Too Good To Be True

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The hit TV crime drama takes as its point of departure the characters and settings of Ann Cleeves's award-winning series of novels, but has developed its own stories, and over time the two have diverged. As series 7 began, Douglas Henshall dropped a bombshell, announcing that this would be his last season as Jimmy Perez. He said "It's been one of the privileges of my career to play Jimmy Perez for almost 10 years and to work with so many wonderful people both in front of and behind the camera, and also to spend so much time in Shetland." The good news is that the show will carry on - but without Perez, series 8 will be even more different from the books. The book “Too Good To Be True” by Ann Cleeves is my first encounter with the author’s writing. Since the book sequence indicates this book is chronologically slated as taking place between books six and seven in her “Shetland” series this may seem to be a strange place to begin. Nominated for three Scottish BAFTA Awards: one for best scripted television show, one for scriptwriter David Kane, and one for actor Douglas Henshall (DI Jimmy Perez). Series 5 Anna had been a teacher. She must have loved kids. Would she kill herself knowing there was nobody to look after her daughter? She had seemed happier than ever before she died. And to Perez, this suggests not suicide, but murder ...

He stood for a moment on the path, looking in at the kitchen and the well-behaved children at the table. Sarah was stirring something in a pan on the stove. It all looked too good to be true. Over the past few weeks I have been viewing the television series titled “Shetland” currently playing on ‘Netflix’ based on Ms. Cleeves’ books, which I enjoyed, so giving the books a try seemed a sound conclusion. The Shetland islands, formerly called Zetland, are a group that is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies northeast of Great Britain. The islands lie some 168 km (104 mi) from the Scottish mainland. They form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The population is around 25,000. There are 16 inhabited islands. Too Good To Be True is a complete novella-length story, originally selected as one of 15 books to be given away, free, on World Book Night, April 23rd 2016. It has been issued in Canada in an exclusive edition, available only from independent bookstores, for Canadian Independent Bookstore Day (April 29th, 2023). Sarah has married a doctor in a small village on the mainland of Scotland. A young unmarried school teacher has been found dead, and the local police have concluded she committed suicide. Local gossips

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In the little time he has allocated himself he considers a list of suspects: a neighbour, the schoolteacher whom Anna replaced, Sarah’s doctor husband, a widowed farmer and her brother, even Jimmy’s ex-wife: But Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez soon arrives from far-away Shetland when his ex-wife, Sarah, asks him to look into the case. The local gossips are saying that her new husband, Tom, was having an affair with Anna. Could Tom have been involved with her death? Sarah refuses to believe it - but needs proof. As Perez closes in on the truth of Anna's untimely death, he uncovers a variety of hidden motives, jealousies and misconceptions amongst the villagers and surrounding landholders.

Taking inspiration from the novel, Wild Fire is a balanced London Dry Gin with juniper and sweet spice notes that have a lingering and warming finish. Tasted neat, there are notes of warming cinnamon and sweet orange that linger on the palate. The long finish has an aromatic spice with a touch of heat from dried red chillies. Wild Fire pairs beautifully with premium tonic, which softens the heat from the spices and lifts the sweet citrus notes of the sorrel and orange peel. It is best enjoyed with a slice of orange and a copy of Ann Cleeves's Wild Fire.

The Shetland books in order

Ann Cleeves's bestselling series of crime novels, featuring Detective Jimmy Perez, and now also adapted for a major BBC television series, draw their inspiration from the place in which they are set: Shetland. While chronologically, Too Good To Be True fits between Thin Air and Cold Earth, the novella reads well as a standalone, especially for those readers who may only be familiar with Perez through watching the BBC adaptation of the series.

Other returning regulars include Steven Robertson (who plays Sandy), Lewis Howden (Billy) and Anne Kidd (Cora). The series is written by Paul Logue, who also contributed to the script of series 7. A TUNE FOR JIMMY PEREZ by Cathy Geldard: Video produced by Ian Stephenson at Simpson Street Studios. If you haven't been keeping up with Shetland - or just want to binge - all past episodes are still available to watch on the BBC iPlayer. And for people who like to have their own drama library, all previous series are also available on DVD in the UK. US viewers can also watch it on BritBox or with Prime Video. Details below.

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Apart from that, the quality of the writing is not on a par with the rest of the series, with very little description and no tension. It’s quite disappointing if you are expecting something of the same standard as a Shetland novel. But now it seems that the story had its dark beginnings not in Lindon but in the islands. If you missed anything, watch the series to date now on the BBC iPlayer. Episode 5 follows at the same time on Wednesday 29th November.

Too Good To Be True is a well-constructed and evocative exploration of the dynamics of rural village life. Community solidarity and wariness of outsiders barely cover a dark underbelly of petty grievances and damaging gossip. Despite being popular with her young pupils, incomer Anna had faced her share of community disapproval and exclusion, not least from Perez's ex-wife Sarah. Winner of two Scottish Baftas: Shetland itself won best television drama, and Douglas Henshall, who plays detective inspector Jimmy Perez, was named best television actor. Director Jan Matthys (best director film/television) and Gaby Chiappe (best writer film/television) were also nominated. Series 4 But Inspector Jimmy Perez soon arrives from far-away Shetland when his ex-wife, Sarah, asks him to look into the case. The local gossips are saying that her new husband, Tom, was having an affair with Anna. Could Tom have been involved with her death? Sarah refuses to believe it - but needs proof. Taking care not to step on the toes of a colleague in the local police force, Jimmy begins a methodical but quiet investigation, witnessing the rumours, half-truths and intrigues common to small communities. A number of suspects suggest themselves to him, but it isn’t until an attempt is made on his life that he gets a real inkling of what really happened on the night Anna died. Jimmy Perez, detective, receives a request from his ex-wife, Sarah. She asks him to leave his base on Shetland Island, and privately investigate a personal case which is making her distraught.It's a long way from Shetland - but Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez is on the spot. His ex-wife, Sarah, has asked him to look into the case. The local gossips are saying that her new husband, Tom, was having an affair with Anna. Could Tom have been involved with her death? Sarah refuses to believe it - but needs proof ... The judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray (an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime fiction), Heather O'Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).