For readers who become attached to a detective, Ann Cleeves offers several worlds to return to. Her crime fiction has also brought television viewers into bookshops, making her festival audiences a meeting of people who first encountered the same character in different ways. The pleasure is hearing from the novelist behind those familiar investigations.
Quick facts
Best known for
Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn detective novels
Cleeves writes continuing detective novels, earlier crime series and standalones. Her creations have become the television dramas Vera, Shetland and The Long Call. She received the CWA Diamond Dagger in 2017, recognising her contribution to crime writing; the opening Shetland novel won the association’s Gold Dagger.
The Dying Light, published on 8 October 2026, is the fourth Two Rivers novel. Matthew Venn investigates a death at a holiday property in North Devon. The setting puts another apparently inviting destination under pressure, a prospect that will appeal to readers who enjoy watching a detective uncover the tensions beneath a place’s familiar surface.
Where to start with their books
The Crow Trap
Three women undertake an environmental survey in an isolated North Pennines cottage, where a death brings Vera into their tangled lives. This is the first case in her series, a place to begin if you want to meet the detective on the page.
Raven Black
The first Shetland mystery introduces Jimmy Perez in a cold island setting. Start here for a fresh detective series and a sense of the landscape that readers and television audiences associate with these investigations.
The Long Call
A body found on a North Devon beach draws Venn back towards the community he left behind. This opening Two Rivers case introduces the detective before the later investigations, with his own past close to the police work.
Festival appearances
For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.
At Harrogate on 26 July, Cleeves shared the Theakston Stage at the Old Swan Hotel with Brenda Blethyn. That brought the creator of Vera Stanhope together with the actor who played her: a reason to go with a friend who knows the screen detective while you know the novels.
Where to see them next
Ann Cleeves is announced for Capital Crime, 28–30 May 2027, at The Brewery in London. Her individual appearance day has not been announced yet. 2027 dates and event information.
Plan your trip
If you are going with a fellow crime reader, agree how far each of you has read before talking about the cases over lunch. A familiar detective is easy shared ground; the solution to an unread mystery is less welcome company.
Leave a gap after the conversation for a drink and a proper discussion before your train. If you hope to have a much-loved copy signed, ask the box office about signing plans before carrying several hardbacks around the festival. The guides below cover getting there and finding somewhere to stay.
The 2026 programmes featured Ann Cleeves at Henley Literary Festival, Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival; follow those guides for event information and practical visit details.
Can I enjoy a Cleeves event if I know the television dramas?
Use the festival links on Ann Cleeves’s profile for the event’s own ticket and audience guidance.
Which Ann Cleeves series should I try first?
Choose the detective and setting that most appeal. The reading suggestions below introduce three starting points, allowing you to begin a new investigation without treating the whole bibliography as homework before a festival visit.
Are Cleeves’s festival tickets sold together?
Use the festival links on Ann Cleeves’s profile for the event’s own ticket and audience guidance.
Should I read the newest Cleeves novel before attending?
It can be enjoyable to arrive with fresh questions, but there is no need to rush a mystery for an outing. If you are still reading, say so before a discussion with friends and save detailed plot comparisons until later.
