Ann Cleeves

Ann Cleeves is a British crime writer best known for two critically acclaimed series: the Vera Stanhope novels, set in Northumberland, and the Shetland series. Both series have been adapted into long-running British television dramas, bringing Cleeves's characters to audiences of millions worldwide. She is one of the most successful and beloved names in British crime fiction. Born in 1954 in London, Cleeves worked various jobs including cook, auxiliary coastguard, and bird observatory assistant before publishing her first novel in 1986. Her Vera series, beginning with The Crow Trap (1999), features the formidable, unconventional detective Vera Stanhope of the Northumberland and City Police. The Shetland series, beginning with Raven Black (2006), introduced Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez of the Shetland Islands. Cleeves won the Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel for The Long Call (2019), the first entry in her new Two Rivers series. She has also won the CWA Gold Dagger for Raven Black. She was named the recipient of the Diamond Dagger, the CWA's lifetime achievement award, in 2017.