We have a murder to solve and I definitely felt like I was part of the team in this book. I think the story was really good and I was definitely shocked at the end and the build up was great.

I always enjoy Cleeves' Vera series, but her latest, THE DARK WIVES, might be my favorite. Vera Stanhope has aged during the series as her curmudgeonly ways have become familiar to readers. In this 11th book, Vera has reacted to events from the previous book, THE RISING TIDE, by looking inward and developing a more generous spirit. Sensitivity hasn't been a strong suit for Vera in the past, but as she investigates the death of a young social worker and the disappearance of a teenager in his care, she reflects upon the needs of children in care and how poorly the system sometimes meets those needs. At the same time, a new member of her team, a young woman quite unlike any she's known previously, forces her to confront the need for more flexibility in dealing with her staff. Vera even imagines expanding her world by making friends with a character in the book, something she hasn't done in any of the prior ten books in the series. Although Cleeves continues to define her main character by her social reclusiveness, she is giving her a bit more scope to grow, a development that adds depth to Vera's character and allows the reader to see her more sympathetically.

At the start of the book, a young man working at a privately owned home for disenfranchised teens is murdered. A girl from the home is missing, and it is not known if she is another victim or the murderer. As Vera's team searches for fourteen-year-old Chloe, their investigation moves from the seaside setting of the home to the wilds of rural England closer to Vera's cottage, and more deaths occur. The final scenes take place during a dark festival during which all the children of the town head out into the unlit fields to search for a witch. The witch is found, as is much else.

The complex plot had me hooked from the start, and the settings – both seaside and rural – were so well written I can still see them in my mind days after finishing the book. Vera is not the only character who comes alive on the pages. Cleeves has a terrific skill in developing characters that seem to walk right off the page into the readers' lives. THE DARK WIVES has me chomping at the bit for the next book in the Vera series.

Murder and a conundrum!

There’s a mountain of circumstances on Vera’s plate and it’s not adding up.
A body has turned up linked to a children’s home that’s part of a paying conglomerate across the country. A home for troubled teenagers very much at a cost to taxpayers. A young girl, an inmate is missing. She’s not “troubled” but when her mother was committed to a psychiatric ward there was no where else to go.
It seems the home/school has quite draconian rules. Vera’s not impressed.
Then a second body appears.
It’s the time of the Gillstead Witch Hunt. A event that traditionally takes place near to the standing stone formation called the Dark Wives, the three crones. Dark happenings are looming.
Vera finds herself swept up in a case close to home.
Two dead bodies, a missing girl, and a new team member are just the beginning.

A St Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Eleventh in this excellent series. ,I’ve enjoyed each book in the series.Ann Cleeves writing always drew me in her characters come alive and ther is always surprising twists and turns.#netgalley #st.martins
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Fans of Vera will rejoice at her return in this eleventh installment of Cleeves’ series. This time the book focuses on the for-profit group homes for children “industry, highlighting the vulnerability of teens who find themselves either as carers for a single parent who is temporarily or permanently unable to care for themselves or as orphans. Two murders and the disappearance of a vulnerable teen give Vera’s team plenty to do, including breaking Rosie, a new member of the team, replacing Holly, who was killed in the line of duty and whose death weighs on Vera’s conscience. Long-time readers of the series will be keen to see if Vera is meeting the goals of better communications and transparency she set for herself after Holly’s death and all readers will be caught up in this intriguing procedural novel that features several voices. The Dark Wives doesn’t quite measure up to the best of the best mystery novels, but it’s a first-rate read.

This is my first Vera Stanhope novel and I had no issues reading it as a standalone book. Vera and her team are investigating the death of a man found outside a home for troubled teens. A 14 year old is missing too and could be a suspect but it doesn’t really make sense.

They are deep into the case when a second body is found near the Three Dark Wives monument. They wade through superstition and folklore to try and find out the truth, but it’s much darker than they expected.

I enjoyed this book - it is a solid police procedural story. I liked how the mystery unfolded and how local folklore was woven into the story. There are some twists I didn’t expect. This does dive into some of the darker sides of group homes for children.

I found Vera to be really smart and a little eccentric. She has worked with Joe and Charlie for a while and newcomer Rosie causes some tension in the team. While I guessed a few things along the way, overall I was surprised until the big reveal at the end!

Murder and mystery involving a care home for troubled teens.

This is the 11th book in the series but the first I have read. I've also not seen the television show, so all of this was new to me. Set in the coastal northeastern village of Longwater, DI Vera Stanhope and her team investigate the death of a staff member, Josh, who is found murdered right outside of Rosebank, a care home for teenagers. In addition, one of the residents at the home, Chloe Spence, has disappeared. Is she a victim or a suspect?

