• How important was the plot?

• What messages are in the book?

• Discuss the characters – were they believable and could you relate to them?

• How important was the setting to the story?

• Are the themes timeless?

• Personal reactions – what did you like or not like about the book?

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

• www.readingahead.org.uk/find-a-read

• www.newisland.ie

• www.barringtonstoke.co.uk

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’