Take a photo of a barcode or cover
eveningstar_reader 's review for:
The Darkest Evening: A Vera Stanhope Novel
by Ann Cleeves
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I am biased because I already know that I enjoy Ann Cleeves' mystery novels. I've read all of the Shetland books and I read her first in the new series - The Long Call.
I have probably read half of the Vera Stanhope novels. This is number 9 and the most recent. I couldn't get into a different book so I started this one and it was a fast and compulsive read.
Having the backstory on Vera is nice when reading this one. It involves estranged family of hers and some history with her father. She is her usual self - obsessed with work, lonely, cantankerous, brash, etc. She has grown on me as a character for sure. The mystery is really good, as usual. Multiple suspects, multiple red herrings, and though I did guess the murderer at about 65% through - I didn't guess all the reasons why they did it.
The setting is excellent as usual too. Northumberland on an estate (the Stanhope estate!) during a snowstorm before Christmas. One thing that bugs me about the Vera novels is that Vera always figures out the killer by herself, then she keeps the reader and her employees (Joe, Holly, and the other detectives) in the dark about it until she is absolutely sure - which of course at times leads to dangerous situations. And the reader potentially doing a little eye roll when Vera does the big reveal. But, if you can move past that, these are solid mystery novels with lots of memorable characters and stories.
I am biased because I already know that I enjoy Ann Cleeves' mystery novels. I've read all of the Shetland books and I read her first in the new series - The Long Call.
I have probably read half of the Vera Stanhope novels. This is number 9 and the most recent. I couldn't get into a different book so I started this one and it was a fast and compulsive read.
Having the backstory on Vera is nice when reading this one. It involves estranged family of hers and some history with her father. She is her usual self - obsessed with work, lonely, cantankerous, brash, etc. She has grown on me as a character for sure. The mystery is really good, as usual. Multiple suspects, multiple red herrings, and though I did guess the murderer at about 65% through - I didn't guess all the reasons why they did it.
The setting is excellent as usual too. Northumberland on an estate (the Stanhope estate!) during a snowstorm before Christmas. One thing that bugs me about the Vera novels is that Vera always figures out the killer by herself, then she keeps the reader and her employees (Joe, Holly, and the other detectives) in the dark about it until she is absolutely sure - which of course at times leads to dangerous situations. And the reader potentially doing a little eye roll when Vera does the big reveal. But, if you can move past that, these are solid mystery novels with lots of memorable characters and stories.