What a lovely, easy way this book has. Makes you think you are simply watching an episode of Vera with the feisty Brenda Blethyn.

I really enjoy all the Vera books and this one was no exception. Well written crime fiction that is well fleshed out as a result it feels highly realitic and you get to know the characters and places well.

I actually bought this book before I was approved on here and I am so glad I did as it was a wonderful read by the brilliant Ann Cleeves and the eight book in the brilliant Vera Stanhope series a series I have loved to read and also to watch on the TV. Well recommended to anyone who loves good mystery

This is another fine mystery novel featuring Vera Stanhope, now an ITV series starring Brenda Blethyn. I had never read any of her books and after watching Shetland and then Vera after that, I decided to try this book and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I didn't download it of here as it was a PDF and I hate to read PDFs so I waited for this book to come out and bought it. It was a good decision. I have all her books now and will read them hopefully soon.

I would like to thank Pan Macmillan for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book, via Netgalley, in exchange for an open and honest review.

Okay, being open and honest and not trying to brag or name drop… I have met Ann Cleeves and would like to consider myself a distant friend (who still owes her lunch). ;-) I knew her as a friend via social media long before I realised she was an author (I can be slow on the uptake people) and despite all this I ALWAYS treat her books the same way I treat books from authors I don’t know or have not met. But, to be honest, in these days of social media and connecting with each other - I talk online to a LOT of authors I am a fan of. No difference, no biased, this review is based solely on what I thought of the book and not what I think of the author.

Okay, here we go…

Yet another great true crime book by Ms Cleeves. I am late to the party when it comes to reading her work, but have really enjoyed all the Vera Stanhope books I have read. They contain that descriptive flow of words that connects the reader to the story, puts them at that location, shows them around and eases them through the story… before smacking them in the back of the head with the whodunit! ;-)

The story starts with an interesting little snippet from the past… something to keep you wondering throughout the rest of the book as to how it is connected.

The characters - recurring and new - are well described and easy to follow. No confusing Bill for Phil and the like. I do hate it when characters are so alike in name and actions within a book you confuse them. But in ‘The Seagull’ everyone is described well and easy to tell apart.

Did I get the whodunit? As I am always saying how I get it long before it is revealed in books? Yes and no… I figured a few important pieces out early on, but missed others. And so I was addicted to the ending as it was all lined up and pointed out to having been under my nose the whole time. Doh! That is my sort of crime writing. Letting me think I know it all… then pointing out that I missed bits and should stop guessing. ;-)

And I don’t know what it is about true crimes set in England… but I do love the little snippet of life they seem to give. Don’t quote me on it being that accurate… but I do know that a lot of it IS as Ms Cleeves is very good at observing the world around her and capturing it within words to share with others. She gets this certain glint in her eye when it happens!

As a fan of the Ruth Rendell level of True crime, I do love that that calibre of writing is continued in others such as Ms Cleeves. I really enjoy her windows to the world shown through the Vera Stanhope series. Yes it’s not all pretty, happy or clean… but it is REAL and why it makes for an even more interesting read. That connection of reality with fiction that gives the reader the shivers.

Would I recommend this book to others?

Yes I would. Lovers of True Crime would enjoy this book and the others in the Vera Stanhope series. And ‘The Seagull’ can be easily read as a standalone novel… though, personally, I have preferred reading the books in the series in order as there are some small character developments laced into the recurring characters that helps connect the reader to feeling a part of their lives.

But, yes, can be read as standalone. And, if it has been made into the TV version yet (I don’t know) - just read the book instead as they are ALWAYS better! Just saying. ;-)

Would I buy this book for myself?

Yes I would. I own paper versions of several books in this series and want to one day own them all… having the bookshelf space to keep them in is another matter.

In summary: Lovers of true crime will enjoy the twists and turns concealed in ‘The Seagull’.

