The Killing Stones: A Detective Jimmy Perez Novel
by Ann Cleeves
Publication Date – September 30, 2025
St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books
The Killing Stones marks the eagerly awaited return of Ann Cleeves’ beloved detectives from the Shetland series and a gripping new investigation with a stunning new setting.
For those fans of Cleeves, who have conceived the beloved characters of DI Jimmy Perez (the Shetland series), DI Vera Stanhope, and DI Matthew Venn (The Long Call), you certainly won’t be disappointed.
The book centers around Detective Jimmy Perez, who has left Shetland and settled into his new home in Orkney, a group of islands off the northern coast of Scotland. One stormy winter night, his oldest and closest friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Always the detective, Perez catches a boat to the island of Westray, where Archie worked as a farmer and lived with his wife and children. On his arrival, he finds a shocking scene – Archie’s body, on an archaeological dig site with an ancient Westray story stone beside him.
From there on out, Cleeves’ magical prose is used in solving this murder mystery. Rumors, tension, and twists are found within the plot. And, as always, Cleeves has intertwined stunning landscapes within her writing, this time those of the Orkney Islands. While reading, you can almost feel the rain on your face.
