The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “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.

Driving home during a swirling blizzard, Vera Stanhope's only thought is to get there quickly.

But with the snow driving down heavily, she becomes disorientated and loses her way. Ploughing on, she sees a car slewed off the road ahead of her. With the driver's door open, Vera assumes the driver has sought shelter but when she inspects the car she is shocked to find a young toddler strapped in the back seat.

Afraid they will freeze, Vera takes the child and drives on, arriving at Brockburn, a run-down stately home she immediately recognizes as the house her father Hector grew up in.

Inside Brockburn a party is in full swing, with music and laughter to herald the coming Christmas. But outside in the snow, a young woman lies dead and Vera knows immediately she has a new case. Could she be the child's mother, and if it is, what happened to her?

A classic country house mystery with a contemporary twist, Ann Cleeves returns with a brilliant new novel to savour.

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.

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