As always Ann Cleeves continues to deliver! She is such a great writer and this series just continues to be very good.

A police procedural featuring the indomitable Vera Stanhope. I have not read any of Ann Cleeves' books previously, nor have I watched the series, Vera. I will plan to read and watch others.

Northumberland, in the middle of a snowstorm, Vera finds a car off in the snow, door wide open and a baby in the back seat. She walks to the nearest house which just happens to be the ancestral home of her father’s estranged family. The house is decorated for the holidays and guests are arriving, just as Vera and the baby arrive. Matriarch Harriet, her daughter Juliet & son-in-law Mark don't exactly welcome her with open arms. Getting re-acquainted with her family will have to wait as the law is called in to deal with the situation. A body of a young woman is found in the back yard, dead.

Joe and Holly and the crew are back as the team tries to identify a killer. One slow bit of information follows another as Vera digs it out. Family secrets are uncovered, and the things that tie a rural neighborhood together are also the things that can tear it apart. We are left with several potential killers from which to choose. Vera brings it all together to an exciting conclusion.

I thought The Darkest Evening was a good addition to Ann Cleeves' series called Vera Stanhope. I am giving it four stars.

THE DARKEST EVENING offers readers a little something different in the way of a female sleuth. Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope is not your typical cop. She is older, experienced, would score a four or five on the scale of physical attributes. She’s a somewhat eccentric no-nonsense type who, along with her investigative team, follows the clues and “gets the job done”.

Set in the north of England the narrative begins with Vera lost in a blinding snowstorm and coming upon an abandoned car with a baby inside. Her search for the car’s driver results in a startling discovery.

Vera also comes with a lot of personal baggage, a bi-product of her black-sheep father and his estranged family that consistently and politely displayed their disdain for him and always treated him as an outsider. Now there has been a murder and the victim’s body has been found in the snow on the Brockton estate, the family property that Vera has not visited since she was a teen-ager. Much to her chagrin, Vera’s investigation into the murder forces her to interact with her supercilious aunt, a cousin and her husband as well as the family housekeeper who it appears is performing a job far below her abilities. What’s the story here?

With THE DARKEST EVENING author Anne Cleves has packed her narrative with a lot for readers to digest. There are a plethora of interesting characters whose lives turn out to be inter-connected and whose motives are well concealed through misdirection, not to mention a convoluted web of secrets leading to yet another murder.

Fans of Agatha Christie, police procedurals and Brit Lit will find THE DARKEST EVENING uniquely imaginative and intriguing.

I first found the TV series Vera. Brenda Blethyn brings the crotchety character to life. Bingeing seven seasons wasn't enough I needed all the Ann Cleeves Vera, Shetland and Two Rivers series. Cleeves is a master at mysteries. This is one series where I have trouble guessing who did the deed. Darkest Evening was no exception. There were three characters I liked for the culprit but I was so wrong. Lovers of mystery series will be in heaven with the Cleeves plot twists and characters.

In The Darkest Evening, Vera is driving to her country home in a snow storm when she comes across a car off the side of the road with the door open. She gets out to see if the person needs help. The snow is coming down harder and harder. The driver is gone but a baby is in the back seat. Leaving her card Vera takes the baby and goes to the nearest house to have the car traced tot he owner.

The nearest home turns out to be her father's ancestral home, Brockburn manor. Hector was the black sheep of the family so Vera is not close to these relatives but she is welcomed inside with the baby for tea and biscuits while she waits for word of the cars owner. A small gathering is taking place at Brockburn and two local girls are serving food for the evening. Their father finds a body on the way to pick up his girls and Vera suspects it is the car's owner. What would drive the woman from her car in a blizzard leaving her baby in the car? Who was she coming to see at Brockburn and was she murdered or the victim of an accident?

4.5 rounded up
This is the ninth in the series and the first I have read. I have seen the show so I loved being able to see Vera in my.mind. I really enjoyed this book. It was a solid mystery and further developed Vera’s character since the mystery was linked to a relative of hers. It felt comforting like being with an old friend.
I was given a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Darkest Evening is one of my two favorite Vera novels (the other being Harbour Street). As Ann Cleeves often does, she balanced the grim realities of violence and murder with a cozy atmosphere. Both complement each other. This is a lovely, cozy winter tale AND an exploration of violence and trauma within a small town and a small family. All of these things equally.
What I love extra much about this book is that we see Vera evolve. In other series, I often notice that the character doesn't change -- he or she always seems to be the exact same person, and that isn't true to life. However, in The Darkest Evening, we begin to see Vera change. New aspects of her life and new facets of herself. I love it -- and I hope that Ann will keep Vera going in some of her new directions. Vera is a strong woman who deserves to evolve. :)
Highly recommended.

