Ann Cleeves, popular British writer, presents her newest detective in this novel and an unusual woman, Vera Standhope, is. Middle-aged, overweight, and out-of-shape, she is not the usual detective we meet in our reading. But she is mentally sharp, tenacious, and intuitive, all qualities that make for a good sleuth. She has a loyal following of fellow detectives that all seem to revere her, despite her conniving ways of getting them to pay attention to detail. She huffs and puffs to keep up but in the end she’s the glue that keeps them together. In this Agatha Christie look-a-like, a group of acquaintances are gathered on a cold winter’s night for a feast in a remote, rambling estate, when they receive news of a death on the property. A young girl has abandoned her baby boy in a frigid automobile with the door left opened, disappeared into the storm, and is later found in the roadway on the estate property. Vera stumbles across the vehicle and abandoned child, and finds her way to the site of the festive gathering with young boy in tow, and immediately begins her search for the answers that no one seems to have.

When the young girl’s body is found later that night by a neighboring farmer who is traveling to the estate on his tractor to pick up his daughters who are working at the party. The questions begin to escalate, Vera calls in her entire detective force and forensics people to study the scene, and relationships begin to surface, roil about, and provide complicated backstories that make up the author’s main story. Thankfully, Cleves is a very good writer who can keep all the characters in order and the complications simple enough to follow. She manages to keep all the past occurrences clear and simple and her characters are crisply defined so a players’ list is not required, making the reader’s job simple. Keep a clear mind and follow her on her storytelling journey.

I enjoyed this book, as I have other Cleeve crime novels. I think you will as well.

Schuyler T Wallace
Author of TIN LIZARD TALES

I have not read the previous books in this series but the plot sounded interesting so I thought I would give this a try. I was able to quickly get into the story. It was fast paced and the main character was well developed. However, I felt that I was missing out on something. I would like to go back and read the series from the beginning.

This book was quite a surprise and moved along quickly, with lots of red herrings, speculation and rich characters. I liked the way the author brought in the townspeople and their relationships to each other as well as to the Stanhope estate (which is in the main character's family).
I thought the characters were well developed and they essentially drove the story line through their history with the victim as well as their lifelong residence in the village and their ties where everyone knows everyone else.
This was written like an Agatha Christie mystery - and was expertly plotted. Nearly every character
was suspect, and the author moved the story along at a good pace, that kept me guessing. Although there was a lot of misdirection, the twist at the end was satisfying and made sense - and I didn't see it coming- although it was clearly spelled out along with the rationale.
I am thankful to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an advance ebook and the opportunity to discover this clever creative detective - Vera Stanhope.

This is the second Ann Cleeves book that I've read, each in a different series, and I think it's safe to say she is just not the author for me. This is a police procedural so I expect a good deal of time to be spent on procedure - investigating the crime, interviewing suspects, that sort of thing. The problem is what could have been a reasonably interesting investigation gets lost in overly wordy descriptions that seem to do little more than fill pages. Then there's Vera. Now, I'll admit that this is the first Vera Stanhope book I've read, so maybe I would've learned something in those earlier books to change my mind, but I did not like Vera at all. She comes across as rude more often than not, which makes it hard to warm up to her, so even if I had liked the story, that lack of connection with Vera wouldn't bode well for me reading any other books in this series.

So nice to read this latest of Ann Cleeves’ Vera series. It’s like being in a comfortable chair in a cozy room on a stormy day. Cleeves and Vera will capably, and with interesting plot lines and characters, see you through. This story begins with Vera trying to drive home from the station in what is becoming a dangerous snowstorm. She can’t recognize any landmarks and then comes upon a car that appears to have gone off the road. She pulls her old Land Rover off near it to check for injured people. But all she finds is an open door and a toddler in a child seat. With no other option, she leaves her card and a note in the car and takes the child in its seat to her car. And continues on her way...but gets little further. She recognizes the drive that she approaches...relatives who won’t be particularly pleased to see her but who can shelter her and the child. Her Stanhope relatives in their big house.

From this point, the story takes off, with more of Vera’s personal back story with her father Hector, the various lives of her relatives, a matter of a murder during the night she is at the house, and the gradual unwinding of the case. Each book seems to provide more details of members of Vera’s team. Here it is Holly who is given much attention and we also see much of this case from her perspective.

To date I have probably seen more episodes of Vera than I have read the books. I think I should remedy that as there is so much that can’t possibly make it into a script.

Definitely recommend this series.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This review is courtesy of NetGalley.

The Darkest Evening is book nine of Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series. It was my first exposure to this incredible female detective that my mother has been trying to get me into for years (she's a big fan of the Vera show). Now I understand why.

Maybe it's the difference between American and British writers and directors, but I've noticed how the American female detectives have to be stunningly beautiful, thin, and know every kind of combat technique; where the Brits write their women and detectives as real hardworking average people. I loved that about Vera. She's ordinary but skilled.

In The Darkest Evening, there are so many family secrets and small town drama revealed. I could not guess who the murderer was. The pacing kept things moving forward especially since Cleeves allowed secondary characters in the detective unit to share their experiences working on the cases of the two murders which were clearly linked.

There are notes of domestic abuse in terms of gaslighting; a young woman maturing into her own but her male partner trying to control her life; and struggle for custody of a baby.

A detective thriller and a family drama rolled into one, what more could you ask for? This was an enthralling read from start to finish.

This is the first time I,have read this author. I was very hooked on this book. I could not put it down. The twists and turns continued until the very end. I cannot wait to read more by this author. I highly recommend it.

