Great atmosphere, and the characters are developing nicely. The plot was good, though I did spot the murderer. ( )

A nice continuation of the other books in the series, with just the right amount of clues, background, and relationship-building. And we finally get to learn why the unflappable inspector Gavin, who comes up from Inverness whenever there's a murder in Shetland, wears a kilt. There's nothing wrong with wearing one - in fact, I've yet to see a man of any size and shape whose appearance wasn't improved by one - but it seemed atypical enough nowadays to make me wonder. I'd previously ruled out that it was a political statement, a Columbo-raincoat kind of ploy to make suspects careless, he was on his way to a wedding, his policeman's salary was so meager that he was supplementing by being a tour guide, historical re-enactor, or a stripper, or that he just knew that he looked fine in one and current fashion trends be damned. But if romanticized popular culture has stolen or reinvented a perfectly serviceable and practical style of clothing that supports local weavers and tailors, I fully support his understated decision to steal it back.

I hope there's a followup book soon. I'm finally getting a sense of Shetland geography and phrasing without needing to glance at a map or glossary of dialect terms. And if the next one could let us spend Christmas at Gavin's family farm down south in the Highlands (south, that is, for a Shetlander, waayy north and nearly polar for me), all the better. I'll rustle up some warm tartan woolens and settle down to help them solve another mystery. ( )