Another solid police procedural featuring Vera Stanhope and her team. This outing brings up some family history for Vera as it lands her among distant relatives who live in a large house near the crime scene. The other members of Vera’s team are well developed and have clear goals of their own to make them more real. I enjoyed following the investigation but was not absolutely glued to the story, which is why I rate this book 4 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy for an honest review.
THE DARKEST EVENING is my first novel by Ann Cleaved . Interesting characters , a couple of twist story flowed smoothly . Liked Vera a lot.

My thanks to St. Martin's/Minataur Press and Netgalley for this ARC. I have not read any of the Ann Cleeves books nor was I familiar with Vera Stanhope, the TV series but did not find that at all an issue and feels it is fine as a stand alone novel. Even though I was reading this in the midst of 90 degree temperature, the book opens with the description of a blizzard in Northern New England and I was so wrapped up I thought when I looked out the window I would see snow falling! I found the story was well paced and the characters are well developed. I will certainly return to read more of the Vera Stanhope novels!

Another thoroughly enjoyable police procedural novel. DCI Vera Stanhope is an affable, intelligent character, she enjoys a hot tea or whiskey and biscuits. Be prepared to be transport to a snowy Northumbria, England.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

I've been a huge fan of the TV series based on Ann Cleeves' books, and I was happy to see that the books are just as terrific as the TV shows.

Vera is a sharp-tongued, dumpy-looking police detective, with an intuitive sense of what clues matter and when a case is about to break. She's foolish sometimes in putting herself in danger, but that demonstrates how strongly her team feels about her.

Joe and Holly, her lieutenants, are well-drawn characters, too, and its' fascinating to see how their search for clues fits in with Vera's. It's clear why Cleeves is so well-regarded in the mystery community.

Although I love the TV show "Vera", I had never read any of the books - so I started with the last one, but really enjoyed this mystery! Love the setting and the characters, and Vera delving into her family history The setting is so well described you will feel like you are stuck in the snowstorm yourself. There are enough red herrings to keep the mystery interesting, and many family secrets to keep you guessing. Loved the book and will read more Ann Cleeves!

I have read a few of the Vera Stanhope books and enjoyed them. This one is my favorite so far! I loved the pacing:: the backstories of the characters are revealed in a way that I was curious without getting annoyed. I liked the conflicts between the old-fashioned village mindset and the modern ideals. And I enjoyed the developing of Vera's teams' characters as well as Vera's family history. I have to catch up on the rest of these books. Vera Stanhope is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

3.5 stars rounded up. This is a police procedural set in Northumbria, England. It is book 9 in the Vera Stanhope series. I have read 2 other books by this author, 1 of them, The Crow Trap in the Vera Stanhope series. That book did not introduce Vera until 1/3rd of the way into the book. This book introduces Vera at the beginning. She finds an abandoned vehicle in a snowstorm. The vehicle has a baby in it. Vera goes to a nearby house, owned by distant relatives, to call in her team to start a search for the missing mother. The mother is found dead. Vera discovers that the mother, Lorna Falstone, was murdered. Vera and her team(she is a DCI-Detective Chief Inspector) , begin investigating and interviewing. There is another murder, but Vera and her team eliminate suspects. I didn't suspect the killer until it was revealed at the end.
Pros: The plot is fast paced, the characters are well written and believable, which adds up to an entertaining story.
Cons: The author has Vera, an out of shape, middle aged woman putting herself in danger by going after the killer alone. Police officers are taught to have a partner for safety .
#TheDarkestEvening #NetGalley
Thank You St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for sending me the eARC through NetGalley

I love Ann Cleeves and I love Vera Stanhope. While I have surprisingly held the opinion that I prefer the British television broadcast version of Vera to the book version on her, I liked her more than usual in The Darkest Evening. This is the 9th book in the Vera Stanhope series. The mystery the novel was built around was about a woman who was murdered while driving somewhere in horrible weather, leaving her infant son in his carseat in the running vehicle. The investigation brings Vera into contact with her (seemingly) only living relatives, ones that are from the posher side of the Stanhope family tree, thus Vera is not a fan of them, and they are not of her.

