Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Prior to this approval I had never read any of the Vera Stanhope books. I have now binged all of them in the last 3 weeks. I have zero regrets. I love how the cases are very character based and not gruesome. The detectives work to unravel the human side. Generally Vera isn't one to be targeted by the perpetrator, unlike many other mystery/thriller police books. I find that very refreshing. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for character driven mystery books without a lot of gore or on page violence.

“The Darkest Evening” by Ann Cleeves it's the 9th instalment in the Vera Stanhope Mystery Series. I love the Vera Mystery series and this instalment did not disappoint. In fact, I thought that it was one of the best in the series.

The Series is character-driven and also very descriptive you feel like you are right there in Northumbria, England. In this instalment we get to catch up with Vera and her team, but we also meet her estranged snooty relatives that lived in the big house. This complicated things for Vera as she dealt with in the investigation. Vera reflects on her upbringing in comparison to the way her cousin Juliette grew up.

The story is full of family secrets and half truths as well as the gossip that seems to thrive in small communities. We had lots of suspects but I did not guess until it was revealed, in fact the villain wasn’t even on my radar.

I highly recommend this book and the Vera Stanhope Mystery series to all my British Mystery loving friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from the publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and PanMacmillan for a copy of "The Darkest Evening" in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the 9th in the Vera Stanhope series. The publication date is set for September 8, 2020. It can easily be read as a stand alone as well.

The story is a classic - a murder by a big house on a dark night where everyone is trapped by the snowy weather.

DCI Vera Stanhope of the Northumbria Police and her team of Sergeant Joe Ashworth and DC Holly Jackman begin to investigate after Vera takes a wrong turn in a blizzard and finds a bairn alone in a car with the door left open. She soon realizes that she is just outside Brockburn, the estate belonging to the Stanhope family. A family she describes as "distant relatives." In reality Harriet Stanhope was married to Crispin Stanhope, Vera's father Hector's nephew. Also, living at the house are Vera's cousin Juliet and her husband Mark Bolitho.

The baby (Thomas) in the car belonged to the Lorna Falstone. The car itself belonged to a neighbour and friend of Lorna's named Constance Browne, 67 year old retired school teacher.

As Vera and her team are joined by Paul Keating (Pathologist) and Billy Cartwright (Crime Scene Manager) they need to find out what happened to Lorna quickly as another person disappears from Kirkhill.

The suspects all appear to be tenants on the Brockburn estate. At Broom Farm are Lorna's parents Robert and Jill. Lorna lives in her own place with Thomas. She has battled anorexia, had been seen taking a bus to Newcastle to meet a "wealthy" man and has never revealed the father of her baby.

At Home Farm live the Heslops. The father - Neil found Lorna's body when he was going to the big house on his tractor in the storm to pick up daughters Nettie and Cath who were working as servers during the party. Their mother is Rosemary and they have a brother Josh.

Juliet's friend Dorothy Felling works as her housekeeper and lives in a cottage on the estate with her partner Karan Pabla and their son Duncan.

Everyone holds secrets. Everyone is a suspect. Once Vera figures out who the father of wee Thomas is, she'll know who killed Lorna. During the exciting conclusion Vera places herself in grave danger and the reader finds the suspect might not be who they thought it would be. A brilliant read, worth more than 5 stars and I'm hoping for another Vera book soon!

Delighted to include a mention of this novel in the Fall Fiction spotlight of Zoomer magazine’s September/October print issue, as well as on new digital Books hub Club Zed.

Brilliant new Vera Stanhope murder mystery. In this novel we get to learn a bit more about Vera’s family connections and we also see a softer side of Vera. Lots of great characters with their own stories involved in the murder. This is Vera at her most transparent. Excellent read. I could not put it down.

Absolutely loved spending time with Vera Stanhope, my favourite fictional detective. In this story, Vera and her team must untangle secrets and lies to uncover who murdered a vulnerable young single mother.

I've read many of Ann Cleeves's police procedural novels and this was one of the best: moody and atmospheric, filled with interesting characters and a tricky plot. I enjoyed every minute of it!

Ann Cleeves is one of my favourite authors and I look forward to each new book she writes. The Darkest Evening did not disappoint. In fact, I thought that it was one of the best in the Vera Stanhope series.

In The Darkest Evening, Vera sets out for home in a bad snow storm and makes a wrong turn. She decides that she should find a room for the night in the small village instead of trying to make it home. As she is approaching the village, she finds an abandoned vehicle with a child in a car seat. Vera takes the child and heads off to find the parent. She soon realizes she is close to the Brockburn, the Stanhope family house where her dad Hector grew up. She decides to take the child there and finds a party going on. Shortly after she arrives, the body of a woman is found close by and it turns out that the deceased in the mother of the child. Vera must find out who murdered the young mother in a village where everyone seems to have secrets.

I always love the atmosphere that Ann Cleeves creates in her stories, as well as her descriptions of the people and the setting. In The Darkest Evening, we not only get to catch up with Vera's team, but we also meet her relatives that lived in the big house while she grew up with Hector. This added an extra element for Vera to deal with in the investigation as she reflects on her upbringing in comparison to the way her cousin grew up.

I would highly recommend The Darkest Evening and the whole Vera Stanhope series. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of the book. #TheDarkestEveningVera9 #NetGalley