Ann Cleeves is one of my very favourite authors in this genre & Vera my favourite of her characters, although I do feel rather sorry for Vera with how she is described.
I have listened to all of the Vera Stanhope audiobooks & they are just wonderful. Janine Birkett is the perfect narrator for this series, she encapsulates Vera’s personality and leads the listener through the many twists & turns Ann Cleeves has skilfully woven throughout the story.
A superb audiobook, it kept me guessing & double guessing and held my attention from start to finish.

I can't remember ever reading this early outing for Vera Stanhope, Ann Cleeves' detective made famous by Brenda Blethyn on television. The first thing I want to say is what a good job narrator Janine Birkett does. Like Blethyn she makes the ever-so-slightly repulsive Vera into an interesting and frequently sympathetic character, complex, shrewd and sometimes a bit wistful. Looking at Birkett's work on IMDB, it's evident that her northern credentials are sound, and indeed, the accents in the audiobook are refreshingly accurate. This means that I would actually rather listen to the audio version than read a paper copy or ebook. Since I now find even my Kindle increasingly tiring to hold, that's a cheering thought.

The plot is, as you'd expect, well-told and tightly constructed. I don't, as a rule, play the guess-the-murderer game, preferring to let the author tell me at their own pace. This tale spun out satisfyingly and I had no urge to rush through it, nor to shout back at it about inconsistencies or implausibilities. That it took Vera off her home ground into Yorkshire created added tension, even if she was able to take Joe Ashworth with her. And, like most of Cleeves' books, it dealt with difficult issues in a thoughtful way.

I hope that there will be more from this narrator. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan UK Audio for an advance copy.

They thought she was a murderer. But now she’s a victim . . .
Ten years ago fifteen-year-old Abigail Mantel was murdered, her cold body discovered lying in a ditch. Her father’s girlfriend was found guilty of the crime. Now, evidence has emerged that proves her innocence and means that Abigail’s killer still roams free.

Another terrific tale from Ann Cleeves. Wonderfully narrated by Janine Birkett, whose voices fit the well defined characters perfectly. It’s perfectly paced and a great story.

As an Ann Cleaves fan I was a bit disappointed with this Audio book it had the usual Ann Cleaves twists but it didn't grab me and I lost my way a few times and got the characters mixed up so had to keep going back

I listened to the audiobook version of this and although the writing felt dated, it was nevertheless enjoyable.

I really liked having several characters, all with motive and opportunity, so it was very difficult to guess the killer and that kept the story very tense and suspenseful right until the end. I certainly didn't predict this one!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Ann Cleeves and Macmillan for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Initially I was a little bit surprised because I was expecting the narrator to have a Northeast accent as that is where Vera originates. The standard narration is rather neutral, but as soon as Vera’s surname was pronounced Stan-up I knew things would be just fine regarding Vera. The action is set in East Yorkshire (where I was born, bred and still live) and she manage to pull off a decent local accent which isn’t that easy. Excellent range of voices too, so a great job all round.

The story begins with a dramatic turn, Jeanie Long continues to protest her innocence and so has been turned down for parole again. After ten years inside she his getting desperate, being faced with a moral Catch 22; show fake remorse for a crime she didn’t do and possibly get an early release or continue so say she was wrongly convicted and miss out on parole. With a tormented mind she commits suicide.

This is tragic because new evidence has come to light, a witness to support her alibi of being in London at the time. The case was to be reopened pending the possibility of a miscarriage of justice. The news comes just too late for Jeanie.

The case to be reopened is that of the murder of fifteen-year-old Abigail Mantel whose body was found in a ditch by her best friend Emma. Police scrutiny fell on only one person at the time, Jeanie the lover of Abigail’s father the flamboyant, but scheming, businessman Keith Mantel. So certain were the investigating officers Dan Greenwood and Caroline Fletcher that other possible lines weren’t properly considered.
So, an outsider is needed to clear up this mess, which won’t be easy as Greenwood and Fletcher left the force shortly after the case. Who better to dig around amongst the secrets and lies than the straight-talking no-nonsense DI Vera Stanhope.

The author has a great eye for nature and here she manages to capture the setting to a tee. The plains of Holderness a flat seemingly desolate, farming landscape as far as the eye can see, with big grey skies and early morning mists that permeate the clothes and chill the bone. So different to what she is used to, as Vera remarks, there’re no hills and if you hang your washing out, they can see it in the next county.
It is not just the setting though, it’s the village life too, the tight, close-knit community that must rub along, burying grudges and secrets temporarily. This is achieved by setting it in fictional village close to Spurn Point with the lifeboatmen and Humber Pilots close by. The lives of the pilots seem to be faithfully portrayed.

The plot centres on keeping dark secrets, arising from human frailty of a sordid nature and the likelihood of actions repeating. At the core are relationships, some inappropriate, whereas others are familial, loyal but at the same time stifling.

