Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

For fifty years, a group of friends have been coming to visit Holy Island to celebrate where they met and to mourn the loss of a friend to the rising causeway years ago. However, during the most recent trip, one of them is found hanged. Was it an attempted suicide or murder?
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This was my first book by Ann Cleeves and I really enjoyed it. I haven’t read all of the previous mysteries that include the MC but I feel like this was definitely able to read as a standalone. I loved the detective’s character, Vera Stanhope, and her team. I absolutely love novels that are set in places where the tides can keep people in or out. I think it always makes for an eventful time. This was definitely a more entertaining mystery novel that had some unexpected twists.

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Although I haven't read all the previous Vera mysteries, this one was "unputdownable." I love her mysteries because she is unorthodox, and the books are suspenseful but not grotesque. I would say Vera is more intellectual, and one is never sure where she is going in her thought processes. Highly recommended.

My thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for allowing me to read and review, ‘The Rising Tide’ by Ann Cleeves.

When several aging friends meet for their ongoing reunion after another 5 years have past, one of them will not be returning home alive. Their retreat to a remote island brings out old memories and old animosities that can no longer be tolerated. This brings DI Vera Stanhope and her team in to investigate and determine who the murderer could be. It seems to Vera that this is somehow tied in to events in the past, but the participants are not quickly persuaded to tell all of the facts of their history (which is very typical of British murder mysteries). In the final rush to solve the case, their will be more casualties, and even Vera gets too close to also being a victim.

Frumpy Vera is a great detective with unorthodox methods, but she gets the job done. This is just another great story by Ann Cleeves, and a nice addition to the series.

This is book 10 in the actual fiction series. Meanwhile the BBC TV series is on season 8! sometimes reading the books now, there is a slight disconnect, as you see the TV Vera, but then the side characters are out of timeline with the TV series! It can take a couple of chapters to adjust! But as always, Ann gives us a tight mystery that leaves you guessing motives and truths, even when you think you know who is the murderer! When you pick up a Cleeves book, you know you're in for a solid mystery and bok 10 does not disappoint!

Get your wellies on and grab your umbrella and come along with Vera as she and her very able crew work to solve another mystery.

This mystery takes place on Holy Island and, of course, I wanted to know more about this curious place where the tides can obstruct the causeway...either keeping you in, or out.

A weekend with friends and a suicide opens this story for us. Or is it a suicide? Vera has her suspicions!

I love Vera so very much. She is so lovable. Cleeves does a masterful job of drawing the reader into Vera's team as you all work together to solve the mystery.

I won't share more and won't give away the ending... but it is brilliant! I highly recommend this latest installment to the Vera Stanhope series!

I want to thank Netgalley, Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for providing this ebook for review.

A group of folks arrive on Holy Island for a reunion of their Only Connect meeting of a group from their Kimmerston Grammar school. They have gotten together every five years. At the first reunion, Isobel,one of their group, died when leaving early and getting caught in the waters overrunning the causeway onto the island. Now the group is smaller. Rick has recently lost his job as a TV newscaster because of sexual harrassment of a young intern. During the evening he tells the group that he had sex with their teacher/Only Connect leader. The next morning, they find Rick in his single room downstairs hanging from the Rafters. Vera Stanhope is called in to investigate.

The case is very complicated. Relationships between the reunion member have changed. There are members of the original group who no longer attend reunions, and a lot of secrets among them. Was Rick killed for his recent problems, or something that happened many years ago? Then, Charlotte, another of the original group who was married to Rick for awhile is found dead in her yogo studio. Vera also figures out that other members of the original group were also on Holy Island the night of Rick's hanging. Soon, as they begin to reveal secrets, Vera and her team are also in extreme danger.

This is a great addition to the series with a very clever plot.

Ann Cleeves' newest Vera Stanhope mystery reaches back into the past for the motive behind a series of murders. Fifty years ago, a group of students at Kimmerston Grammar, brought together by their teacher, had a sort of retreat on Holy Island (Lindisfarne) and formed strong bonds that have lasted a lifetime. Five have gathered on the island every five years for a reunion. Those meeting this October include Rick Kelsall, a celebrity journalist whose career has come to a screeching halt by accusations of sexual harassment from an intern. There is also Annie Laidler, co-owner of a successful bakery/deli in Kimmerston; Philip Robson, an Anglican priest; Ken Hampton, a successful head-teacher now suffering from Alzheimer's, and his wife, Louise. Holy Island is connected to the mainland by a causeway, inundated by the rising tide once a day. On the first reunion, Isobel Hall left the island in a temper when the tide rose and was swept away in her small car. She is much remembered by the remaining group.

Vera has had no cases for a while that challenged her, so when news of a possible suicide on Holy Island reaches her, she secretly hopes for a murder. Rick Kelsall is dead, found hanging in his room by Annie. Rick had been surprisingly upbeat with his career in shambles, talking about new projects, including a novel. It does look like a suicide, but the postmortem shows that Rick was smothered with a pillow and strung up. This investigation, with the wives, ex-wives, friends, and the now-retired teacher who brought them together, will prove to be the most dangerous and tragic of her career. All her team is involved, particularly Holly and Joe Ashworth. Even the upstanding police commissioner, Katherine Willmore, has a connection to the group, making the case more political than usual.

