Red Bones

DI Jimmy Perez has been called out to Whalsay by one of his officers, Sandy Wilson, who late at night found his grandmother dead in her yard.  It appears that she might have been accidentally shot to death.  Her home is nearby an archeological dig.  Perez finds out that the victim was wearing the high visibility jacket of one of the archeologists at the time she was killed.  Could that have any relevance?

Coincidentally, a skull and other bones had been found at the archeological dig.  Why had the victim reacted strangely to their discovery?  Later one of the archeologists is found dead in the archeological trench by Sandy.  It appears that she slit her wrists.  The day before she had called Perez because she wanted to tell him something.  Why would she then have committed suicide?

Perez isn't sure that it really was a suicide.  He sends Sandy to London to speak to the victim's mother.  From his interview of the mother, it also appears that she had no reason to commit suicide.  How could Perez and Sandy prove that it was murder?

Author Ann Cleeves offers up a number of culprits with reasonable clues as to their culpability.  In the end, it is a surprise as to who the killer is.  A very good read, hard to put down, leaving the reader a desire to pick up the sequel.