Vera's team begins the tedious task of following up. Her subordinates include DS Joe Ashworth and DC Charlie as well as a new member, DC Rosie Bell. The story also refers to a previous member of the team, Holly, now apparently deceased and often mentioned but no details about what happened. I think this made coming into the series with this installment a bit confusing so probably best to read in order. I could tell that the team understands each other and knows strength and weakness of their colleagues but difficult to assess character development. Vera is strong, independent, opinionated, keeps things close to the chest, and happily single.

One of my gripes about this police procedural is how completely the reader is left in the dark when Vera and the team have the pieces to solve the case, including the names of suspects, but those details are not given.

The plot had merits but I found the process and all of the interviews quite slow moving. Lots of characters to keep straight. Not sure if I liked well enough to begin the series with the first installment but I might read another in the future.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator did a great job voicing the characters and all the accents but without the text in front of me I think it would have been difficult to identify who was speaking at times. It definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the story as the production was well done.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Well, it IS Vera Stanhope, so OF COURSE there is an unexplained death. It starts in November with a diary entry by Chloe, a girl who has been sent to live in a home for "troubled" children. She is not really troubled, but her mother has been committed, again, to a psychiatriic clinic and her father lives in Dubai and doesn't want her. Her grandparents, her father's parents, don't know what to do with her. So she is living in Rosebank Home and trying to maintain some semblance of normal. She is still attending her school, Salvation Academy, but she is very alone. There IS one person at Rosebank who pays attention to her, and she has a bit of a crush on him, so when she hears his car drive up, she goes out to meet him.

The next morning a dog walker finds a man dead in the parking lot at Rosebank. And no one has seen Chloe since the previous night.

So Vera and her team are called in to investigate the murder. Did Chloe kill Josh? Was she a witness and taken to keep her quiet? WHERE IS CHLOE??

Vera is trying to get used to a new team member, Rosie Bell, who is replacing Holly, killed on a previous case. Neither Vera nor Joe Ashworth, her longtime sergeant, quite know what to do with Rosie, who is so very different from Holly, who they still miss. Vera, especially, feels somewhat guilty for what happened to Holly. But Holly is gone and Rosie is here, so the work must go on. They try to follow any leads, but most are dead ends.

The Dark Wives of the title are three gigantic rock slabs atop a hill outside Gillstead, the village where Chloe's grandparents used to live and which she loved as a child. And outside of which a second body, that of another resident at Rosebank was found. The Wivesserve as the background for the climactic ending.

This was a great read, but then these always are. Vera and Joe seem like old friends and Rosie is a good addition to the team.

This is the eleventh installment in the Vera Stanhope series – another enjoyable visit with the pragmatic, no-nonsense detective.

The body of Josh Woodburn is found on the grounds of Rosebank, a private home for troubled teens where he volunteered part-time. At the same time, 14-year-old Chloe Spence, one of the home’s residents, goes missing. Is she Josh’s killer, a witness, or just a runaway? Vera and her team, Joe Ashworth and new member Rosie Bell, come to investigate the death and to find Chloe. Their search takes them to the Northumberland countryside with which Chloe was familiar only to discover a second body. Tension rises as Vera fears Chloe may be in danger.

Vera is still the same Vera we have come to know and love but a softer, more vulnerable side is revealed. The tragedy at the end of the previous book, The Rising Tide, has left her grieving and feeling regret. Vera knows she made mistakes and remembers “clever quips and unthinking words of criticism” and resolves to be more collaborative and more open in communicating with team members. Though she tries to watch her words and to use a more inclusive approach, in the end she reverts to old behaviour and keeps her theory from Joe and Rosie until the end.

The case has Vera revisiting the Stanhope Arms, a pub frequented by her father Hector so we see Vera confronting her past. A conversation with the local doctor causes her to reconsider her father’s legacy. I also like that Vera has an opportunity to make a new friend, one whom Joe describes as “a social services version of Vera, though definitely better dressed.”

The addition of Rosie is also a nice touch. Intelligent, energetic, and ambitious, she wants to impress Vera but she is also not afraid to question Vera’s investigative methods. Her arrival changes the team’s dynamics: Joe finds himself working with two strong women and because he feels “a competitive streak and a tinge of jealousy,” he thinks he has to prove to Vera that he is “still her right-hand officer.”

I love the title. It refers to a trio of monumental stones in the Northumberland countryside. Local legend tells the story of three wives who talked too much and so were turned to stone as a punishment. The book is even dedicated to dark wives, “uppity young women with minds of their own.” There are more than a few candidates for the position of dark wife. The three teens who place friendship and loyalty above all else certainly fit the description, but so does the demanding and impatient Vera.

