The Dark Wives

When a body is found in the grounds of a children's home Vera and her team investigate. Josh Woodburn, a university student, had only worked at Rosebank for six weeks when he died. But Vera and her team are not only investigating Josh's death. A fourteen year old girl - Chloe Spence - has also disappeared. Then a second body is found.

Rosie Bell is a new addition to the team, working with Joe, Charlie and Vera to solve the murders and locate Chloe. Vera greatly misses Holly who had died when working on a previous case. Would Rosie be able to fit in as a successful member of Vera's team? 

The Dark Wives is number 11 in the Vera Stanhope series written by Ann Cleeves. As the detectives work to solve the murders and locate Chloe the reader gets to experience much of the Northumberland scenery plus a glimpse of the history of the former coal mining area. Three large standing stones, the Dark Wives, feature throughout the novel.

Ann Cleeves has written another suspenseful character driven murder mystery which will keep readers involved until the novel's conclusion.

The Rising Tide

A reunion of students held every five years on Holy Island (Lindisfarne) turns into a location for murder. The group first met on the island when they were in 6th form at school, fifty years earlier. Each year Philip Robson, Ken Hampton, and his wife, Louise, Annie Laidler and Rick Kelsall stay at Pilgrim's House for the weekend, go for walks, attend a meditation session at the chapel each evening, eat, consume lots of alcohol and reminisce. 

Rick had recently lost his television job when he was accused of sexual assault by a young intern. However he now had a new project which he revealed to his friends at the retreat - he is going to write a novel based on the events at the first reunion when one of the group drowned while attempting to cross the causeway at high tide. Next morning he is found dead in his room.

When Vera and her team go to the island to investigate they soon discover that there are many secrets to uncover involving an extended range of people associated with the victim, not just those on the island. Vera also wants to know more about the death that occurred forty-five years earlier as it may have a bearing on the present case as well as the assault allegations brought against Rick. As the investigation continues a second murder occurs and Vera and her team discover that they are also in danger.  

The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves is another excellent installment in the Vera Stanhope series (number 10). The atmospheric setting along with a collection of well drawn characters add to the suspense of finding the murderer before more people die.

This book formed the basis of an episode of Vera shown in Australia the week before Christmas 2023.

The Seagull

When Vera is sent to the local prison to give a talk to a group of prisoners she is approached by one of the inmates who says that he has information that he will give her if she checks up on his daughter. Former police officer, John Brace tells Vera about the body of Robbie Marshall that he placed in a drainage pipe at Whitley Bay twenty years previously. However when the body is recovered it is revealed that there are two bodies in the drainage pipe.

Investigating this cold case reveals much information about Whiley Bay's past history, particlarly the former club, The Seagull, destroyed in a fire many years previously. References to The Gang of Four  - John Brace, Robbie Marshall, Hector Stanhope plus someone referred to as 'The Prof'. - occur during the case and Vera knows that finding out the identity of the Prof will help in solving the mystery. Then another body connected with the case is discovered. Many of the key players living in the town when the bodies were placed in the drainage pipe are still around but are reluctant to talk and Vera is dubious that she can always trust the information available.

The Seagull by Ann Cleeves is no. 8 in the Vera Stanhope series. It was the basis for episode 4 series 9 in the Vera television series.

The Moth Catcher

Travelling back from the pub Percy Douglas needed a brief stop on the way home. He did not expect to find a body in a ditch. Shortly afterwards when Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope arrived to investigate she discovered a second dead body in a nearby house. Who are these men and what did they have in common?

Vera and her team discover that there are many suspects including three retired couples who live in buildings near the big house. As the investigation into the deaths of Patrick Randle and Martin Benton gets underway the initial discovery of what they had in common was their love of moths. Then another body was found revealing that there must be another connection between the victims.

As the plot is revealed the reader learns more of the lives and secrets of those living in the valley and of the past lives of the three people killed. Some members of Vera's team also have concerns regarding policing, particularly Holly.

The Moth Catcher by Ann Cleeves is another good book in the Vera Stonehope series - no. 7. The plot was also used for the Vera television series - no. 3 in series 6.

Harbour Street

It is the week before Christmas and snowing heavily. When Detective Sergeant Joe Ashworth and his daughter, Jessie, travelled home on the train from Newcastle they did not expect to find a dead woman in their carriage. 

Margaret Krukowski lived in Mardle, a small seaside town where Harbour Street was the focal point of the community. However, when Vera and her team set out to find Margaret's killer they also find a number of long held secrets about Margaret and the town itself. Then a second woman is murdered in the town.

There are many suspects for the two murders evolving into a complex and perplexing case to solve. The focus of the book is not only on solving the case but also on the working relationships between members of Vera's team.

Harbour Street is number 6 in the Vera series by Ann Cleeves. The book was the basis for episode 1 in series 4 of the television series, Vera.

The Glass Room

The Glass Room by Ann Cleeves is definitely a novel for those addicted to crime fiction.  The action occurs at a country property used as a writers' retreat. When Vera's neighbour is reported missing by her partner, Vera tracts her down at the retreat. Vera sets out to check that Joanna is OK and discovers that a murder has occurred with Joanna as the initial suspect. As Vera and her team investigate it is soon obvious that the murder victim was not a popular person and the investigation of the crime will not be straightforward.

