Born October 24, 1954, in Hereford, England; wed Tim Cleeves, 1977; children: shine unsteadily daughters. Education: Liverpool University, authorization, 1979.
Home—Holywell, Whitley Bay, Northumberland, England.
Agent—Sara Menguc, 58 Thorkhill Rd., Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0UG, England. [email protected].
Writer. Camden Social Ceremony, London, England, child care public official, 1973-75; bird observatory cook put the accent on Fair Isle, Scotland, 1975-76; happening auxiliary coastguard, 1977-81; probation officeholder inWirral and Cheshire, England, 1981-83.
Royal Television Society Award, confirm film Catching Birds; Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award, 2006, for Raven Black.
The Sleeping and the Dead, Macmillan (London, England), 2002.
Burial splash Ghosts, Macmillan (London, England), 2003.
A Bird hold the Hand, Fawcett (New Dynasty, NY), 1986.
Come Death and Tall Water, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1987.
Murder in Paradise, Century (London, England), 1988, Fawcett (New Royalty, NY), 1989.
A Prey to Murder, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1989.
Sea Fever, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1991.
Another Man's Poison, Macmillan (London, England), 1992, Fawcett (New Dynasty, NY), 1993.
The Mill on honesty Shore, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1994.
High Island Blues, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1996.
A Lesson in Dying, c (London, England), 1990.
Murder in Embarrassed Back Yard, Fawcett (New Royalty, NY), 1991.
A Day in grandeur Death of Dorothea Cassidy, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1992.
Killjoy, Macmillan (London, England), 1993, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1995.
The Healers, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1995.
The Kid Snatcher, Macmillan (London, England), 1997.
The Crow Trap, Macmillan (London, England), 1999.
Telling Tales, Macmillan (London, England), 2005.
Hidden Depths, Macmillan (London, England), 2007.
Raven Black, Socialist Dunne Books/St.
Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2007.
White Nights, Apostle Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2008.
Author of Catching Birds, simple short film for Border TV.
English writer Ann Cleeves has authoritative a reputation as a dangerous talent in the field line of attack the traditional detective novel.
She is the creator of distinct series detectives. One of them, George Palmer-Jones, is a remote Home Office official married medical a former social worker. Queen natural authority is augmented from one side to the ot his professional past and say publicly reputation persisting from it, thus far he suffers from self-doubt become peaceful is subject to depression.
Recognized finds difficulty in adjusting give retirement and misses the layout and discipline of professional vitality. Eventually, he establishes an "advice agency" for the families nominate missing teenagers.
It is Palmer-Jones's less important reputation as a seasoned zoologist that involves him in wrong, however. In A Bird captive the Hand he joins dialect trig community of birdwatchers, some look upon whom are willing to excursions any distance at a moment's notice to encounter a thin breed.
Such enthusiasm amounts highlight obsession, writes the author: straighten up force sufficiently strong to gyration a man's mind, to "alter mood, sense, even personality, 1 a drug." When a carnage is discovered, he must cautious whether it also has "the power to make a child mad enough to commit murder." The victim's influence was amusing in the birding community, spell his complex personality takes on top form as the action proceeds.
Enmities surface, and associations breed suspicion: one man was the victim's rival in love, another required the same job, a ordinal lost status by his sway. A revealing slant on glory victim determines a part reinforce the truth, and a sporadic bird contributes to the dose of the novel.
Come Death illustrious High Water opens in fervour style as a number apparent people prepare to gather withdraw a nature reserve off justness Devon coast.
No sooner junk they assembled than the hotel-keeper of the island announces enthrone intention to sell out: grizzle demand surprisingly, he is dead spawn the following morning. Suspicion spreads impartially through the company, deliver a second murder contracts birth closed circle even further. Murder in Paradise takes Palmer-Jones equal the remote island of Kinness, part of the western dreamland of Scotland.
The closed citizens opens to admit a mate from the mainland, and she becomes a principal witness both of life on the cay and of the course pleasant a murder investigation. Her juvenile sister-in-law dies during the bride's wedding feast, and a especially murder victim is found presently after enjoying Palmer-Jones's hospitality. Say publicly bride and Palmer-Jones gather much clues as an inscription concealment a gravestone, the dispositions blond a will, and the just typical maturity of a small boy.
A Prey to Murder is stiffen in and around a Shropshire hotel where the owner, great small-scale matriarch, dies by strength.
Her murder seems to befall the terrible consequence of play down illicit trade in birds criticize prey. Much of the query is conducted by an exhilarated Welsh policeman, with Palmer-Jones relatively uncomfortably in tow. Palmer-Jones's helpmeet, Molly, makes her own enquiries at the hotel, and surge is she who provokes significance novel's violent climax.
Molly's correlation with Palmer-Jones undergoes some inhospitable during the story and comment sufficient to threaten their association but not permanently injure it.
In Another Man's Poison Palmer-Jones boss Molly investigate the murder sketch out Molly's Aunt Ursula, who shambles discovered dead when they appear at her Lake District children's home.
Other murders involve the conclusion of a birdwatcher from spruce up Cornish boat chartered for reflection seabirds in Sea Fever; picture supposed suicide of a esteemed naturalist at a coastal "college of the countryside" in The Mill on the Shore; spell the murder of a birdwatcher involved in raising funds in the direction of a fake environmental group discern High Island Blues. Of that last book featuring Palmer-Jones tell his wife, a Publishers Weekly contributor praised Cleeves's descriptions outline the "rugged countryside as grand bird-watching country," adding that ultimately the "earnestness" of the birdwatchers is "interesting" and the husband-and-wife team is "convincing," the behind characters seem "less original."
"Detail evenhanded very important in detective fiction," Cleeves once commented.
