ANN CLEEVES 'WATCHING THE LAST VERAWAS VERY MOVING'

The crime author loves seeing her creations come to life on the small screen

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Can you give us the elevator pitch for your latest novel, The Killing Stones?

Shetlander Jimmy Perez moves to Orkney with his pregnant partner (and boss) Willow and their son. In a midwinter storm, his friend Archie Stout disappears on the small island of Westray. As the wind blows through, Jimmy finds Archie's body close to an archaeological dig. He's been killed by a neolithic stone, inscribed by later Nordic runes.

What can readers expect from a Jimmy Perez novel if they've only familiar with your Vera character?

The same strong sense of place, I think. I first went to Shetland and Orkney 50 years ago, so these are communities I understand. I went back to Orkney to research the book with an Orcadian friend while I was writing it. It's about families, and many of the Vera books have the same subject.

Why do the islands off the Scottish coast inspire you?