Ann Cleeves

About

Award-winning novelist known as a mystery and crime writer. She wrote the Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn series. In 2006, she won the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for her book Raven Black, the first novel in the Jimmy Perez series. In 2014, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Sunderland.

Before Fame

She studied English at the University of Sussex but dropped out. She worked various jobs including cook at the Fair Isle bird observatory, auxiliary coastguard, probation officer, library outreach worker and child care officer.

Trivia

In 2015, she was shortlisted for the Dagger in the Library UK Crime Writers' Association award for an author's body of work in British libraries. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to reading and libraries.

Family Life

In 1977, she married Tim Cleeves. He died in 2017. She has two daughters.

Associated With

Her Vera Stanhope book series was adapted into the Vera television series starring Brenda Blethyn.