The Holy Island, with its dangerous tides, mists, and the sound of foghorns, is almost a character on its own. Who, among this group of seemingly respectable seniors, is a dangerous killer, willing to do anything to keep the secrets of the past? The Rising Tide is a masterpiece of plotting, keeping me guessing until the end. The end itself is shockingly unexpected and may portend some changes for the irascible Vera. Ann Cleeves continues to provide mysteries that are not only puzzles but investigations into the human heart.

Thanks to Netgalley.com and Minotaur for an advance digital copy, The opinions are my own.

When TV personality, Rick Kelsall, is found hanging from the beam in his room at a reunion, Vera and her team are called in to confirm it is a suicide. But Vera thinks differently. Every 5 years for the last 50 years a group of school friends get together at the same house on Holy Island and this year it is needed more than ever. Rick has had to leave his job after a scandal. Ken has been diagnosed with dementia so this will be his last reunion, and Philip is thinking of retiring from the clergy. Now the question is who murdered Rick and was it connected to this scandal or the accidental death of a friend at the first reunion.

The Rising Tide is number 10 in the Vera Stanhope series but if you have not read any of the previous books it does not matter, you will not loose out. It is a story that keeps you guessing about who it could be and why. If you enjoy countryside murder mystery stories this is a pretty good one. I will say that the end will have a bigger impact if you have read the previous novels.

The was such a captivating story that had me guessing from the beginning and in the end I still was left dumb founded. I absolutely love the Vera Stanhope series. Ann Cleeves is brilliant and with so many possibilities I always think I have the murder and then the end comes. I won’t rehash the plot just tell you that if you haven’t read any books from this author your missing out. My Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advance copy these comments are based solely on my options only.

I enjoyed this book. I can not wait for more! Thanks to publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book!

This tenth installment of the Vera Stanhope series see Vera involved in a very intriguing case. A group of friends who knew each other in grammar school gather every five years on Holy Island for a weekend together. Their first visit had been with their teacher. At the first five year revisit to this place, one of the friends died in a car accident, being swept away by the tide crossing recklessly to the mainland. In present day, the friends are getting rather old and one of them is murdered at their weekend gathering. This is where Vera and her team become involved.

The history of this group was interesting and, of course, they all became suspects. There were other suspects as well. There were a lot of avenues to investigate and Vera's team stayed busy following all the leads. I've ready quite of few books in this series and have enjoyed them overall. Vera and her team work well together and each seem to have their own special expertise. I like the characters very much. I was disappointed by how many times the author mentioned that Vera was overweight, though. What's up with this? The ending to this was a real surprise to me.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on September 6, 2022.

Set mostly on Holy Island, England, The Rising Tide is the tenth in the remarkable Vera series, told in easy-to-follow multiple viewpoints. This time, private investigator Vera finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place on an isolated island as she investigates a mysterious death. A group of grammar school friends called Only Connect has met every five years since they were teenagers, catching up and spilling and withholding secrets. Now they are 60 somethings on Holy Island and the death of one of their own leaves them aghast and wondering who and why. Is it linked with the death of Isobel decades earlier at their first retreat? The characters are intricately woven and described so well they are easy to visualize. We all probably know at least one of them!

Though a close group, each friend has a past. Some are privy to bits of information others are not. They seem loyal, but are they really?. Along with marvellous atmosphere, this creates the tension readers love. Realistic aging and dementia play important roles. Vera's job is to piece the bits together along with her team. But the friends are not the only ones with a history. Jealousy, tension, suspense and mysteries abound in spades.

Ann Cleeves is consistently adept at skillfully developing characters with a beautiful insightfulness. I like that those in The Rising Tide lose inhibitions as they age and are naturally wiser than in their youth while maintaining individualism. The mix of likeable and unlikeable personalities is superb.

Those who enjoy excellent whodunits ought to read this series. But The Rising Tide can be read alone, too, as background details are described cleverly. The target audience is a wide one as the book wonderfully incorporates the past as young people, snippets about their middle age and then later in their retirement phase.

My sincere thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this captivating and enjoyable book. Ann Cleeves does my heart good...when I see something new by her, it it not even necessary to read the blurb.

Last year, I had the joy of discovering a new favorite author…As an avid mystery fan, I’m not sure why I had never read anything by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera series (neither of which I ever got into). But then I received a review copy of her 2021 book The Heron’s Cry from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, and realized it was the SECOND in a series. It came in audiobook format, which I have tried a few times but never been able to enjoy...I decided the time had come to actually "read" an entire audiobook, but first I wanted to go back and read (in print format) the first book in the new series: 2019’s The Long Call. I loved both of those books, so I was happy to have the opportunity (thanks to t. Martin’s/Minotaur and NetGalley) to read and review Ms. Cleeves’s latest, The Rising Tide (#10 in the Vera Stanhope series).

