I had only read the Shetland Island series when I decided to give this one a try. This is one of Ann Cleeves' earlier series. There were six in the series. This is the first. Like most writers (or most any other profession), Ms. Cleeves improved as she wrote. The story was a good one with quite a few twists and turns. A very nasty school headmaster is found hanged, wearing his academic gown that he kept hanging on a peg of his office door. Nobody liked him including his wife, Kitty. It soon is established that he has been murdered. Inspector Ramsay is convinced that his wife did it. He arrests her although it soon becomes obvious to him that she might be innocent. The school custodian, Jack Robson, was once in love with Kitty and is convinced that she is innocent. He convinced his daughter Patty to help him. Patty is bored and is at loose ends with no children at home and no job for which she is really suited. When Kitty commits suicide, Inspector Ramsay becomes an object of derision. Already a lone wolf, he becomes even more withdrawn from the other police officers. There are a lot of obvious suspects, but the writing style of the book doesn't really develop any of them enough. Kitty doesn't seem in the least interested in helping herself although she does deny that she killed her husband. Why does she commit suicide? That really isn't explored, just dropped. Ramsay is unpopular. However, the reader doesn't get into the "skin" of the character to know what's going on. There is a lot that is simply not developed. This was a first novel, though, and that sort of thing does happen. If I can find the later ones in the series, I might see if things changed. Having read all of the books in the Shetland Island series, there is definitely a lack of passion in these books that is more evident in that series.
