The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves

The Dark Wives

 by Ann Cleeves

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves

was published on 24th August 2024

 and is the eleventh book in the Vera series. 

My thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review and to

 Random Things tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

The man’s body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker on the common outside Rosebank, a care home for troubled teens. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous night but never showed up. DCI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death. Her only clue is the disappearance of one of the home’s residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. Vera can’t bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can’t dismiss the possibility. Vera, Joe and new team member Rosie Bell are soon embroiled in the case, and when a second connected body is found near the Three Dark Wives standing stones in the wilds of the Northumbrian countryside, superstition and folklore begin to collide with fact. Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, but it seems that the dark secrets in their community may be far more dangerous than she could ever have believed possible.

My Review

As with all “Vera” books this latest one doesn’t disappoint with the plot and setting keeping you mentally assessing what , who and where. The setting once again is on the bleak dark moors around Gillstead with the three standing stones, which in itself gives a bleakness to the storyline and hits you with what it can be like for troubled teenagers living in care homes that are strapped for cash.

There are a wide range of characters from a a cross section of society who are brought together , all linked to Josh either directly or indirectly. As ever with Anne’s characters, they are all described perfectly in order for you to create mental images of each of them as you read the story, from the way they dress to facial expressions and how they are feeling. Because the descriptions are so thorough you feel as though you are there in the shadows watching the case unfold, listening for the snap of the twigs in the wood behind you and feeling the damp and cold on a dark and starless night.

Vera once again looks at the case from different angles , trusting her gut instinct, often against what others in her team are thinking, and at times, in her characteristic manner doesn’t disclose everything to Joe and Rosie, much to their annoyance.

I have to be honest I didn’t warm to Rosie until nearly the end of the book, though in all fairness Hollie will take a lot of replacing , so as far as I am concerned the jury is still out as to whether I want her to stay or go !!

Without giving anything away this is another brilliant addition to the Vera series from Ann and will keep all her fans engrossed right until the end.

About the Author

ANN CLEEVES is the author of 37 critically acclaimed novels, an international bestseller translated into over 20 languages worldwide. In 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television in ITV’s Vera, BBC One’s Shetland and ITV's The Long Call respectively. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide. Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of ‘Murder Squad’, working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. Ann also spends her time advocating for reading to improve health and wellbeing and supporting access to books. In 2021 her Reading for Wellbeing project launched with local authorities across the North East, and in 2022 she was awarded an OBE for her services to reading and libraries. The Dark Wives, is her 11th Vera novel. She lives in Northumberland where the Vera books are set. You can find Ann on Twitter and Facebook @AnnCleeves. THE DARK WIVES is also available in ebook and audio