There are a cast of interesting characters, and Joe Ashworth does make an appearance, but it is very much a Vera showcase. Interestingly, it takes quite some time for Vera to first appear which has the reader on tenterhooks. Then just like when Orson Wells appears in as Harry Lime in The Third Man, there she is in a corner of the old forge which is now Dan Greenwood’s pottery workshop, rather than a dark doorway in Vienna. This is prime Vera, slightly cantankerous, but wise, observant and inscrutable, like Budda in voluminous blouse and polyester trousers. A woman who people find easy to talk to and underestimate, but all the while takes everything in and can cut through the waffle and ‘crap’. Of course, she gets the best lines and her slightly sarcastic homespun wisdom is there in abundance. In later novels she does appear to mellow a little but here she brooks no nonsense.

Revisiting Telling Tales it is easy to see how the character of Vera Stanhope has become so much loved by the crime reading public. A great character, a fine eye for nature and a deep understanding of human relationships along with fine story telling skills make this such a fabulous series of books.

I would like to thank Net Galley, the author and publisher for access to an audio copy in exchange for a fair review.

I have been living under a rock because despite being a fan of crime fiction I've somehow never read an Ann Cleeves book. This was a great introduction to her books and I definitely want to pick up more of them.

DI Vera Stanhope is called in to investigate a decade old murder outside of her patch when evidence comes to light that the person convicted was innocent. Vera has to find out who the murdered really was and find out where the original police investigation went wrong.

I really enjoyed the narration of Janine Birkett who really brought the characters to light and kept me invested in the story.

Telling tales is a great Vera story, she is brought into investigate a murder from 10 years before after the supposed murderer, who has always protested her innocence, commits suicide, and I unusually I didn’t guess who had done it.

The novel was brought to life expertly by Janine Birkett who did an amazing job with the narration, all the voices she created made it easy to follow and kept my attention focused and I wouldn’t hesitate to listen to more of her work.

I have read a couple of Ann Cleeves books before and always enjoyed them and I have with this one aswell. I really love the character of Vera and really like how the story unfolds. This was an audio listen and the narrator was also fabulous I loved her voice for Vera.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review this arc.

4* Telling Tales, the 2nd in the Vera Stanhope series, is totally absorbing.

A decade ago Abigail Mantel was found murdered and her father's girlfriend was convicted of the crime. The events continue to haunt the East Yorkshire community where the crime happened, not least the father of the murderer. However, incontrovertible new evidence means that the killer may still be at large and that evidence is uncovered at the worst possible time.

With thoughts turning to how or why the Police may have got the wrong person, DI Vera Stanhope is despatched from Northumbria Police to undertake an independent review of the case (and, of course, she can't help but trying to find the real culprit).

This was my first Anne Cleeves book. I've watched the TV series of both Vera and Shetland and enjoyed both enormously. I hugely enjoyed the writing, the tight plotting and the (fairly gentle) pace. Vera is a force to be reckoned with on the page, with an inadvertent humour and presence. The story was smart and the wider cast of protagonists, with their many secrets, were enthralling.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Janine Birkett and she was excellent (save for a slightly shaky Geordie accent). She brought life to all of the characters and was thoroughly engaging.

Thanks to Macmillan UK Audio and Netgalley for an ARC.

I am a fan of both Ann Cleese, enjoying all her writing, but particularly enjoy Vera both on tv and in written format. This is the first time I’ve listened to one of her audio books and was not disappointed. After the first five minutes I was hooked on this book. The story was gripping with many twists and turns and was fully brought to life by the excellent narration. I will look out for more of my favourite Ann Cleese’s stories in audio form. They’re the perfect companion for relaxing.

I have read a good few Ann Cleeves books and always find them a decent read. This one was no exception. It leaves you guessing till the very end. That’s what I like in a book

I’ve read a few books in the Vera Stanhope series, but not this one which is the second. Vera is called in by another force to review a murder that took place some 10 years earlier. A girl was killed and her fathers young girlfriend was found guilty. However, she always protested her innocence and new evidence comes to light.

I became very immersed in this story. It’s packed with characters and a brooding sense of mystery and menace. Small village mentality prevails and the gossips and whispers are always at work. It becomes clear that there are many hidden secrets amongst the families involved and the initial enquiry failed to unearth much in the way of truth. Vera settles in to unraveling the truth in gopher own inimitable way and the reader or listener soon realises that much of the respectability is a sham. But who’s the killer….and then another body rocks up. The tale rattles along well. The main difference I felt was that in this early book, whilst Vera is the central detective, she’s not the main character. In later books, her presence dominates virtually every page. That’s neither a good thing or bad thing, it’s just different. I love her character. Packed with eccentricity and shrewd observation. Ann Cleeves builds characters and drama well and the narration here is excellent with a wide range of character voices and accents delivered very well. Great story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.