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April, "the cruellest month," according to TS Eliot and several characters in the third of Ann Cleeves's Shetland series, is foggy, wet, and far from warm on the island of Whalsay. Still, the birds are back and so are the archaeologists, pursuing a dig on Mima Wilson's croft. Though some of the other locals are dubious about the enterprise, octogenarian Mima enjoys it and the company of the young women who are doing the digging. But she is clearly shocked when a long-buried skull turns up in the trench. Then Mima herself is found shot dead, presumably by an errant blast from Ronald Clouston's shotgun as he was out poaching rabbits on a foggy night. DI Jimmy Perez is called upon to look into the matter, especially since Mima's grandson, Sandy, is Jimmy's colleague and found her body. Moreover, Ronald is Sandy's cousin - Whalsay is a small island. Then some ancient silver coins turn up on the dig and finally, one of the diggers herself is found, an apparent suicide, her wrists slashed, in the site trench. None of this sits quite well with the reflective Jimmy Perez, the central figure in the Shetland Quartet. The Fiscal wants the cases closed, but Jimmy is uneasy and keeps them open long enough to come to a satisfactory resolution. But it is Sandy, not Jimmy, who is the main figure of interest in this book. Like Jimmy, he has chosen a career in the police that does not please his parents and like him, he lives off-island, though he does return home frequently. Parental disapproval, especially by his strong-minded mother, has made him less than self-reliant, but with this case, he finally comes into his own. This has proved a wonderfully rich series, and RED BONES does not disappoint. In addition to its clever plot, it provides a textured portrait of life on a small island that is really quite different from what an outsider might expect. There are sharp economic divisions as well as ancient memories of past wrongs, while the internet, satellite television, and the mobile phone keep Whalsay, "the friendly island," well anchored in the 21st century, no matter how traditional the knitting patterns may be. And there are family issues, relationships between husbands and wives, children and parents, that are certainly not confined to that small island, but in one case, at least, reach all the way to London and a government minister. Ann Cleeves plans to round out the Quartet with the next book, set on Jimmy's own Fair Isle, but one hopes that she abandons neither the Shetlands or Jimmy thereafter. She's struck a rich vein here and we'd like to see what else she can quarry from that seam.
Reviewed by Yvonne Klein, December 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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