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A review by hannagg
The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves
4.0
Every five years, for almost fifty years, a group of friends comes to Holy Island, a quiet place off Northumberland's coast, frequently cut off from the mainland because of the tides, for a weekend full of memories, good food, and drinking. They agree with the phrase "60 is the new 40" and subconsciously still see each other the way they were at school, where they met many years ago. Philip, Annie, Rick, and Luisa took very different paths in life, choosing TV fame, family life, or religion. Every one of them had their share of tragedies and joys, yet the reunions seemed to rejuvenate them continually. This time, however, the good times are brutally interrupted by a murder, and Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope is called upon to solve the case, which is almost a "locked-room mystery" because of the island's tidal isolation.
Well, there is a mystery to solve, but it's not just one mystery. The relationships inside the group are complicated and not easy to define. This is not just one happy bunch of people enjoying their time together. Unexplained death in the group at their first reunion casts yet another shadow on the events. Everything is enveloped in a dense fog, just like the island, and Vera has to possess the ability to look through the mist.
"The Rising Tide" is my first Vera series mystery, and I was impressed by its quality. I particularly liked the main character – she is a brilliant woman and, despite her rough exterior, a warm, sensitive one. She has a gift of understanding people well, perhaps because she is far from ideal. She prefers comfortable clothes – has been mistakenly taken for a cleaning lady – likes having a pint in a bar, values professionalism in her work, and knows how to utilize her team's strengths. We also learn that she is not a fan of the exercise, although she can spring into action with impressive stamina when necessary.
I also became enamored by the book's location. Holy Island is a mysterious and charming place where you can go bird watching in the morning and have a beer at the local pub later. If you aim at the time frame when the tide washes over the island causeway and the island becomes inaccessible, you can get stuck there forever. And it might not be a bad idea.
Well, there is a mystery to solve, but it's not just one mystery. The relationships inside the group are complicated and not easy to define. This is not just one happy bunch of people enjoying their time together. Unexplained death in the group at their first reunion casts yet another shadow on the events. Everything is enveloped in a dense fog, just like the island, and Vera has to possess the ability to look through the mist.
"The Rising Tide" is my first Vera series mystery, and I was impressed by its quality. I particularly liked the main character – she is a brilliant woman and, despite her rough exterior, a warm, sensitive one. She has a gift of understanding people well, perhaps because she is far from ideal. She prefers comfortable clothes – has been mistakenly taken for a cleaning lady – likes having a pint in a bar, values professionalism in her work, and knows how to utilize her team's strengths. We also learn that she is not a fan of the exercise, although she can spring into action with impressive stamina when necessary.
I also became enamored by the book's location. Holy Island is a mysterious and charming place where you can go bird watching in the morning and have a beer at the local pub later. If you aim at the time frame when the tide washes over the island causeway and the island becomes inaccessible, you can get stuck there forever. And it might not be a bad idea.