Blue Lightning

A remote island on lockdown. A killer on the loose. There is no escape for Inspector Jimmy Perez in Blue Lightning, the fourth Shetland mystery from Ann Cleeves.

Now a major BBC One drama, Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall.

Shetland detective Jimmy Perez knows it will be a difficult homecoming, as he returns to Fair Isle to introduce his fiancée to his parents. With the autumn storms raging, the island is cut off from the rest of the world.

Then a woman’s body is discovered at the renowned bird observatory, with feathers threaded through her hair. Perez has no support from the mainland and must investigate the old-fashioned way – alone. He soon realizes that this is no crime of passion, but a murder of cold and calculated intention.

There will be no way to escape the island until the storms abate. And so the killer is also trapped, just waiting for the opportunity to strike again . . .

Ann Cleeves will be donating her royalties from the sale of this edition of Blue Lightning to support the Fair Isle Bird Observatory.

Continue the thrilling crime series with Dead Water.

• Publication date: 16 July 2026
• Page count: 368
• Dimensions: Height 234 mm; Width 153 mm
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 9781037404696