Come Death and High Water

Ann Cleeves Classic Crime - engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet againCome Death and High Water is the second mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series.The picturesque privately owned island of Gillibry off the North Devon coast turns out to be the perfect site for a murder . . .A routine weekend visit by the Gillibry Bird Observatory Trust is made memorable by the owner’s announcement that he is going to sell the island. A sale would mean the end of the Observatory, which for some of the birders makes life worth living. A fire in Charlie Todd’s cottage adds to their distress. And when, next morning, after a fierce storm, they find Charlie dead in a bird hide, their pleasant September weekend assumes a dangerous new face.Charlie Todd’s murder could have been the deed of any member of the Trust. And it falls to one of their own, George Palmer-Jones, to unravel the identity of a killer within their midst . . .

[A] perfectly fresh, contemporary crime story meshing interesting characters with plenty of fascinating ornithological detail, A fine writer, Cleeves is quietly carving out a reputation as the new Queen of Crime, Ann Cleeves is a skilful technician, keeping our interest alive and building slowly up to the denouement. Her easy use of language and clever story construction make her one of the best natural writers of detective fiction, Nobody does unsettling undercurrents better than Ann Cleeves

Ann Cleeves is the author of more than thirty-five critically acclaimed novels, and in 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television in ITV’s Vera, BBC One’s Shetland and ITV's The Long Call respectively. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide.Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of ‘Murder Squad’, working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. Ann also spends her time advocating for reading to improve health and wellbeing and supporting access to books. In 2021 her Reading for Wellbeing project launched with local authorities across the North East. She lives in Northumberland where the Vera books are set.