Ann Cleeves returns with a Vera Stanhope that ushers in a new character and changes ahead.
Ann Cleeves and her Vera Stanhope series are favorites of mine. I was so excited to read The Dark Wives, book eleven in this excellent British detective series, and thoroughly enjoyed it!
This story takes a small time jump after the devastating events of the previous book. As a result, Vera has vowed to change and be more open with her colleagues during investigations as the team adjusts to working with its new member, Rosie, an ambitious new investigator.
As usual, the plot is tight, the writing crisp, unforeseen twists change the trajectory of the investigation, and the pacing is fast. I love Cleeves's writing style, dialogue, and how Vera calls everyone "pet." The book is atmospheric, from the underfunded/understaffed care home to the local "Witch Hunt" event. Serious and gritty real-life issues are brought up, some of them heartbreaking.
I love the compelling characters, too. They are complex, with flaws and struggles. Vera's a brilliant investigator and a bit of a lone wolf. She has good intentions about changing, but old habits die hard, and she carries emotional scars from her youth. So, we see her struggle and even fail to be more forthcoming with her team, and the team is frustrated by her. Vera's failed attempts also keep some clues from the reader with information that does not come out until the denouement. Cleeves's approach with Vera felt honest and all too human to me. Vera has work to do on herself, and it will be interesting to see her as a work in progress in future books. I'll root for her as always. Even the new character, Rosie, had enough complexity that I went back and forth on how I felt about her.
Suspenseful and entertaining, and it can be read as a standalone, though I recommend the series wholeheartedly.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the gifted review copy!
My steep was British Brunch from Steven Smith Teamaker
PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS:
As New York Times bestseller Ann Cleeves's beloved Vera series explodes in popularity in print and on TV, this stunning eleventh book explores the web of secrets surrounding a young man's death.
The man’s body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker in the park outside Rosebank, a home for troubled teens in the coastal village of Longwater. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous night but never showed up. DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death, with her only clue being the disappearance of one of the home’s residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. Vera can’t bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can’t dismiss the possibility. Vera, Joe and new team member Rosie Bell, are soon embroiled in the case, and when a second connected body is found near the Three Dark Wives monument in the wilds of the Northumberland countryside, superstition and folklore begin to collide with fact. Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, and the dark secrets in their community that may be far more dangerous than she could have ever believed possible
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