The complex plot certainly had me guessing until the end. I did take issue with the information dump at the end; like Joe and Rosie, the reader is left in the dark. There are lots of red herrings but perhaps a paucity of clues pointing to the right direction. Everything makes sense, though I did find the motivation of one character to be rather weak.

Besides being an entertaining police procedural, the book makes a statement about the need to reform privately owned care homes which are more concerned with profit than the needs of those in their care. Rosebank, a rather run-down and unappealing facility, is short-staffed and under-funded so the resources needed by its residents are unavailable. The author in an opening note acknowledges being inspired “by an investigative piece about private children’s homes on BBC Radio” and has Vera arguing that “’they’re a breeding ground of crime and antisocial behaviour. If we’re putting an emphasis on prevention, I wonder if we should be making a case for bringing them back into local authority control.’”

As with all the books in the series, I recommend a reader poke his/her neb into this one.

This is a solid and engaging mystery. Vera is an interesting and well-developed character, albeit a bit rough around the edges. Fans of the television series may want to check out these books. This storyline contain lots of little pieces, but the author does a great job of tying of all the loose ends. While it is part of a long-standing series (#11), it could be read as a standalone. However, it may benefit the reader to read them in order.

I have been a fan of Vera Stanhope for years, and will continue to be one, but this, unforetunately, is not one of the stronger entries in the series. A young counselor at a home for troubled youth is found murdered, and one of the residents has gone missing, leading to suspicion falling on her. Other crimes follow, yet most of the time is spent getting to know Rosie, newest member of Vera's murder squad. I suspect Cleeves put the focus on her as she didn't seem to be able to come up with a way to drop clues, or even red herrings, for the reader to follow. In the end, she commits what I consider to be the worst offense of a mystery writer: having the detective learn things and develop theories which are not shared with the reader and cannot be deduced by what has been read. Even once "all is revealed", I was left feeling dissatisfied with the explanation (which I couldn't quite buy). Not that it will stop me from buying the next entry because I do enjoy my time spent with Vera.

The Dark Wives is book 11 in the Vera Stanhope by Ann Cleeves.
This was a well written mystery/procedural.
I enjoyed each of the characters and found the mystery engaging.
The atmosphere was intense and the setting intriguing.
Brilliantly dark and twisty.

Any time spent with Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope is well spent, and The Dark Wives is no exception. Vera and her team are still reeling from events in the previous book (The Rising Tide). Vera is very much affected, and she finds herself not only thinking of her own mortality but also trying to work on her management style.

It will come as no surprise to longtime readers of this series that the interactions between the characters are an integral part of the book. The new detective constable, Rosie Bell, is smart, ambitious, and wants to get ahead. She believes that anticipating what Vera wants will be very important to her upward rise in the police force. Vera's righthand man, Joe Ashworth, doesn't react well to Rosie's methods, so the two can be a bit competitive. Kath Oliver, a woman well versed in the system of care homes for troubled teenagers, is a character I wouldn't mind seeing more of-- and neither would Vera as she found Oliver to be a kindred spirit. However, for me, the strongest character outside of Vera herself is the fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence, even though her presence is only felt through the pages of a diary she left behind.

As usual, the mystery is a strong one, rooted in the Northumberland countryside and the folklore surrounding the Dark Wives (Northumberland's answer to Stonehenge). The privatization of care homes for children plays an important part that touches Vera deeply. ("It doesn't seem right to be making a profit from troubled children.")

As always, a mesmerizing blend of characters, landscape, folklore, and mystery, The Dark Wives is another compelling addition to the Vera Stanhope series.

I am very far behind in this series. I have read the first 2, but this one does give away a few spoilers. This novel had a different style to it than the first 2 in the series. Those were mainly told from the suspects’ POV. However, this one was more via Vera and Joe.

The solution was difficult to get to, as some of the clues were not given to readers. However, there was one that made me instantly think of Ellery Queen, and how it should have been obvious from the beginning.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

DI Vera Stanhope and team are called to Rosebank, a care home for troubled teens, in the coastal English village of Longwater. Josh Woodburn, a staff member, has been found dead in the park nearby with his head caved in and one of the home's residents, a 14-year-old girl named Chloe Spence, has a gone missing. Could she be the killer? Or is she herself in danger?

The care home is privately owned and has room for just four teens and staff. The lack of money spent on their care and upkeep of the home is obvious and Vera leaves Rosebank with a sense of relief and a touch of guilt: 'We shut these kids away so we can't see them and don't have to deal with them.'

When another of the teens is found dead in the wilds of the Northumberland countryside, an area with ties to Chloe's family, the search for her becomes more desperate.

