The Shetland series of crime novels features Jimmy Perez as a Detective Inspector living on the Shetland Islands, the remote archipelago on the north coast of Scotland. Assisting him on the cases is Detective Sergeant Sandy Wilson, a police officer still learning the job but who knows the islands well.

Readers often say they become “obsessed” with the books, loving the characters and the setting. Jimmy is divorced, single, and devoted to his work. His ex-wife describes him as “emotionally incontinent,” but despite this many readers end up getting attached to the detective and invested in his personal life.

Shetland, which Ann Cleeves frequently visits and describes as “wild and bleak,” is an imaginative setting for the mysteries and many readers are drawn in by Ann’s descriptions of the dramatic landscapes. It’s proven so popular that she wrote a book about the region entitled Shetland.

We recommend reading the Shetland series in order. There are eight books in total in the series, typically divided into two quartets, the first four followed by the second four, with Wild Fire being the final book. Also note, the novella Too Good to be True (Book 6.5) was written in 2016, and is meant to be read before Cold Earth (Book 7).