Too Good to Be True (8 page)

A reading group is a great way to get the most out of a book and is easy to arrange. All you need is a group of people, a place to meet and a date and time
that works for everyone.

Use the first meeting to decide which book to read first and how the group will operate. Conversation doesn’t have to stick rigidly to the book. Here
are some suggested themes for discussions:

There is a free toolkit with lots of ideas to help you run a Quick Reads reading group at
www.readingagency.org.uk/quickreads

Share your experiences of your group on Twitter
@Quick_Reads #GalaxyQuickReads

Continuing your reading journey

As well as Quick Reads, The Reading Agency runs lots of programmes to help keep you reading.

Reading Ahead
invites you to pick six reads and record your reading in a diary in order to get certificate. If you’re thinking about improving
your reading or would like to read more, then this is for you. Find out more at
www.readingahead.org.uk

World Book Night
is an annual celebration of reading and books on 23 April, which sees passionate volunteers give out books in their communities to
share their love of reading. Find out more at
worldbooknight.org

Reading together with a child will help them to develop a lifelong love of reading. Our
Chatterbooks
children’s reading groups and
Summer
Reading Challenge
inspire children to read more and share the books they love. Find out more at
readingagency.org.uk/children

Find more books for new readers at

Praise for the Shetland novels

‘
Raven Black
breaks the conventional mould of British crime-writing, while retaining the traditional virtues of strong narrative and careful plotting’

Independent

‘Ann’s characterization is worthy of the best writers in the field . . . Rarely has a sense of place been so evocatively conveyed in a crime novel’

Daily Express

‘A most satisfying mystery set in an isolated and intriguing location. Jimmy Perez is a fine creation, and I hope Ann Cleeves’ Shetland series will be with us for a
long time to come’

Peter Robinson

‘
Raven Black
shows what a fine writer Cleeves is . . . an accomplished and thoughtful book’

Sunday Telegraph

‘A carefully constructed, atmospheric and interesting mystery’

Literary Review

‘Cunning character-play and deception play their part in this satisfying tale, bringing about a denouement that turns everything in the plot neatly and bewilderingly on
its head’

Scotsman

Praise for the Vera Stanhope novels

‘Nobody does unsettling undercurrents better than Ann Cleeves’

Val McDermid

‘All the elements of Agatha Christie at her best’

S. J. Bolton

‘Cleeves sets a good scene, this time in Northumberland during a heatwave, and she brings a large cast to life, shifting points of view between bereaved relatives,
victims and suspects in a straightforward, satisfyingly traditional detective novel’

Literary Review

‘Ann Cleeves, winner of last year’s inaugural Duncan Lawrie Dagger, is another fine author with a strong, credible female protagonist . . . It’s a dark,
interesting novel with considerable emotional force behind it’

Spectator

‘Cleeves is excellent not only on the main character but on the mixture of exasperation and respect that she provokes in others. Combined with the intricate plotting,
this makes for a compulsive read’

Independent

‘Ann Cleeves is a skilful technician, keeping our interest alive and building slowly up to the denouement. Her easy use of language and clever story construction make her
one of the best natural writers of detective fiction’

Sunday Express

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

Ann Cleeves is the author behind ITV’s
Vera
and BBC One’s
Shetland
. She has written over twenty-five novels, and is the creator of detectives Vera
Stanhope and Jimmy Perez – characters loved both on screen and in print. Her books have now sold over one million copies worldwide.

Before she started writing, Ann worked as a probation officer, cook at a bird observatory and an assistant lifeguard. She is a member of ‘Murder Squad’, working with other British
northern writers to promote crime fiction. In 2006 Ann was awarded the Duncan Lawrie Dagger (CWA Gold Dagger) for Best Crime Novel, for
Raven Black
, the first book in her Shetland series. In
2012 she was inducted into the CWA Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame. Ann lives in North Tyneside.

www.anncleeves.com

@anncleeves

facebook.com/anncleeves

By Ann Cleeves

A Bird in the Hand • Come Death and High Water

Murder in Paradise

A Prey to Murder • A Lesson in Dying

Murder in My Backyard

A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy

Another Man’s Poison • Killjoy

The Mill on the Shore • Sea Fever

The Healers • High Island Blues

The Baby-Snatcher • The Sleeping and the Dead

Burial of Ghosts

The Vera Stanhope series

The Crow Trap • Telling Tales • Hidden Depths

Silent Voices • The Glass Room

Harbour Street • The Moth Catcher

The Shetland series

Raven Black • White Night • Red Bones

Blue Lightning • Dead Water • Thin Air

First published 2016 by Pan Books

This electronic edition published 2016 by Pan Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN 978-1-5098-0612-6

Copyright © Ann Cleeves 2016

Cover texture © Shutterstock

The right of Ann Cleeves to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Pan Macmillan does not have any control over, or any responsibility for, any author or third party websites referred to in or on this book.

You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital,
optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be
liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Visit
www.panmacmillan.com
to read more about all our books and to buy them. You will also find features, author interviews
and news of any author events, and you can sign up for e-newsletters so that you’re always first to hear about our new releases.