Before Shetland and Vera, Ann Cleeves wrote the George and Molly Palmer-Jones series following remarkable mysteries in a birdwatching community—now in print for the first time in the US.
Newlyweds Jim and Sarah are welcomed home from their honeymoon to the Scottish island of Kinness with a huge celebration. But the cheerful festivities take a dark turn when the groom's sister slips and tumbles to the perilous rocks below . . . and the whole island is present to witness the bitter end.
But did Jim's younger sister Mary fall? Or was she pushed? George Palmer-Jones, retired birdwatcher and amateur detective, suspects the latter. But proving it will be difficult—no one wants to upset the balance of the island's ancient relationships.
Kinness is a paradise lost, filled with hidden secrets, and it's George's job to piece together the unravelling threads.