The population of Shetland is approximately 23.000 people. The remote islands have unreliable weather, traditional knitting patterns, lots of sheep, rugged landscapes, ferries as part of the transportation system and small local communities who like to gossip. Apparently they also have a comparatively high murder rate.

I have never been to the Shetland Islands, but after eight books with Jimmy Perez and his colleagues, they almost feel familiar to me. Jimmy Perez may be the protagonist of the series, but the Shetland Islands play the leading part. 

When entering Ann Cleeves’ Shetland universe, I immediately feel physically transported there. I stand, slightly cold, at the terminal watching the ferry appear out of the fog. I walk in the snow clad hills looking down at the frozen loch with a couple of black ravens in stark contrast to the white snow. And I lay awake during the long summer nights looking out at the magical and somewhat eerie light.

Wild Fire is the finale of the Shetland series and a worthy one at that. The story revolves around two different families. The Moncrieff family have four children, but let the nanny Emma look after them most of the time. The Fleming family recently arrived from London and being newcomers in Shetland is not always straightforward. Their autistic son Christopher does not make it any easier to fit in. 

A trademark of Ann Cleeves is her nuanced characterisation. Her characters generally come across as real people with flaws and baggage, who sometimes do stupid things. Life is not black and white. Inevitably you will sometimes feel deep empathy with the ‘bad’ guys or be utterly frustrated with the ‘good’ guys. Ann Cleeves can certainly put together a good mystery, but it is the characters and their stories, which set these books apart.   

It has been a pleasure to follow Jimmy and Sandy through the series. I like the development of both characters, but in particular of Sandy. In the first book Sandy comes across as a bit of a clown. A slightly comical sidekick to Jimmy Perez with no initiative and incapable of independent thought. But slowly he comes into his own, is taken more seriously and starts to play a proper role in the investigations.

The end of Wild Fire is the conclusion of the series. Some people may find it vague. I thought it was an appropriate ending for Jimmy Perez and it fits perfectly with things not being black and white. That is life for you, messy and ambiguous, but filled with potential.

Title: Wild Fire
Author: Ann Cleeves
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Crime Fiction