It is sort of a “Big-Chill-goes-to-the-shore” story. A group of old friends has been meeting regularly for reunions, going back to where they had all met in the first place, on a school trip fifty years ago. The place is an island which is regularly cut off by the tide (hence the title), and on the first day of their reunion, one of them is found, hanging. Not a great start for a happy reunion of friends…but then, maybe there are secrets??? Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope is called in, and when Vera learns the dead man was just recently fired following allegations of misconduct, she begins the process of unraveling the secrets, both current and from long ago.

It’s a great read, and while I’m not sure I want to dive in to an entire series with Vera, I am definitely a fan of Anne Cleeves’s writing. Four stars.

I really loved this book, very well done plot lines, and an entertaining mystery. I would highly recommend this book. I can’t wait to read more in this series!

Friends meet every 5 years on Holy Island to celebrate, but this year one of them isn't going home. Vera and her team must investigate what turns out to be a murder which is connect to a deadly accident years before leaving a young woman dead. The team needs to investigate both accident and murder but when another murder happens they wonder if they are getting closer or not.
This is one of Ann's best. The ending shocked and surprised me and I will be patiently waiting for her next Vera novel.

I love the Vera Stanhope character Ann Cleeves so skillfully created. I haven't seen the television series, although I hear it is good, so my picture of the overweight detective who is mistaken for someone applying for a cleaning lady position in this book is just classic Vera.

It has now been fifty years since a group of students met on a retreat on Holy Island, England. The initial encounter was such a bonding experience that they have reunions on the island every five years. During their first reunion, there was a car accident that killed one of the participant's sister. Now, fifty years later, one of their most prominent members commits suicide. Or did he? In steps Vera and her team to investigate this death which they quickly discover is a murder. Is the murderer among the group of close friends or could it be someone outside of their circle? These are the questions Vera must quickly solve due to political pressure from above.

In this tenth book in the series, Cleeves again delivers a masterful story filled with intrigue, suspense and, of course, murder. Vera shines as the lumpy detective with a steel-trap mind. It is a fast-paced police procedural that grabbed me from the beginning with its interesting characters--both good and bad--and a rural seacoast setting that invites the reader in. It is a well-written, complex story with enough twists to keep the reader guessing.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur books for an advance copy. The publication date is September 6, 2022.

In this tenth installment of Ann Cleeves Vera Stanhope series, The Rising Tide (Minotaur Books 2022), a group of friends continue a tradition of meeting every five hears (since their teenage years) to catch up on each other's lives and relive the joyful times of their youth. But this time, one of them is murdered and it falls to Detective Insdpect Vera Stanhope to figure out who did it.

This is one of the more winding of Ann Cleeves Vera Stahope books. For example, it took seven chapters to set up the characters and events before Vera--the star--even enters the story. Because the large group of main characters all have extensive backstories, and all could conceivably contribute to the murder, we as the reader must understand all of it. This even include Vera's second in command, Joe, whose arrival begins with a lengthy retelling of how he visited this location with his family and how the kids complained about boredom and then loved it. In lots more detail than that.

The story itself is told through the eyes of a handful of involved parties. This is an interesting approach, used in other Stanhope books but it seemed to be more in this one than usual. I am left wondering who to believe and who is trying to deceive me.

One complaint which didn't drop the rating: There wasn't enough Vera, and that is probably why I like the BBC TV show better than at least this tenth in the series--because the TV show focuses heavily on the fascinating, iconoclastic Vera. This book is highly recommended for those who like unusual crime solving characters.

I am late to the party of reading the Vera Stanhope series (not just watching the wonderful tv series). I’m loving the more in-depth experience that a book allows.
The story involves a group of older friends. They’ve been meeting every five years for fifty years at Holy Island, the site of a school trip. The same place where one of the group died at the first reunion. Cleeves takes the time to introduce us to each of the friends and the death doesn’t occur for several chapters. The death initially looks like a suicide, but Vera quickly cottons to it being a murder. There are numerous suspects and I never did cotton to the actual one. I did find a few loose ends that I wish had been cleared up.
Cleeves excels in character development. There are multiple POVs, including each of the team and some of the suspects. The almost rivalry between Joe and Holly works well and I like that this team isn’t the seamless group that other series have. The ending really caught me off guard.
I have not read all of this series and each book can definitely be read as a stand-alone.
I must be getting used to Janine Birkett’s voice because it didn’t bother me as much with this book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio/St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Vera Stanhope book ten. I have read and enjoyed this entire series and I only have one complaint about this one. I cannot say what happened at the end that I did not like because it was a shock to me and would be a big spoiler.
Otherwise it was well written as usual.
This was a slightly sad story with crib death, aging, and dementia and, of course, that event at the end but it was still very good.
I do think this is a series you need to read from the beginning to understand the characters and why they are the way they are. If not, you do a disservice to the series, the author and yourself.

Outstanding! This such a good series. The characters are well developed and their interactions realistic. Vera is a complex character. Little personal life and devoted to work. She cares deeply for her staff but tries not to show it. The plot is great. Lots of characters and “who done it” keeps twisting. And a surprise ending beverage speaks of retirement but I hope it is not for many more books b