The Northumberland setting is quite atmospheric. The area is famous for the Three Dark Wives monument, Northumberland's answer to Stonehenge. Legend has it that three uppity crones had been turned to stone by a giant who'd thought they talked too much, to stop them from nagging their husbands. Every year at this time, the village holds a Witch Hunt. The annual festivities held in the dark offer the perfect cover for a killer to attack once again and escape unless our intrepid team can prevent it.

Quite an interesting story. Detectives Vera and Joe welcome a new member to the team, young Rosie Bell. We'll have to see if she works out. Vera is a little frustrating to both her team and this reader because she works things out but keeps her ideas to herself. I had no clue who the killer was until Vera revealed all.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new Vera Stanhope thriller. My review is voluntary and the opinion expressed are my own.

A slow start, but since it is Cleeves writing her latest in her Vera Stanhope series, long time readers know it’s going to get much better. And of course, it did. A missing child from a home for the most recalcitrant of children, a dead volunteer from the same house and Vera and her team take charge of the case. First priority though, is to find the child. Is she victim or killer.

A new addition to the team, Rosie, a younger go getter, tries to find her place in the long running team of Joe and Vera. So far, so good, but later episodes will tell.

Although the narrators voice was pleasant enough, it was hard, at times to know who was talking. Reading the book is the way to go, imho, with this one.

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves is a very highly recommended mystery/procedural which explores the web of secrets surrounding a young man's death. This is the eleventh book in the Vera Stanhope series however it can also be read as a standalone mystery.

Early in the morning Josh Woodburn, a staff member at the Rosebank Home for troubled teen, is found murdered outside the home in the village of Longwater. DI Vera Stanhope, and her Northumbria Police team, DS Joe Ashworth and the new DC Rosie Bell, are called out to investigate. The only clue is the disappearance of one of the home’s residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence, on the same night Josh was killed.

In the process of the investigation the team is lead north to the wilds of the Northumberland countryside near the Three Dark Wives monument and the village of Gillstead where the body of another resident of the home, and older teenager, is found. Now Vera is sure Chloe is running scared and hiding from someone. She is determined to find Chloe before the killer does but must untangle the web of secrets involving the murders and the Rosebank Home.

This is a well-written, complex, very satisfying procedural/mystery that moves at a quick pace as the dark secrets behind the murders are revealed with each new piece of evidence. Readers can follow along as the team investigates, but Vera keeps her thoughts private. Closely follow what Vera is looking into for clues where her thoughts are going. The plot is intelligently written and clues are followed logically in this compelling and entertaining narrative.

As a character-driven procedural, The Dark Wives includes skillfully written characters. They are all portrayed as fully realized individuals. Naturally those who have been following the series will know many of the reoccurring characters but this outing introduces Rosie Bell (after the death of Holly in a previous book, The Rising Tide) who is a pleasing addition to the team.

The Dark Wives is an exceptional mystery/procedural that also points out the pitfalls of a for-profit approach to child welfare. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

“The Dark Wives” by Ann Cleeves, the eleventh in the Vera Stanhope series, is an engaging mystery that keeps readers guessing until the end. With a disappearance of a teenage girl from a care home along with the murder of two young men associated with the home, Cleeves also delves into the care home system and troubles with that industry. “The Dark Wives” is set in a beautiful rural area of the Northumberland coast. Readers are also introduced to a new team member of Vera’s named Rosie Bell, a compelling new character. This book works well as a standalone or for readers of the series. Great narration by Janine Birkett. Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the eARC.

Spending time with Vera- it's the best. While this is the latest in a long running series and fans of the show might hear Brenda Blethyn's voice when Vera speaks, it's also going to be a great stand alone if you've neither read or watched Vera's investigations. This time out, Vera and the team are called to a for profit care shelter for children because Josh, a contract worker, has been murdered and Chloe, a vulnerable 14 year old has gone missing. This starts as the search for Chloe-who is never far from Vera's mind-and then turns into a double murder investigation. Vera and her team, especially Joe and Charlie but the new and dynamic Rosie as well, interview multiple people who don't tell them either the truth or the full story but know that that won't last for long. Chloe comes through strongest in her writing, which touches Vera and provides clues of a sort. No spoilers from me- there are less twists that there are dark secrets revealed. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Great read.

Vera Stanhope and her team are called to investigate the murder of a young man who worked at a home for trouble teens but all isn't what it seems. They discover not only a dead body but that a fourteen year old girl from the home is missing. Did she murder the worker or was she also a victim, no one can find her. Every turn leads to more questions than answer and time is running out.
Although this can be read as a standalone novel once you read an Ann Cleeve book you're hooked and want to read them all. I love the characters and the investigations always hold my attention. Each one is liking visiting and old friend and helping them solve the crime but you never figure it out before the end.