The investigation examines why each participant is at the retreat and what they hope to achieve by attending. The guests are not just aspiring writers but are also lecturers and tutors. When a second murder occurs it becomes apparent that the murderer has staged the setting of the murder to resemble a setting for a murder written by one of the guests at the retreat. Working on a case committed by someone interested in creating crime fiction provides challenges for Vera and her team as they race to avoid a third murder. The chemistry between Vera and members of the team continue to be a feature of the novel.

The Glass Room is book number 5 in the Vera television series. The plot from this book has not featured in the TV series.

Silent Voices

Silent Voices is number 4 in the Vera series by Ann Cleeves. When Vera decided to follow the advice of her doctor to undertake regular physical exercise, she did not expect to find a body in the sauna at the fitness centre.

Jenny Lister was a social worker who had been overseer of a case where a young boy had drowned. Connie Masters had been appointed as the social worker responsible for the family and when the boy drowned she not only lost her job but also was hounded by the media. Connie and her young daughter, Annie,  had moved to the village of Barnard Bridge to escape but she was soon recognised and the victimisation began again. With the discovery of Jenny Lister's body she became a prime suspect.

As the investigation gathers pace it soon becomes obvious that there is much more to this death and Vera and Joe with the rest of the police team have a challenge to persuade the villagers to reveal their secrets in order to discover what really happened.

As well as solving the crime this book is largely about the working relationship between Vera and Joe, her younger colleague.

Silent voices formed the plot of the second episode of the second series of the television series, Vera.

Hidden Depths

Returning from a night out with friends Julie Armstrong returns home to find the body of her teenage son, Luke, arranged among flowers in the bath. Later in the week the body of student teacher, Lily Marsh, is found in a pool by the lighthouse. Her body is also displayed surrounded by a variety of flowers. Vera and her team need to discover the connection between two apparently unrelated murders, except for the way the bodies are found, as well as quickly finding the killer as a another young girl has disappeared.

Long held secrets in this small community are unearthed as the investigation continues. There are many suspects, particularly among a group of men who share the hobby of bird watching and were close to the scene where the second body was discovered. 

The novel is character driven focusing on the past and present lives of the victims and their families plus the suspects. We also learn more about Vera and members of her team.

Hidden depths is the third book in the Vera Stanhope series and part of the plot formed the basis of the first episode in the first series of the Vera television series.

Telling Tales

Ten years after Emma discovered the body of a school friend in a ditch the woman accused of the murder commits suicide in prison. Jeannie Long refused  to admit to the killing of Abigail but it is not until her death is publicised that a witness provides evidence to prove her innocence. Vera Stanhope is then called in to discover any irregularities in the original investigation that led to Jeanie's conviction. Then another body is found in a ditch. Are the two murders related? And if so, who is the murderer?

As Vera investigates the murders she uncovers many long hidden stories about the villagers of Elvit and many possible suspects before the truth is revealed.

Telling Tales is the second book in the Vera Stanhope series by Ann Cleeves. It formed the basis of the second episode of the first season of the television series, Vera.

The Crow Trap

The Crow Trap is the first book in the Vera Stanhope series by Ann Cleeves. When three women are employed to complete an environmental assessment of an area which may be affected if a new quarry development goes ahead, they do not expect to encounter a series of deaths.

The story is revealed in three sections - part one describes the initial experiences of Rachel, Anne and Grace as they start the project as well as revealing past events and personal experiences in their lives; part two introduces Inspector Vera Stanhope and Sergeant Joe Ashworth who arrive to investigate a murder as well as reasons for a suicide that occurred at a nearby farm, while part three  continues the story from Vera's viewpoint including establishing links between the previous two deaths and a third death. Rachel, her mother and Anne also spend time exploring leads, later passing on the information to Vera. During the investigation Vera remembers an unsolved case of the disappearance of a two year old boy in the same area many years before. This proves to be a challenging series of crimes to solve.

The television series, Vera, based on the characters and sometimes the book plots, first aired in England in 2011. The plot of The Crow Trap formed the basis for the story in episode 3 of series 1.

Dervla McTiernan Book club that isn't a book club book selection for March 2025.

The Darkest Evening

This book is the ninth title in the Vera Stanhope series of books by Ann Cleeves who is also the author of the Shetland book series. The story takes place during a cold Northumberland winter, the week before Christmas with Vera Stanhope encountering freezing temperatures and deep snow drifts when driving home at the end of the day. By contrast I began reading The Darkest Evening in Melbourne a month before Christmas on a sunny day with an expected maximum temperature of 34 degrees Celsius. 

After taking a wrong turn Vera comes across a car with the front door open parked on the side of the road. The driver is missing but Vera discovers a toddler in the back of the car. Vera rescues the toddler and takes him to a nearby house to seek asistance. Shortly afterwards the body of a young woman is discovered in the snow outside the house.

Detective Chief Inspector Stanhope and her team encounter many challenges as they attempt to discover the murderer and why the crime was committed. It is soon obvious that obtaining the truth will not be easy as many of the local residents have secrets that they do not want revealed. Vera is also forced to review her feelings regarding estranged family members who become involved as the body was discovered in their garden.

This is the first book that I have read by Ann Cleeves and it will not be the last.