The Killing Stones - (Jimmy Perez and Willow Reeves) by Ann Cleeves (Hardcover)

About the Book

"It's been several years since Detective Jimmy Perez left Shetland. He has settled into his new home in Orkney, the group of islands, off the northern coast of Scotland, with his partner Willow Reeve and their growing family. One stormy winter night, his oldest and closest friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Ever the detective, Perez catches a boat to the island of Westray, where Archie worked as a farmer and lived with his wife and children."--

Book Synopsis

"Everything Ann Cleeves writes is incredible."--Richard Osman

"This novel is more than worth every minute you spend with it."--David Baldacci

A Washington Post Best Mystery of 2025

The Killing Stones marks the eagerly awaited return of Ann Cleeves' beloved detective Jimmy Perez from the Shetland series, and a gripping new investigation with a stunning new setting.

It's been several years since Detective Jimmy Perez left Shetland. He has settled into his new home in Orkney, the group of islands, off the northern coast of Scotland, with his partner Willow Reeve and their growing family. One stormy winter night, his oldest and closest friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Ever the detective, Perez catches a boat to the island of Westray, where Archie worked as a farmer and lived with his wife and children.

But when he arrives he finds a shocking scene: Archie's body, on an archaeological dig site and an ancient Westray story stone with precise spirals carved into it beside him, the clear murder weapon. The artifact, taken from a nearby museum, seems to suggest a premediated murder.

But Perez is so close to the case that he struggles to maintain an objective distance from the potential suspects. He finds it difficult to question Archie's wife, whom he's known for years. Rumors swirl about the dead man's relationship with a young woman new to the island, an artist. With each new lead, the case becomes more twisted and Perez wonders if he will ever find out what happened in his friend's final days.

Review Quotes

An Instant New York Times Bestseller
A USA Today Bestseller
An Apple Books Best of the Month Pick

The Washington Post - "Ann Cleeves, Shunning Retirement (and Pilates) is Back With a New Mystery"
Chicago Review of Books - "Writing From Memory: A Conversation with Ann Cleeves about The Killing Stones"
Los Angeles Times - "British Mysteries to Read This Fall"
Crimereads - Top Ten Books This Week
Booktrib - Interview with Ann Cleeves
Fresh Fiction - "Fresh Pick"

"Cleeves crafts a taut police procedural, enhanced by the craggy and mythical atmosphere of Scotland's remote islands and brightened by the domestic tranquility the detective duo has established in a new community."--Booklist (Starred Review)

"Cleeves excels at drawing a picture of the landscapes, communities, and the characters who live in them. Readers will welcome the return of Jimmy and Willow and be thrilled with the new setting."--Library Journal

"Crafty . . . The intensely personal nature of the case infuses it with welcome emotional depth, and Cleeves keeps readers guessing until she delivers a gutting climactic reveal that few will see coming. This proves Detective Perez still has the goods."--Publishers Weekly

"A first-rate mystery full of historical detail and descriptions of a beautiful place."--Kirkus Reviews

"When at last an explanation comes in this atmospheric and scenic procedural, it is as much of a shock to the reader as it is to Jimmy. 'Things like this don't happen in Orkney, ' one citizen protests. Apparently they do, but it takes a soul as empathetic as Jimmy to figure out why."--Wall Street Journal

"Surprise! Jimmy Perez is back, and he has left Shetland behind . . . The move also gives Cleeves a chance to do what she may do best, explore the nature and history of a place in a way that makes it a very real character."--St. Louis Post Dispatch

"As always with Ann Cleeves, the history and landscape of the setting are as much a character as the people in this novel. With a new setting and family, Perez is revived as a series and the plotline - always good in Cleeves - is as twisty as any reader will want."--The Globe and Mail

"Ann Cleeves is a master at linking the location to story. Readers know when picking up one of her novels, the setting is sure to come alive on the page and will no doubt play a significant role in the proceedings that follow. Fans who feel they will miss the Shetland Islands (it's ok, we all do), rest assured that Orkney is both equally captivating and utterly unique."--BOLO Books

"Irresistible. Ann Cleeves' restless love of landscape and story bring us yet another gem, in this bold and dramatic high stakes return for Jimmy Perez."--Val McDermid, #1 internationally bestselling author

"Ann Cleeves's elegance as a wordsmith, the ingenuity of her plots, and the depth of her characters can be matched by few writers. In The Killing Stones she brings back the beloved Jimmy Perez in a tale that highlights the entire spectrum of her formidable talents. I was instantly caught up in the sparkling world of her imagination and propelled through several hundred pages of great storytelling on the lonely isle of Orkney, where bodies keep turning up. This novel is more than worth every minute you spend with it."--David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Reading a new Jimmy Perez novel is like snuggling up with dear friends around a crackling fire. The Killing Stones is classic Ann Cleeves: a complex mystery, beloved characters, and a setting so vivid you can feel the chill of wind and rain on your face."--Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Guests

"Lord GOD lads, this was fecken fantastic! Jimmy is back, in Orkney now instead of Shetland, and Ann Cleeves is a stone cold genius."--Marian Keyes, #1 international bestselling author of My Favorite Mistake

"It's a new island and a new chapter for Perez and his family, but in the extraordinary hands of Ann Cleeves--surely one of our greatest ever crime writers?--the result is predictably brilliant. It's new but familiar. Exciting but comforting. It's a masterpiece in character and location--welcome back Jimmy Perez!"--M.V. Craven, award-winning author of Nobody's Hero

"Like Rendell and James before her, like McDermid and Rankin today, Ann Cleeves is one of our secret chroniclers, charting--under cover of a series of expertly plotted and mesmerizing crime novels--how we live now."-- Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses

"Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers."--Louise Penny, New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache series

About the Author

ANN CLEEVES is the multi-million copy bestselling author behind three hit television series--Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall, Vera, starring Academy Award Nominee Brenda Blethyn, and The Long Call, starring Ben Aldridge--all of which are watched and loved in the United States. All three are available on BritBox.

The first Shetland novel, Raven Black, won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for best crime novel, and Ann was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger in 2017. She was awarded the OBE in 2022 for services to reading and libraries. Ann lives in the United Kingdom.