The Darkest Evening is the ninth book in the Vera Stanhope series by Ann Cleeves. This atmospheric read takes place in Northumbria, England. I was intrigued by this book from the very beginning. The story starts off when Vera finds a well dressed toddler strapped into an abandoned car on the side of the road during a major snow storm. When Vera stops at her old family's estate to call the police station for help she learns of a dead body found on the grounds. From there the story takes off on a twisted path of family secrets and lies. The characters are so well written and the plot is very fast paced. I really enjoyed this one and will be going back and reading other stories from this series. Four Stars for me.

Thank you to ST. Martin's Press for sending me an eARC via Netgalley for my honest review.

This was my first Ann Cleeves novel and I was immediately taken with Vera Stanhope. I loved that she wasn't your typical "hot cop," but rather a middle-aged, single, female detective. One night, on the first really snowy night of the year, Vera comes across an car, door open, no driver in sight, but with a baby in the backseat. Vera takes the baby to the nearest home, which is actually a manor belonging to distant relatives of Vera's, and an investigation into the driver's whereabouts commences.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, kept me on the edge of my seat, and I enjoyed the characters. I'll definitely look for the other Vara Stanhope novels now because she is one of my newest heroines!

4 out of 5 stars for The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves.

This is a great mystery book told with great skill. I am late to finding out about the Vera books, but decided to try this one after having watched many seasons of the tv series. I will now go back and read some of her other books, including the Sheffield Island series.

One of the outstanding things I noticed about this book is that it reminds me in a way of Agatha Christie in that the scene is set immediately at the start of the book. No meandering around trying to figure out what is happening and who is who.

She starts out with a basic description and then expands the scene incrementally until there is a full and detailed description.... and then, at that point, you are hooked into the story.

This was a fantastic mystery thriller which has an engaging plot. We learn of Vera’s history. family, and secrets. It was a fast paced read and had me racing to the end.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ann Cleeves doesn’t disappoint in the new installment in the DI Vera Stanhope series. On a snowy winter’s night, DI Stanhope stops to help a fellow driver in the storm. She didn’t count on the car being empty except for a young toddler. The mother of the boy is found murdered, and Vera is assigned to the case.
The author’s rich character development is present throughout the book. Holly and Joe return as part of Vera’s loyal team. The plot kept me guessing who the killer was up to the end.

I love Vera! I wish they would put this story on the television program. It is winter, snowy, dark, cold night; time for a murder. Who did it, and why; plus we find out about Vera's childhood. Amazing stuff.
I thoroughly enjoyed, I highly recommend!
carolintallahassee

The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves is the ninth entry in the Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope series but it reads well as a stand-alone. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that this is my first Vera book, after having enjoyed the television series for many years. I now intend to read the rest of the series as well as other series by Ann Cleeves. The story begins with Vera Stanhope on her way home on a stormy winter’s night. On the road home, she spots a car on the side of the road. The driver’s door is wide open, indicating that the driver left quickly. She soon realizes that a baby has been left in the car, abandoned by whoever the driver was. She brings the baby to the closest home which turns out to be Brockburn, an estate owned by the Stanhopes, estranged relatives of Vera. This is the only shelter in this terrible storm for her and the baby and ring the bell she must. Soon the evening turns from bad to worse when a body is discovered on the property and it looks like a case of murder. Vera calls in her people and the investigation begins. This unusual police procedural has great characters and a plot like no other. The Darkest Evening is a most enjoyable read. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first trip into a Vera Stanhope mystery. It didn't make me feel lost or like I was missing something from not having read the previous books in the series. With that said, I found the story to be very slow going and only at the final stretch at the end, did it perk my interest. I wasn't suckered in like I like to be. I want to be on my toes from beginning to end and it was rather lackluster.

Cleeves, the author of the Vera and Shetland TV series, has done it again with The Darkest Evening.
This time Vera's extended family is involved when she discovers an abandoned toddler in a car during a blizzard.
The story has the usual twists and turns of a cracking good murder mystery coupled with Vera's unsettled state of mind in dealing with her family when a body is found in the snow at their country house in the depths of Northhumberland.
Recommended for all readers who love British murder mysteries and Vera's unusual techniques of finding the killer..

Reading the ninth novel in the Vera Stanhope series doesn’t make you feel you need to read the first eight books to know where you are. It starts off quickly, with Vera driving country roads to get home to her country cottage when she comes across a car stuck in the snow. Given that the roads are terrible, it’s not such a surprise, but when Vera’s police instincts kick in and she sees the driver’s side door is left open, she decides to stop and take a quick look. When she finds a toddler strapped into his car seat in the back, with no one else around, Vera quickly comes to suspect foul play of some sort. I liked this book—no fancy tech schemes, no twisted serial killers, and no crazy plot with so many characters you can’t keep them all straight. A good, old fashioned murder mystery. It was good, and it made me wonder why I haven’t already read the rest of the books in the series.

NOTE: Special thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Detective Vera Stanhope is driving home on a snowy night and comes upon a car off the road. No driver, but a baby strapped in the back seat. This leads her to a classic British mansion where some distant relatives of hers are having a fund raiser. Lots of suspects when the baby’s mother is found dead in the snow, very Agatha Christie like layering of plots. These include Vera’s own upbringing, that of the family that owns the manor, and the townspeople they are responsible for. Well written and classic form.

The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves

On the first snowy night of winter, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope sets off to home. She becomes lost and disoriented. A car has skidded off the road in front of her. The door is open, but no passengers. She hears a a cry and found a toddler in the back seat.

This was a copy mystery with many interesting characters. After a body is found, Vera sets out to investigate and find the killer , as well as the truth. I enjoyed this book & recommend it.

Thank you Net Galley for sending an advanced reader’s copy for my review.