White Nights by Ann Cleeves (Shetland Islands Quartet)

One thing new contemporary authors offer is the chance to witness their evolution as a writer in real time. There's something thrilling about watching a writer feel their way as they find their literary voice.

The Shetland Islands

That evolution is exactly what Ann Cleeves offers in White Nights, her second installment in the Shetland Island Quartet.

In White Nights, Cleeves has streamlined her narrative style, smoothing out the jagged transitions between character points of view that were such a startling, but refreshing, feature of Raven Black, the first book in the series. Truthfully, I can't quite decide how I feel about that.

The kaleidoscopic way Cleeves has of telling a story through many different lenses (which I wrote extensively about in my first blog about Cleeves' series) is still present, but to a far lesser degree. Less about the islands' inhabitants is revealed through snippets of conversation, for example, and more time is spent on developing characters through introspection.

This does slightly diminish the feeling, so prevalent in Raven Black, of seeing a story unfold through a many-colored stained glass window made up of unique panes of glass.

Which isn't to say the book isn't a solid entry into to the series.

The Shetland Islands thrillers take place on the namesake islands, located northeast of Great Britain, about halfway to the Arctic Circle. The islands themselves, as well as the weather and lifestyle they breed, are justifiably as much a character in the series as the people who inhabit them.

This time, the murder takes place during the islands' summer, a season just as ambivalent as the winters, with nights that are never darker than dusk.

Cleeves still illustrates a talent for offering readers a surprising and refreshing entry into a mystery. In this case, the dead body found hanging in a community boat shed (strangled, however) is preceded by the victim being an amnesiac and having a psychological break during the middle of an art gallery opening.

The isolation of the islands and the impact that has on the residents is shown with Cleeves' deft hand for subtly. This successfully results in the reader getting that wonderful murder-mansion feel as the plot unfolds, especially since each character is unique and well-sketched.

The plot meanders through surprising twists and turns, never letting the reader get settled, much like the weather on the islands robs many residents of deep sleep. There is one major surprise that I won't spoil and certainly added a jolt the layered story, if not to the entire series.

A few well-placed and artful red herrings keep the armchair sleuth invested and  a delightful undercurrent of sinister intentions is conveyed in superficially everyday scenes. Should Cleeves ever turn her hand to straight horror, she will undoubtedly be a force to be reckoned with.

And yet, I couldn't help but feel as though something had been lost in this installment. I rather missed the clipped, short, abrupt style that I feel helped the first book clack along in such a page-turning, compelling way.

On the other hand, I did enjoy spending more time getting to know the islands' inhabitants, particularly the deeply sensitive, introspective Inspector Jimmy Perez.

So, while not as good as the first entry, White Nights is also by no means a disappointment, either. It certainly gives one reason to read the third entry.

Raven Black by Ann Cleeves (A Shetland Island Thriller)

Raven Black takes place on the Shetland Islands, which are located northeast of Great Britain. They consist of a barren, harsh landscape and small villages and are best known for the annual Up Helly Aa fire festival. The temperature, according to Wikipedia, rarely gets above 70 degrees and it's nearly always windy and cloudy.

So why on Earth would anyone write a mystery quartet that takes place in this low-population, cold, inhospitable setting? While the answer to that question may be elusive, after reading Raven Black one finds themselves asking, "Why hasn't anyone done this before?"

Aside from the truly unique setting, several things that make this novel a true page-turner in every sense of the word.

The setting demands a story that is largely character driven, but Cleeves takes this one step further by writing each of the short, crisp chapters from a different character's point of view while continuing to use third person omniscient narrative. The result is that the reader "gets to know" each of the characters in snippets and fragments that are revealed through several of the other characters' viewpoints at various times, forming a kind of kaleidoscopic image of each of the residents in the reader's mind.

An example of this would be how the school teacher, Margaret, is portrayed at times through both how her daughter, Sally, see her and how she is perceived by another resident, Fran, whose daughter is taught by Margaret. On occasion, other characters refer to Margaret in passing, which adds more pieces to the woman. And this is true for almost all of the characters.

Likewise, the mystery unfolds in much the same way. Instead of the lead Inspector, Jimmy Perez, going about and investigating, the reader is treated to delicious snippets and tidbits of information that make the case more clear through conversations or setting descriptions that are revealed as the narrative progresses. But of course, Perez does his share of work as well, assisted by Taylor, who is sent to the help.

Finally, Cleeves employs an interesting writing style that consists of short, clipped sentences and blunt, no-frills statements. This gives the story a kind of clicking, forward-moving rhythm that contrasts seamlessly with the complexity of the people and the mystery being solved.

Often, stories are said to be "woven," and Ann Cleeves has shown us exactly what that means in this story. The plot seems only mildly interesting from the back-cover synopsis:

A teenager is found strangled in the snow and everyone thinks it's the town recluse, a man who is probably mentally deficient in some way but may or may not be harmless. Inspector Jimmy Perez returns to the island after his divorce and isn't looking forward to dealing with a murderer. But all the same, the sensitive detective is home, and a quiet and restless determination keeps him poking around long after everyone decides the recluse did it.

But the setting, writing style, narrative structure and character complexity make this thriller so much more than just another mystery in a quirky place. Oh, and make no mistake: the ending will  shock you, even if you're a practised armchair sleuth like me.