Things I appreciate about the Stanhope novels as the series has progressed:
-I appreciate that Holly is becoming a more likable, relatable character.
-I like that in this book, Vera was shown to have some longing for a familial bond.
-In this novel, not so much is overtly commented on about Vera's weight.

Things I wish the author would improve upon for my reading pleasure:
-I wish that Joe were less jarring in his contempt for his family life. He is the one character that offers some balance to Vera's anti-"happy families" attitude, yet over the course of the series, he is basically living down to her expectations about the worst of it.
-While the series has made Vera Stanhope an anti-heroine, in theory by her being a serious lead, successful, intelligent, female, not a beauty and middle aged, it also seems to betray that the author doesn't really believe in her own heroine as such by making her sexless, often bitter and mean-spirited, AND commenting on her weight WAY more than necessary. I wish Vera would grow more as a character and be less bitter. She is a strong, independent woman. Why is there a need to show her looking down on convention so frequently rather than just embracing her own choices?

Overall, while I prefer the Shetland series, I am just happy Ms. Cleeves has continued to write this familiar series. Familial characters whom I love are exactly what 2020 needs!

It's the first snowstorm of winter in Northumberland, and DCI Vera Stanhope is headed home. Despite having driven the lonely road thousands of times, she misses a turning and becomes disoriented. Suddenly she sees a car on the side of the road, door open, and she stops to investigate. No driver is to be found, but there is a toddler strapped into a car seat. Vera knows nothing about children, but she realizes she needs to get the child to warmth and safety. Soon she realizes precisely where she is, the local "big house", Brockburn, where her father, Hector, grew up. The Stanhopes of Brockburn have had very little to do with Vera, but the daughter of the house, Juliet, recognizes her and welcomes her in. Juliet and her husband, theater director Mark Bolitho, are having a party, but Juliet and her housekeeper soon get the child warm, fed, and changed. No one knows who the child might be. That changes soon when the tenant farmer arrives with news of a young woman with a massive head injury found in the snow. She is Lorna Falstone, a local with a history of eating disorders and mental health issues. Nobody knows who the father is. The Darkest Evening is a crime novel, with a feeling of a throwback to classic Agatha Christie "country house" mysteries. It is also a story about families and how they intertwine in small, still somewhat feudal communities. Lorna's family, the Stanhopes, the tenants, and even the Brockburn housekeeper have secrets and stories to tell. Even if they really don't want to let go of their secrets.

I have been catching up on the Vera TV series, but have never gotten around to reading the books. I was delighted to get an advance copy from Minotaur and add the rest of the books to my list. Vera is a fascinating character, gruff, dumpy, and poorly dressed. It's clear from Brenda Blethyn's portrayal that Vera has a soft center hidden away, and that center is on display in The Darkest Evening. It's a tragic story that has a little hope and reconciliation for many of the characters. It also kept me guessing until nearly the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur. The opinions are my own.

Let me say that this is the first book I have read in this series-so I had no connection to the characters from the previous books. That being said, the story holds up as a stand-alone novel. The mystery was intriguing and the ending was strong. I do think I would have enjoyed it more if I had already been invested in the main characters and had read this in the order it was meant to read.

Flawed characters and fairly good plot. Not particularly my type of book but nonetheless a good story

Are you a fan of Anne Cleaves, mystery authoress extraordinaire? ⁣
⁣
There is a reason Ann Cleeves has been writing crime fiction since 1986 and has won awards for her writing. She is a master at her craft. ⁣And while Vera Stanhope is new to me in the past three years, she has been a character in Cleeve’s books since 1999! ⁣
⁣This series has also been made into a television show. Vera Stanhope is on her way home one stormy night when she gets disoriented and winds up at her estranged extended family’s house. She also finds a baby in an abandoned car. ⁣To make the situation even more difficult, the abandoned car is right near the home of her estranged family. In order the find the baby's mother and get out of the storm, Vera has no choice but to go to the family home. What could go wrong?
⁣Cleeves is an excellent writer and this book does not disappoint! It’s the perfect fall read!