This is the latest story in the DI Vera Stanhope series and I’m sure most of us are now very familiar with Vera because of the very successful TV spin off. So whenever I pick up a ‘Vera’ novel I know pretty much what to expect and this doesn’t disappoint.
‘The Dark Wives’ sees Vera and longstanding sidekick Joe joined by a new team member, Rosie a modern brash lass from the city. (I look forward to seeing how this character develops and fits in with the team). The story evolves around a murder and a missing girl from a privately run children’s home. Is she a suspect or is she in danger? The team must pull out all the stops to find her before it’s too late.
A cracking good read.

When the worker of a private children’s care home is found murdered and 14-year old Chloe goes missing, Vera and her team are on alert to find her and establish whether there is a connection between the death and her disappearance. A second body is then discovered in an isolated rural bothy and matters get extremely tense.

I enjoy police procedurals and Ann Cleeves writes them so well; the pacing is excellent, there are believable characters and I love the insights into what some of the characters are thinking and feeling.

There is a very satisfying game of cat and mouse while a strange local event takes place in the pitch black of night.

The introduction of Rosie to the team adds a new dimension and refreshes the team dynamics. This change prompts reflection from Vera about her way of ways of working and communicating with her team, but if course nothing really changes Vera! She is still as independent and determined to pursue her own lines of enquiry as ever. She will never be tied to a desk, managing matters from the office. Vera is a superb creation.

The Dark Wives is a thoroughly engrossing read. I can see that the central themes around private care homes and care of troubled teenagers came from concerns and real life investigations which have really stirred the author. As a former social worker she definitely highlights failings and inadequacies in the system, particularly at the resolution of the story.

Thank you (very much) to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

The Ann Cleeves novels that give the reader unrestricted access to the cases involving DCI Vera Stanhope rarely disappoint, and The Dark Wives is no exception to this rule. It’s fair to acknowledge that the ITV series starring Brenda Blethyn is one of those rare TV adaptations that offer characters that sit comfortably with most readers’ interpretations of the author’s creations. But the undoubted star ingredient is the carefully crafted plot that introduces the crime, teases with plausible perpetrators, throws the occasional unexpected twist and then offers a denouement that leaves most readers more than satisfied. The author acknowledges the prompt given by real events in terms of the setting, but there is no inappropriate preaching by the author in placing the crime in association with a privately operated home for troubled children.
Strongly recommended.

Another excellent book in the Vera series. I love the descriptions of the dark night skies and surrounding countryside, but the best parts for me are seeing the characters develop and also the relationships between them. Rosie is a great addition to the team. I hope there are many more Vera books to come - I’m not ready for her to retire yet!

My first 'Vera' book. My first Anne Cleeves book, actually. Always on my list of to be read books but never quite made it. All that must change and they will be my next binge read.
I really enjoyed the characters, the setting and the plot and shared the frustrations of a social care system that has been completely broken by chronic underfunding and lack of support.
It was already a winner for me and was made even more so by the fact that I was unable to work out who the killer was.
Thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks to Netgalley.

This is vintage Vera. A good mystery which brings an important matter to the attention of the reader, the privatisation of homes for children in care, and at the same time keeps the original atmosphere of the series. All in the unique voice of the main character Vera Stanhope who remains true to her stubborn self in spite of growing older. It is a great addition to the series and I am sure all the fans will appreciate it. It's always best to read the series in order, but this book can also be read as a standalone because there are no loose threads from before. Very enjoyable.

Another solid installment in the Vera series, with it's classic, comforting signature - it also has a briliantly complex plot to capture your attention, with all sorts of twists and turns, with the 'standing stones' providing an atmospheric presence over it all

Never having watch Vera on television I prefer to simply enjoy the read, creating my own vision of the people and the places. As always, Ann Cleaves produces an excellent read and one that I really enjoyed as I liked the way the storyline flowed and didn’t see me having to try and work out who did it.
With Ann Cleaves you simply cannot go wrong.

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleves

For me , this is the authors best protagonist , DI Vera Stanhope , I love how she comes across , and her dry sense of humour with the people around her. Great plotlines , good , believable characters.
I've heard the t.v. Series is coming to an end, but please Ann , don't stop writing the books.

Who doesn't live a Vera Stanhope story? Cleeves is, of course, the mistress of crime writing, and this is a novel that doesn't disappoint. Even if you've never heard, seen or read any 'Vera', you can read this as a stand alone. All the elements of crime fiction are tackled with great aptitude, and this is a highly entertaining, suspenseful, satisfying read in which Cleeves explores some contemporary issues of those people in society who might be left behind. Vera is, of course, a brilliant character, and the writing itself has pace and vigour. Highly recommended. My gratitude to NetGalley and to the publishers for the ARC.

