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A review by bgg616
The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves
4.0
It surprised me to see that this is only the ninth Vera Stanhope mystery. The TV series has made Vera ubiquitous, and I enjoy every new series, and watch old episodes repeatedly. A friend who lives in Yorkshire told me that Brenda Blethyn's Yorkshire accent is "off". Being a New Englander, who lived in Boston for many years, I know that there are certain accents that outsiders rarely get right. WHile the TV show offers beautiful vistas of Northumberland and Newcastle, the novel provides a deep sense of place and geography. I am a reader who insists on an authentic depiction of local culture and place and Ann Cleeves accomplishes this.
This installment is set in the days running up to Christmas. A young single mother, Lorna Falstone, is found murdered outside a large country mansion. The residents are Stanhopes, estranged relatives of Vera's. Vera, as always, relentlessly pursues the truth, including uncovering secrets her Stanhope relatives are hiding. Lorna has kept the identity of her baby's father a secret. Vera believes that the murderer may be this man. She also assumes, because of the place that Lorna died, that the murderer is a local.
As always, her sergeant Joe Ashworth is essential. His skills at empathetically relating to parents, and handling babies and toddlers are central in this case. A newer character, DC Holly Jackman has a different skill set, that are indispensable. Vera is at her cantankerous best, but in this novel, we get insights into her affection for her colleagues, her care for people, and her stubborn toughness that lets her walk and run over miles of snowy Northumberland terrain, and push herself beyond what even she thinks she is capable of.
This installment is set in the days running up to Christmas. A young single mother, Lorna Falstone, is found murdered outside a large country mansion. The residents are Stanhopes, estranged relatives of Vera's. Vera, as always, relentlessly pursues the truth, including uncovering secrets her Stanhope relatives are hiding. Lorna has kept the identity of her baby's father a secret. Vera believes that the murderer may be this man. She also assumes, because of the place that Lorna died, that the murderer is a local.
As always, her sergeant Joe Ashworth is essential. His skills at empathetically relating to parents, and handling babies and toddlers are central in this case. A newer character, DC Holly Jackman has a different skill set, that are indispensable. Vera is at her cantankerous best, but in this novel, we get insights into her affection for her colleagues, her care for people, and her stubborn toughness that lets her walk and run over miles of snowy Northumberland terrain, and push herself beyond what even she thinks she is capable of.