The Seagull is the eighth installment in the Vera Stanhope series by award-winning author, Ann Cleeves. Set in England, Vera visits a local prison to give a speech, and meets with a former detective superintendant, John Brace, who is an inmate serving time for corruption and his role in the death of a gamekeeper. Vera was the one who ultimately got him sent to prison, and she is surprised when he wants her to take care of his daughter and granddaughter in exchange for information leading to solving a cold missing person case. When Vera holds up her end of the bargain and reaches out to Brace’s daughter, he gives information on where Robbie Marshall was buried over 20 years before. As she and her team uncover Marshall’s skeleton, they are surprised to find a second skeleton in the same spot. They must identify the second skeleton and find who murdered both.

One thing that is refreshing about Cleeve’s character, Vera Stanhope, is that she is not thin and gorgeous like most of the main characters starring in modern thriller series. Actually, Vera is frumpy, overweight, and not at all attractive. She is, however, very clever, and able to read between the lines. She grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, and her father wasn’t the most upstanding citizen around. In fact, he was a member of a notorious gang, the “Gang of Four” who hung out at The Seagull, a posh nightclub, which burned down years before. Since her father, Hector, was one of the last persons to see Marshall alive, it occurs to her that he may have been the murderer.

Suspense builds from the beginning of the book, and doesn’t stop until the dénouement when readers find out what actually happened so long ago.

The Seagull is well-written, and the characters are well-developed. The setting is quite charming, and readers will be able to see the surroundings and setting in their mind’s eyes. Reading this excellent novel will tempt readers to go back and read the previous books from the Vera Stanhope series, and anticipate the subsequent novels that will be released.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

The Seagull is a Vera Stanhope mystery, a novel in one of Ann Cleeves' two series, both of which are excellent. (The other books are the Shetland novels.) Both are also TV dramas available in the U.S. and originally from Britain. I especially enjoyed this book because of the back story. The reader learns more about Vera's parents and her childhood. I also enjoyed spending time with favorite characters, including Holly and Joe. This novel is about an historical crime with implications for the present. The story is well told and the pages kept turning. Highly recommended.

I love all the D. I. Vera Stanhope novels, they just seem to get better and better. I give this one 5 stars and recommend to anyone who loves crime writing. I love the Northumberland setting and the way Vera goes about her investigations *****

Ann Cleeves never disappoints! I saw her speak recently at the Old Peculier Crime Writers Festival in Harrogate UK about The Seagull and couldn't resist reading it! It was as thrilling and engaging as the author herself. A must read!

Admittedly the new Ann Cleeves The Seagull gets a tad complicated but it still is a pleasure to read. This time around our Vera has to confront old memories when she digs into crimes involving her infamous, but dead, father Hector. Vera is asked to look into an old case by an ex-inspector who is now serving jail time, evidently due to Vera's younger self. He wants her to make sure his daughter is all right - a daughter he had not with his wife, but with a stunningly beautiful drug taking informant. We are asked to believe a lot of coincidences but truthfully we don't mind. All our favorite characters are back and there still are a few surprises.

Detective Vera Stanhope is led to the discovery of two bodies buried close to St Mary’s Island in Whitley Bay by her late father’s friend John Brace. Brace, a former detective superintendent, is in prison and Vera had a hand in the incarceration for his crimes.


Vera’s own upbringing and history are tied to her investigation. She puts the multi-faceted pieces together with a fierce, relentless determination even though some memories and new discoveries are painful to her. The characters in the novel are superbly built alongside the historical reconstruction needed to unveil the complex plot to get to the truth.


The investigation is tangled and messy and mesmerising. But Vera knows the people involved and has an insight into their greedy, self-enriching motives. But out of the many complex characters who are responsible for the two dead bodies hidden in a culvert together? That is what is most spellbinding in this Vera Stanhope series.


BonnieK


Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

The Vera books can be read as a stand alone or part of a series - they are easy to relate to Vera and her team and the writing is descriptive and " unputdownable !!" There several sub plots alongside the main story yet all seem to end together .