Dark, Brooding..
The eleventh in the DI Vera Stanhope series arrives with a dark and brooding premise in the shape of the standing stones of the ‘Three Dark Wives’. When a body is discovered by a dog walker (of course), DI Vera Stanhope is called upon to investigate. As the team begin to trawl for clues, a second body is found near the ‘Three Dark Wives’. A thoughtful, serious and well managed entry to the series with a credible and deftly drawn cast, an atmospheric and ominous sense of place and a slow burn, engaging plot. A worthy addition to the series.

A very enjoyable book that i won’t hesitate to recommend to others. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

In ‘The Dark Wives’, the eleventh novel in the Vera series, Ann Cleeves picks up shortly after the last novel ended – with no spoilers, there’s a new member of her team and Vera is still suffering from the after effects of the events in the recent past. So when the body of a young care worker is found near Rosebank, a temporary home for troubled and abandoned teens, the DI has more on her mind than just finding the killer.
There’s everything fans of the series hope for in this new book – local scenes and events that will no doubt appear on our tv screens at some point for the non-readers, but for the faithful book version of followers out there it’s all about the book first and alongside the atmospheric settings, close-knit team dynamics and cast of potential suspects, there’s the social commentary that the author weaves so well into her work: never preachy, but always present and invariably commented on through Vera’s sometimes acerbic approach.
There may not be the dramatic fireworks of the last novel – this is a more ruminative Vera considering mistakes real or imagined of the past and their potential ramifications for the future – but it was one of the most satisfying in the series to date.
To talk about a crime mystery being a ‘comfort read’ may seem at odds with the genre and while each reader might have their own particular favourite Ann Cleeves’ series, it’s always a joy for a new entry in this series.

I really enjoy Ann Cleeves books and so was very pleased to read her latest book in the Vera series. Vera is still upset over the death of Holly, one of her team, from her last book. Rosie is introduced as the replacement, a very different character from Holly.
A body is found early one morning outside a residential home for troubled teens. It’s Josh who was a part time carer who never made it into work before he was killed outside the home. A young resident is also missing, Chloe. Josh had befriended her but Vera doesn’t believe she is implicated in the murder.
It’s not long before another body is discovered in a Bothy, close to the standing stones known locally as the 3 dark wives. Vera needs to find the killer as she’s concerned Chloe’s life is in danger.
The book shows how difficult life is for these troubled children and for the workers who care for them, lack of money and resources. It keeps the reader guessing until the end as to whom committed the murders and why.

Another cracking story by Ann Cleeves. A good, steady read that holds your attention. As always, I did not see the outcome coming. Highly recommend reading.

A young care worker in a home for troubled teenagers is murdered and one of the residents of the home goes missing, so this has to be a case for Vera Stanhope. She does her work with her usual eccentricity and introspection, sometimes leaving her team wondering what she’s up to, and more than a little frustrated. Of course Vera is fully invested in the case, which turns out to be complex and disturbing. There are some really nasty characters here, along with the good guys, and as always, Ann Cleeves makes them all so real they are visible to the reader. The action and settings are also brilliantly described - this is a book that will keep you up late into the night to reach the very satisfying denouement.

Thanks to for the opportunity to review this latest in the Vera series. Set in a children’s home this book was making a social statement but it wasn’t my favourite Vera book. Rosie is a promising new character with a sparky , combative nature there could be fireworks in future books. I found the plot disappointing with a lot of chasing around the countryside after unknown suspects then suddenly it was all wrapped up without any clues. There are usually loads of red herrings and side plots.

I’m a huge fan of Ann Cleeves and especially of Vera. I love Vera's spikey character and inevitably I love the clever storylines and the often lyrical writing. But not this time. The ‘team’ just didn’t gel and I didn’t feel invested in the investigation or characters, and even the relationship between Vera and Joe, usually full of wit and affection, was underwritten and almost non existent. Sadly, for me, not my favourite Vera.

Ann Cleeves never disappoints and this is book is no different. Fantastic storyline and characters we know so well jumping off the page. A great read.

When a worker at a children’s care home is murdered and a resident teenage girl disappears Vera Stanhope has a lot to investigate. She also has a new recruit to her department. This new detective ,Rosie Bell, sometimes questions Vera’s methods, especially when Vera doesn’t always communicate her theories to the rest of the team.
In this novel Cleeves shows the struggles of youngsters in care and of those people trying to look after them within their budget limitations. It is a multi- layered novel with a crime procedural, social commentary and insight into Vera’s management of her team.
The small insular village community, brooding landscape of dark hills and standing stones ( the three dark wives) provide an unnerving atmospheric background to the hunt to find the killer and the teenager.
This is another great crime novel in the Vera Stanhope series.
Thanks very much to the publishers for the ARC.