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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Absolutely loved spending time with Vera Stanhope, my favourite fictional detective. In this story, Vera and her team must untangle secrets and lies to uncover who murdered a vulnerable young single mother.
I've read many of Ann Cleeves's police procedural novels and this was one of the best: moody and atmospheric, filled with interesting characters and a tricky plot. I enjoyed every minute of it.
I've read many of Ann Cleeves's police procedural novels and this was one of the best: moody and atmospheric, filled with interesting characters and a tricky plot. I enjoyed every minute of it.
My Review:⭐️⭐⭐️/ 5 stars
This is book 9 of the DCI (detective) Vera Stanhope murder mystery series set in the Northumberland area in the UK. I had not read any of Ann Cleeves’ books before so I was afraid I would be completely lost. This was not the case to understand what was going on, but I mostly missed out on Vera’s full backstory and why she had such a riff with her rich family. It is a heavy snowstorm and she finds an abandoned car on the side of the road near Brockburn (the Stanhope family estate she always felt distant from). There is a baby in the vehicle with no driver and the door is open. They eventually find a body of Lorna, the young mother, in the snow who clearly had just died that evening. Her death leaves only a few suspects as who was in the vicinity that evening, who was at the Brockburn dinner party, and who had access to the grounds. In investigating the murder at her family’s estate, she finds other secrets the family is hiding. The pace was so painstakingly slow that I almost didn’t finish it. Ann Cleeves is wonderful at setting the ambient tone of this area, but other than that i felt all the characters were so boring. I didn’t find anything riveting about the case. Also what bothered me when she found the baby, why did she NOT call for the social worker/hospital right away to be checked out? Why give the baby to someone at the house when there was a possible murderer on the loose? That was just the first chapter, so I knew I was in for a rough ride with this cast of characters. If you are already a fan of this series, then I’m sure you would enjoy it. As a new reader, this was not my favorite.
Thank you to @netgalley and @minotaurbooks for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is out on Sept 8th!
This is book 9 of the DCI (detective) Vera Stanhope murder mystery series set in the Northumberland area in the UK. I had not read any of Ann Cleeves’ books before so I was afraid I would be completely lost. This was not the case to understand what was going on, but I mostly missed out on Vera’s full backstory and why she had such a riff with her rich family. It is a heavy snowstorm and she finds an abandoned car on the side of the road near Brockburn (the Stanhope family estate she always felt distant from). There is a baby in the vehicle with no driver and the door is open. They eventually find a body of Lorna, the young mother, in the snow who clearly had just died that evening. Her death leaves only a few suspects as who was in the vicinity that evening, who was at the Brockburn dinner party, and who had access to the grounds. In investigating the murder at her family’s estate, she finds other secrets the family is hiding. The pace was so painstakingly slow that I almost didn’t finish it. Ann Cleeves is wonderful at setting the ambient tone of this area, but other than that i felt all the characters were so boring. I didn’t find anything riveting about the case. Also what bothered me when she found the baby, why did she NOT call for the social worker/hospital right away to be checked out? Why give the baby to someone at the house when there was a possible murderer on the loose? That was just the first chapter, so I knew I was in for a rough ride with this cast of characters. If you are already a fan of this series, then I’m sure you would enjoy it. As a new reader, this was not my favorite.
Thank you to @netgalley and @minotaurbooks for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is out on Sept 8th!
Really enjoyed this. Ann Cleeves can be a bit hit and miss for me but this was engaging throughout. I didn't guess the resolution (I often do) and it felt like a satisfying ending. I listened to the audiobook and it was well read.
adventurous
mysterious
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No