‘Thin Air’ by Ann Cleeves

My Review (5 stars out of 5)

A group of friends travel to Shetland to join the celebrations when one of their number gets married to a local. But following the wedding party, one of the women disappears. When she is found dead, cops Jimmy Perez and Willow Reeves launch an investigation. Learning that the dead woman was a filmmaker exploring ghost stories about ‘peerie Lizzie’, a girl who drowned in the 1920s, Jimmy and Willow wonder if there might be a link to the local legend. But another death points to something more complex…

Set on the island of Unst, this is book 6 in the Shetland series and like the others, the author weaves a clever tale, this time incorporating local myths and superstitions. While some islanders seem to believe that a sighting of a ghostly girl can have an impact on the living, others are more concerned about the English folk and what their visit might uncover. Forced to stay in a nearby hotel, Perez and his team strive to unravel the mystery by delving into the relationships of the visitors. A trip to London gives Perez the opportunity to talk to the dead woman’s mother, where he learns of a possible affair that might have influenced the murders. With Perez still coming to terms with the death of his partner, there’s a sense of something romantic in his relationship with Willow Reeves. Meanwhile, I liked the growing confidence we see in Sandy and his attempts to emulate his boss’s ability to draw out the truth when interviewing suspects. Though still slightly in awe of Perez, an encounter with an old girlfriend allows him to contemplate a brighter future.

Another excellent read that kept me engrossed from the first page.

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