A Prey to Murder

Before Shetland and Vera, Ann Cleeves wrote the George and Molly Palmer-Jones series following remarkable mysteries in a birdwatching community—now in print for the first time in the US.

The huge and powerful hawk dominated the scene. Its talons pierced the woman’s flesh and the beak pointed towards her eyes . . .

The sight is a particularly horrible shock for George Palmer-Jones, ornithologist and amateur detective, as he was an old friend of the victim Eleanor Masefield. George and his wife Molly are staying at Eleanor’s family-run hotel, but Molly can’t help but be suspicious of Eleanor.

Is Eleanor a black widow—a ruthless manipulator of all those caught in her far-reaching web? Can Molly prove it in time to prevent another death?