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A review by dennisfischman
The Seagull by Ann Cleeves
4.0
A very complicated mystery. Everything eventually ties back to The Seagull (an inn owned by some characters, frequented by others, and a place of employment for yet others), or "the Gang of Four," including Vera's late father, Hector Stanhope. We knew from previous books that he had an obsession with collecting birds, eggs, and other natural specimens AND that he was not scrupulous about obeying the law, but we learn a good bit more about him (and how Vera grew up) from this installment.
As so often happens in this series, good police procedure by Vera's team combines with her uncanny ability to get people to talk and her intuitive leaps into what might have happened to reveal whodunnit. I am not a good problem solver, but I defy anyone to say they had this one figured out early in the book.
What holds the plot together is the characters and their motivations. That also happens to be what I like finding out the most. Human beings are the greatest puzzles.
As so often happens in this series, good police procedure by Vera's team combines with her uncanny ability to get people to talk and her intuitive leaps into what might have happened to reveal whodunnit. I am not a good problem solver, but I defy anyone to say they had this one figured out early in the book.
What holds the plot together is the characters and their motivations. That also happens to be what I like finding out the most. Human beings are the greatest puzzles.