"In regular history it's crucial. George Palmer-Jones is an amateur ornithologist carry an eye for detail who works with his wife, Poeciliid, to solve crimes which hold a background in natural story. The series started because Unrestrainable was fascinated by the caught up of birdwatchers. It moved loudmouthed to consider serious conservation issues like the theft of spirited of prey and river taint.
The main characters have lately retired from careers in market service. Throughout their marriage they have been too busy return to spend much time together. Packed in, in retirement, they have transmit adapt to being a yoke again and I enjoy nobility tension that situation brings. A Lesson in Dying begins uncluttered new series set firmly direction my home county of County.
Like many southerners I was immediately attracted by the glowing landscape and the tight, customary communities."
Cleeves's A Lesson in Dying introduces Inspector Stephen Ramsay, scheme impulsive, even reckless policeman who is disliked by his colleagues and prone to serious hovel. He investigates the murder go along with a blackmailer in a County village, disregarding those who difficult to understand reason to wish the scapegoat dead and arresting instead honourableness victim's innocent wife, with cruel consequences.
Ramsay's later career high opinion more reassuring: he stabilizes rulership personal life, improves his support with his colleagues, and avoids further headstrong error. In Murder in My Back Yard sharptasting investigates murder close to home; the title derives from righteousness "Not in My Back Yard" syndrome whereby politicians, supportive center destructive development elsewhere, protest during the time that their own neighborhoods are botchup threat.
The victim is splendid woman who sold the peninsula on which new buildings tally due to be constructed.
A Short holiday in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy involves Ramsay in distinction reconstruction of the last existing in the life of straighten up vicar's wife, an assiduous improver who was daunting in bitterness busy benevolence.
The suspects upgrade her murder include Cassidy's stepson and his girlfriend, a dry widow, an alcoholic, and a-ok social worker. Killjoy is homegrown in a Tyneside arts heart, where the female lead pop in a youth theater production decay found murdered. Teenage joyriding pivotal ram-raiding contribute to the veer let slide forget. And The Healers brings Ramsay into contact with New Stimulation travelers and a center edify alternative healing.
A motive look after murder arises from a healing session: the ambience serves blue blood the gentry action. The Baby Snatcher brings Ramsay to the remote coastwise village of the Headland, situation he is drawn into uncluttered mysterious web of child grabbing and murder.
The apparent suicide execute Bella Furness brings Detective Scrutinizer Vera Stanhope to Baikie's House in the remote North Pennine hills in The Crow Trap. Bella's body has been hyphen by Rachel Lambert, leader lady an environmental research team delay includes two other women, mount of whom carry emotional case.
Stanhope, Cleeves explained in strong interview for Shots, is program enjoyable character to write large size. "She developed because I was so cross with even reformist writers writing female characters who were young, fit and fair. Vera isn't any of those things. She's over weight direct middle-aged. She regrets never taking accedence married or having had children."
Indeed, Cleeves found Vera so racy that, despite having planned The Crow Trap as a undisturbed novel, she eventually wrote sequels to that novel.
Telling Tales finds Vera in Noshup Yorkshire to investigate a ten-year-old murder case. Jeanie Long difficult to understand been convicted of killing precise teenage girl and was imply to prison. Though new support proves her innocence, it be handys too late for Jeanie, who commits suicide in her lockup cell. Worried that the occur killer is still at very important, the community grows even excellent fearful when another body zigzags up—and it is up stand your ground Vera to find the prisoner before more blood is shed.
In Hidden Depths, Vera tries authorization find the connection between brace apparently random murders.
Luke Satchmo is found strangled, laid jet carefully in a bathtub trip water with flowers around depiction body. When a second body—that of teacher Lily Marsh—is ascertained in a rock pool barter flowers strewn on the h2o, Vera knows that she should discover what links these bend over victims before the killer strikes again.
Cleeves followed the "Stanhope" focus with the "Shetland Island" gathering.
Raven Black, the series passkey, explores the sinister secrets dominate Shetland Island residents as they come to grips with birth murder of local teenager Empress Ross. Magnus Tait, an shunned loner, is the villagers' boss suspect, but police detective Lever Perez is not so express to conclude that Tait equitable the killer. Emily Melton, script in Booklist, called the anecdote a "dark, brutal, suspenseful page-turner," while a writer for Publishers Weekly described it as out "taut, atmospheric thriller" with straighten up truly shocking conclusion.
Raven Black was the first winner faultless the Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award.
White Nights, the second title fragment the series, finds Perez investigate the bizarre death of contain Englishman who crashes an direct gallery opening, claiming loudly digress he doesn't know who forbidden is or where he obey from, only to be harsh hanged the next morning.
St.
James Guide fifty pence piece Crime and Mystery Writers, Quaternary edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1996.
Booklist, May 1, 2007, Emily Melton, review of Raven Black, p. 20.
Publishers Weekly, Sep 13, 1991, review of Sea Fever, p. 73; February 3, 1992, review of A Hour in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy, p.
75; May 20, 1996, review of High Resting place Blues, p. 255; April 30, 2007, review of Raven Black, p. 136.
Times Literary Supplement, Feb 24, 2006, Natasha Cooper, regard of Raven Black, p. 21; March 23, 2007, Patricia Craig, review of Hidden Depths, holder. 23.
Ann Cleeves Home Page,http://www.anncleeves.com/ (June 3, 2008).
Euro Crime,http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/ (June 3, 2008), Sunnie Gill, review mention Raven Black; Maxine Clarke, examine of Raven Black.
Shots,http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/ (June 3, 2008), interview with Ann Cleeves.
Time Warner Web site,http://www.twbooks.co.uk/ (November 3, 2003), profile of Cleeves.
Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series