Shetland (Jimmy Perez) Books in Order
Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez is a quiet, thoughtful police officer in Shetland, descended from a Spanish sailor wrecked on Fair Isle. The books use the islands’ landscapes, weather and closed communities. They inspired the television series Shetland.
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Series facts
- Books
- 9
- Published
- 2006 to 2025
- First book
- Raven Black
- Latest
- The Killing Stones (2025)
- Setting
- Set in Lerwick
The reading order
Every Shetland (Jimmy Perez) book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
- 1Raven Black2006With Jimmy PerezOn New Year’s Eve in Shetland, a lonely old man, Magnus Tait, is visited by two teenage girls.Buy on Amazon
- 2White Nights2008With Jimmy PerezIn the midsummer light of Shetland, a stranger weeps at an art exhibition and claims not to know who he is.Buy on Amazon
- 3Red Bones2009With Jimmy PerezOn the small island of Whalsay, an elderly woman is shot dead during a family feud, and an archaeological dig on her land turns up human remains.Buy on Amazon
- 4Blue Lightning2010With Jimmy PerezJimmy Perez takes his fiancée to meet his parents on Fair Isle, where a woman is found murdered at the bird observatory and a storm cuts the island off.Buy on Amazon
- 5Dead Water2013With Jimmy PerezA journalist is found dead in a boat in Shetland, and Detective Inspector Willow Reeves is sent from Inverness to lead the case, with Jimmy Perez, still grieving, helping.Buy on Amazon
- 6Thin Air2014With Jimmy PerezA group of friends from London come to the island of Unst for a wedding, and one of them disappears in the fog, apparently following the ghost of a drowned child.Buy on Amazon
- 7Cold Earth2016With Jimmy PerezA landslide in Shetland destroys a house, and in the wreckage a woman’s body is found, a woman no one can identify.Buy on Amazon
- 8Wild Fire2018With Jimmy PerezA family from England moves to a remote part of Shetland, and their nanny is found hanged in their barn, and the islanders start to talk.Buy on Amazon
- 9The Killing Stones2025With Jimmy PerezJimmy Perez returns to Orkney, where a storm leaves behind the body of a popular local man, a childhood friend of Jimmy’s, beside an ancient carved stone.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read the books in order, starting with Raven Black. The first four follow the seasons, and Jimmy’s personal life carries through the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Jimmy Perez | Cassie Hunter | Sandy Wilson | Fran Hunter | Willow Reeves | Roy Taylor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Raven Black | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | |
| 2 White Nights | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | |
| 3 Red Bones | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 4 Blue Lightning | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 5 Dead Water | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 6 Thin Air | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 7 Cold Earth | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 8 Wild Fire | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 9 The Killing Stones | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor |
Characters in the Shetland (Jimmy Perez) books
6 characters from Ann Cleeves’s chart, with the number of Shetland (Jimmy Perez) books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy PerezDetective Inspector in Shetland | 9 | Raven Black 2006 |
| Cassie HunterFran’s daughter, raised by Jimmy | 9 | Raven Black 2006 |
| Sandy WilsonDetective constable and Jimmy’s colleague | 9 | Raven Black 2006 |
| Fran HunterArtist and Jimmy’s partner | 4 | Raven Black 2006 |
| Willow ReevesDetective Inspector from Inverness | 4 | Dead Water 2013 |
| Roy TaylorDetective Inspector from Inverness | 3 | Raven Black 2006 |