Raven Black by Ann Cleeves

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Strong language, underage drinking, a teen has sex (mostly off page) with an older man 

It is a cold January morning and Shetland lies buried beneath a deep layer of snow. Trudging home, Fran Hunter's eye is drawn to a vivid splash of colour on the white ground, ravens circling above. It is the strangled body of her teenage neighbour Catherine Ross. As Fran opens her mouth to scream, the ravens continue their deadly dance ...

The locals on the quiet island stubbornly focus their gaze on one man - loner and simpleton Magnus Tait. But when police insist on opening out the investigation a veil of suspicion and fear is thrown over the entire community. For the first time in years, Catherine's neighbours nervously lock their doors, whilst a killer lives on in their midst.

This is the first book I've read by Ann Cleaves, and I enjoyed a lot of things about it, despite the rather depressing tone. I feel like the author definitely captured the flavor of the island during this time of year with the cold, bleak winter weather. I had no trouble picturing what it must be like there. Winter weather aside though, the main reason for the depressing tone was that no one in this book seems to be very happy.

I can't say that I really liked any of the characters. The detective could be likable if we continue to get to know him in future books. This is a slow plodding mystery that takes you around the island to meet all sorts of people in the course of the investigation. On top of that investigation, there is a cold case that comes up, that could possibly be tied to this one. In the end, one my theories was right, but I had discredited it, and I wasn't super surprised about some of the other things that were revealed about the cold case.

I found this book interesting enough to want to read the next book in the series. I think mainly because it kept me guessing, and it's hard to find mysteries that keep me guessing for as long as this one did. I also really want to learn more about the detective. There were snippets of his backstory in this book, just enough to make me want to know more.