My Take
I have a real soft spot for Ann Cleeves because she proves that quiet, unglamorous persistence beats flashy trends every time. She spent years writing crime novels before anyone really noticed, and then Raven Black landed in 2006 and swept the Gold Dagger — and suddenly the world caught up with what patient readers already knew. Her Shetland series captures that remote, windswept landscape so vividly you can practically feel the cold, and Vera Stanhope is one of my all-time favorite detectives: grumpy, brilliant, utterly herself. The fact that both series became beloved TV adaptations says everything about how fully realized her characters are. Winning the Diamond Dagger in 2017 and an OBE in 2022 feels like the establishment finally admitting what crime fiction fans had known for ages. She's the real deal.
Overview
Ann Cleeves (born 24 October 1954) is a British mystery crime writer. She wrote the Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez, and Matthew Venn series, all three of which have been adapted into TV shows. In 2006, she won the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for her novel Raven Black, the first novel in the Jimmy Perez series.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ann Cleeves
- Name (Japanese)
- アン・クリーヴス
- Reading
- あん・くりーゔす
- Born
- October 24, 1954 (age 71)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Horse
- Origin
- United Kingdom, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- writer / novelist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2017 Cartier Diamond Dagger
- 2006 Gold Dagger
- 2022 Officer of the Order of the British Empire
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Raven Black | — |
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.