White Nights (click title to request) by Ann Cleeves is the sequel to her first in the Detective Inspector Perez series, Raven Black (click title to request). I read the first voraciously but the second is a slower go. I can’t tell if it’s me or the book. I’ve started a couple books lately and can’t settle on any one to finish. The book itself is engaging, I think I just must have adult ADD!

The series is set in Scotland’s remote Shetland Islands, which is unusual and appealing. Cleeves describes the countryside and the lifestyle of the residents without overblown language or too much metaphor. You barely notice the description at all, a picture just forms naturally in your head. I feel that this is good, solid writing.

Perhaps I’m not getting as interested because from the very beginning you have no idea who the victim is and you don’t really feel empathy for the murdered man. This may change soon, but I am halfway through the book. I feel that when you don’t empathize with any of the characters that there may be a flaw in the characterizations. Or, again, maybe it’s just me. I will finish it, and I want to go to it when I have the time to read a few pages (contrary to popular belief, librarians have very little time to read on the job and probably less when they get home after work).

I’ll give a final update once I finish, but right now I just needed to vent. I’m going to go read a chapter or two before bed and see if I can go a little quicker, before I lose interest.

I highly recommend the first book, Raven Black. It was highly engaging and the plot left you twisting in the wind throughout. Another book that captures your imagination and keeps your attention.