Skip to main content

VERA novels by Ann Cleeves

 VERA 

by Ann Cleeves

Vera Stanhope, dressed in frumpy uninspiring clothes, excels at solving crime in Northumberland. The highly rated stories by successful mystery writer Ann Cleeves, have led to 14 seasons of a TV series known simply as VERA.

An 8-Book set  is a great way to enjoy a retreat from daily life. Ann Cleeves has a knack of dropping clues that lead Vera and readers turning this way and that until Vera leaps at the solution. Along the mysterious trails, this sometimes-grumpy sleuth reveals her soft side in caring for troubled souls whilst at other times she trades barbs and threats with the haughty. And, as an added attraction, Cleeves stocks Vera mind with brilliant lines that make us chuckle—if you enjoy British humour. And, if you aren’t British, you’ll pick up some slang and idioms from the North of England, which adds to your tour of life in a different subculture than most tourists sample.


The Main Characters

Vera Stanhope is a DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) played by Brenda Blethyn in the ITV series set in and around Newcastle upon Tyne.

Joe Ashworth is a young man with a family. He’s a DS (Detective Sergeant) and later a DI (Detective Inspector) played in the early series by David Leon.


A Bit About the 8-Books

The Crow Trap:

The Crow Trap marks the debut of Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series, which has been adapted into a major ITV detective drama featuring Brenda Blethyn as Vera. Three distinctly different women gather at a remote cottage in the North Pennines to carry out an environmental survey. Each of these women understands betrayal deeply. Rachael is the first to arrive and finds the body of her friend, Bella Furness, who seemingly committed suicide—a conclusion Rachael is unwilling to accept. With another death on the scene, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope becomes involved.


2. Telling Tales:

Telling Tales is the second novel in Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series. A decade after Jeanie Long was accused of murdering fifteen-year-old Abigail Mantel, unsettling new evidence surfaces in the East Yorkshire village of Elvet, exonerating Jeanie. This means Abigail’s killer is still on the loose. Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope reopens the case, dragging the villagers back to a period they’d much prefer to leave buried. As tensions rise, one must wonder: are the locals more frightened of the killer at large, or their own skeletons in the cupboard?

3. Hidden Depths:

Hidden Depths is the third instalment in Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series. On a sweltering summer night along the Northumberland coast, Julie Armstrong returns home after an evening out to find her son strangled, lying in a water-filled bath adorned with wild flowers. This elaborate murder scene piques Inspector Vera Stanhope’s curiosity. Soon, another body is found in a rock pool, similarly adorned with flowers. Vera must quickly piece together the clues to catch this killer, who turns murder into a macabre form of art.



4. Silent Voices:

Silent Voices is the fourth instalment in Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series. When DI Vera Stanhope discovers a woman's body in the sauna at her local gym, she briefly wonders if this might be a straightforward natural death. But upon noticing ligature marks on the victim’s throat, she realises it’s far from simple. Vera takes pleasure in leading the investigation, teaming up with Sergeant Joe Ashworth to uncover a motive. While Joe grapples with balancing his home life and the case, Vera has never felt more invigorated by the hunt for a killer.


5. The Glass Room:

The Glass Room is the fifth book in Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series. DI Vera Stanhope isn't known for her social graces, but her bohemian neighbours keep her stocked with homemade brews and good company. When one of them goes missing, Vera’s search leads her to the Writer's House, a rural retreat for budding authors. The plot thickens when a body is found, and Vera's neighbour is caught red-handed with a knife.


6. Harbour Street:

Harbour Street is the sixth book in Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series. On a busy Metro ride in Newcastle, Detective Joe Ashworth and his daughter Jessie witness an unusual event when the train stops unexpectedly. Jessie notices that one passenger, Margaret Krukowski, remains behind, having been fatally stabbed. Despite the crowded train, no one saw the murder happen. To find answers, DI Vera Stanhope travels to the tranquil Northumberland town of Mardle, convinced that the locals are hiding crucial information.


7. The Moth Catcher:

The Moth Catcher is the seventh instalment in Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series. Life at Valley Farm seems idyllic. The owners of a grand country house have hired Patrick, a young ecologist, as their house-sitter. However, Patrick is discovered dead by the lane into the valley. DI Vera Stanhope arrives with detectives Holly and Joe. During their investigation, they find a second body in the house’s attic. The only link between the two victims? A shared passion for moth-catching.


8. The Seagull:


The Seagull is the eighth gripping novel by Ann Cleeves. During a visit to her local prison, DI Vera Stanhope encounters an old foe: ex-detective superintendent John Brace, now an inmate. Brace offers Vera information about the disappearance of the notorious Robbie Marshall, on the condition that she takes care of his daughter and grandchildren. He reveals that Marshall is dead, buried near St Mary’s Island in Whitley Bay. But when the search team digs, they uncover not one skeleton, but two!

Find the 8-Book Set on AMAZON


Ad

You may find the book, Mind the Gap, interesting.

Mind the Gap…Between British and American Language & Culture

Available on AMAZON as  a  Paperback or   Kindle Book





Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD is Emeritus Professor of Psychology. He retired from a clinical practice and was credentialed in clinical neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. His website is  www.suttong.com

 

See Geoffrey Sutton’s books on   AMAZON       or  GOOGLE STORE

Follow on    FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton    

   X   @Geoff.W.Sutton    

You can read many published articles at no charge:

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton 

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS AND JOHN WAYNE - A book review

  JESUS AND JOHN WAYNE How White Evangelicals        Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation By    Kristin Kobes Du Mez Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton   Kristin Kobes Du Mez begins and ends her assault on militaristic white American evangelical men with their contemporary sociopolitical leader, former president, Donald Trump. In the Introduction we learn the short doctrinal list of what it means to be a Bible-believing evangelical, but the author posits that American evangelicals are more than a set of theological statements. Instead, since the early 1900s they have embraced a John Wayne view of what it means to be a Christian man—a powerful warrior for country and God—a man who leads his troops into battle to uphold the values of God’s chosen people, the Americans. It was the title, Jesus and John Wayne , that was off-putting. I didn’t grow up with John Wayne films or a love of American westerns. I was after...

Progressive Christianity - Book List Reviews or Summaries

  The Way Understanding Progressive Christianity Book Reviews One way to understand a movement is to read what the leaders have written. The progressive Christian movement, like any Christian movement, can be difficult to describe in detail because there is no one authoritative body or voice. Instead, there are many voices. I hesitate to offer too many descriptive statements because there are surely some who will disagree. Nevertheless, I will list a few trends then list some of the books by writers with progressive perspectives. See the book reviews by clicking the highlighted titles below. Progressive Christians emphasize: A focus on the life and teachings of Jesus when interpreting scripture and thinking morally about current social issues. An appreciation of what it means to truly love God and one’s neighbour as oneself when it comes to compassionate behaviour and promoting justice for all. A commitment to following Jesus' example of meeting the immediate needs of peo...

Why I am not a Christian - Bertrand Russell - A book Review

 Why I Am Not A         Christian By   Bertrand Russell Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton   I am still surprised by the memory of a professor at a highly conservative college who included Russell’s book, Why I am not a Christian as assigned reading in a Philosophy of Christianity class. I don’t recall what the professor said about the collection of essays so many years ago. However, it is a classic work and deserves at least a look by those like me interested in the psychology of religion and related fields like philosophy. The lead essay answers the author’s question in the title. It was presented as a lecture at the Battersea Town Hall (London, England) in 1927. His logical thinking is evident early on as he attempts to define the concept, Christian . He considers a few options and concludes first, that a Christian must believe in God and immortality, and second, a Christian must at least think of Christ as the “best and wis...