longing to go north again" that inspired Perez's return. "I thought, that's the end, I don't need to write any more about him, but then I get a kind of longing to go north again because I do love the islands," Cleeves shares. The new setting allows her to explore how Jimmy adapts to a new environment while building a home with his police officer partner Willow and their son.
A Career Built on Persistence and Passion
Cleeves' path to literary success was anything but immediate. "I was 20 years without any commercial success," she admits, noting her early books only appeared in libraries and independent shops. Her breakthrough came unexpectedly when a television producer discovered one of her Vera Stanhope novels in a charity shop, launching her stories onto screens nationwide.
The author of 37 novels maintains a deep connection to remote locations, currently living in Whitley Bay while preserving strong ties to the Northern Isles. Her affection for isolated coastal areas began after university when she worked at the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, where she met her late husband, ornithologist Tim Cleeves.
In The Killing Stones, Perez investigates the death of his childhood friend Archie Stout, who was killed with a Neolithic stone. Cleeves notes her detective has matured: "He realises he'd actually suspected that Archie was flawed, too, but hadn't wanted to recognise it. That's a kind of maturing."
While the television version of Shetland continues with Ashley Jensen and Alison O'Donnell starring in its tenth season, Cleeves wrote the new Perez novel purely for creative reasons. "I didn't write it in the hopes that Dougie would come back. I wrote it because I wanted to write that story."
The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves is published by Pan Macmillan, priced £22, and is currently available on Amazon with 51% off for the hardback edition, priced at £10.88.
