Cold Earth is the seventh book in Ann Cleeves’ series set in the Shetland Islands in northern Scotland. The series follows Jimmy Perez, a detective with the Shetland police force. Although I think the books can be read as stand-alone novels, I believe it’s better if you’ve read the books prior to this one. Cleeves does a great job recounting the backstory to her characters, so you won’t be lost. It’s just that there are many nuances to events that are harder to pick up on if you don’t know the background.

In Cold Earth, Jimmy is attending the funeral for an old friend, Magnus Tait. While at the cemetery, one of the hillsides nearby lets loose in a landslide of mud and rock. It smashed through an old croft house in its path. The croft was believed to be abandoned, but the body of a woman in a red dress was found inside it once some of the debris was cleared. Like Jimmy, she has dark ancestry that would stand out in this part of the world.

Jimmy becomes somewhat obsessed with finding out who she was and how she died. The island is also coping with part of it being cut off by the landslide. Sandy Wilson helps Jimmy out as they try to figure out the woman’s movements on the island. When it emerges that she was already dead before the landslide, Jimmy calls in Willow Reeve from Inverness to help with the investigation. The easy friendship between them begins to develop into something else during the investigation.

I love how Cleeves has written the character of Jimmy. He’s sympathetic in many ways, having lost the woman who was the love of his life and who drew him out. With her gone, he’s retreated back into himself and I could feel his loneliness. He years for companionship, but still feels loyal to Fran. The fact that he’s raising her daughter also factors in. Jimmy has a devotion to Cassie that even her father doesn’t exhibit. Cleeves puts the reader into Jimmy’s head, so we see how so many things remind him of Fran and make him question his own thought process.

The same is true of Sandy, who has lived under Jimmy’s shadow on the police force. Sandy is unsure of himself and always second-guessing his actions. As time has gone on, he’s become more self-confident although he still sees himself as a pale imitation of his mentor. The dynamic is great with these two men having gone through so much, each not sure of what their place in the world currently is. Sandy has a shy quality that mirrors Jimmy’s anti-social behavior, and both men are beginning to move in different directions in their personal lives.

I like how characters from earlier books keep popping up in the books. Magnes Tait was a key character in the first novel, and his death here is what sparks events in this one. He’s not involved with the mystery, but being at the cemetery when the landslide happens is a catalyst for many of the town residents. They witness the landslide, so it rules out a deliberate act on the part of someone wishing to cover up a killing. This is a hardcore police procedural, with little action. The characters doggedly pursue the case by examining evidence and locations again and again, and talking to people over and over.

I’ve never been to the Shetland Islands, but it’s someplace I’d like to visit. Cleeves describes it as both vibrant and desolate; an insular world where everyone knows each other and yet there are many secrets. The landscape is both beautiful and treacherous. People had to be quite hardy to live there and carve out a life for themselves.

The audiobook is narrated by Kenny Blyth. I had no problems understanding him and he made me feel immersed in the story. He uses different voices for different characters, but they aren’t so startling that they draw me out of the story. I really enjoy him as a narrator quite a bit.

If you’re this far into the Shetland series, you’ll very much like Cold Earth. If you haven’t started reading this series, I suggest you give it a shot at the very beginning. The characters are compelling and enjoyable to follow. The mystery here kept me guessing until the very last page, in Cleeves’ usual style. I like that the reader learns things at the same time Jimmy does, so it’s like being a part of the investigation. This has become one of my favorite series, and this is a great entry.

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