Another great thriller with many twists and turns. A grumpy Vera and a new member of the team struggle to work this one out.

I enjoy most of Ann's books but the Vera novels hold a special place in my heart. Another wonderful case for Vera and her team with plenty of thrills and twists to keep the pages turning, bravo!

Another absolutely gripping story in the Vera series, I was absolutely grateful and delighted to read it. Highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley, the editor and the author for the opportunity to access this advanced copy.

I was delighted to be approved for this latest ‘Vera’ title by Ann Cleeves, and could not resist diving straight into the book. This is a tightly plotted police procedural, populated by Vera herself, her sergeant Joe, and the newly assigned DC Rosie. The characterisation is flawless, as always, as the team explore the disappearance of 14 year old Chloe, a vulnerable and confused young person, who they fear may already be dead - or she may be responsible for the murder of the care worker Josh, whose body has just been discovered.
It was good to read more about DC Charlie, a seasoned member ofVera’s investigative team, who is usually on the sidelines, but who this time, is given due credit for his painstaking background detective work into the possible motives of some unlikely suspects.
We are not treated to the usual ‘ workings’ of Vera’s detective mind, before the murderer is revealed. Rather the final chapters are taken up explaining how Vera, with Charlie’s solid police work, arrived at her conclusions after the killer is arrested.
This ending was a slight disappointment, and it was not entirely satisfactory to this reader, after the nail biting chase/ search on a pitch dark hillside, when it wasn’t clear who was being chased.
Otherwise, an excellent read, which kept me engrossed to the last page.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. I can’t wait for the next one.

This is the latest in the Vera series from Ann Cleeves and in it she maintains all the qualities which have made her books so popular. Characters that are interesting, believable and make you want to know more about them. Plotlines skillfully crafted which always seem to surprise and settings so well described and coloured in the book it is as if you are standing in a Northumberland moor watching Brenda Blethen and her team solve the murders!
In The Dark Wives, Vera has a new member of her team, Rosie, replacing Holly who tragically died in the last book. Vera is determined to share her thoughts more openly among team members as she suspects that had Holly been forewarned of Vera's suspicions, her death might have been avoided. Of course, Vera is pretty much set in her ways so this new resolve proves a struggle for her but along with the youthful and party loving Rosie this all makes for a new dynamic in the team.
The story is set with a background of two contrasting for-profit institutions, an exclusive private college and a children's care home. The main character, Chloe, attends both but other connections exist and the theme of making money on the heads of children is not thinly disguised.
As with all Ann Cleeves books, foiling the who-done-it mystery is never easy but the suspense keeps you turning the pages right through to the last.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has not read Ann Cleeves before. I suspect those who have will need little encouragement as her books are so readable. Fans of the TV show should also be encouraged because the books bring more depth to the story and insight into the characters but I do believe they both complement each other.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for providing pre publication access to this book.

Ann Cleeves’ Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope is back, soon after the death of her former detective Holly, A new DC Rosie joins the team and Vera wants to make sure she does things right this time, although her sidekick DS Joe Ashworth is not sure how this will play out.
A young man, Josh Woodburn, is found dead outside a children’s home that he volunteers at, and a 14 year old girl Chloe Spence is missing. Is she responsible or just frightened? The team is split but investigations continue, and when another boy is found dead near The Dark Wives standing stones there are too many coincidences for them not to be connected.
The search for Chloe spreads out into the Northumberland village of Gillstead, a little way from the town where she disappeared from, but there are several connections with the village.
Someone knows something, and some possibly deadly secrets need to come out.
Another great read from Ann Cleeves.
Thanks to #Netgalley for the ARC.

Vera is back but she's not quite herself. The recent loss of her DC during an investigation weighs heavily and, in amongst the constant guilt, is a new lack of surety. Is she too old for modern policing? What kind of manager is she? Has she let her team down? As a new team member joins, a woman as unlike driven, health-conscious Holly as possible, a body is discovered near a children's home and a teenage girl is missing. The team investigate as they try and adjust to their new DC and a different way of working, Vera's attempts to be more inclusive unsettling Joe who is used to being her confidant.

Ann Cleeves stated that she was inspired to write this after finding out about the rise of for profit childrens' homes, and her anger is clearly conveyed through the twisty plot. Add in her trademark descriptions of the Northumberland coast and hills, her brilliant characters and The Dark Wives is another five start outing for Vera. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed this latest book in the Vera Stanhope series, as usual a tense, well paced read with great characterisation, good realistic plot and Vera’s own brand of policing. The only thing for me is that Vera would no doubt have been pensioned off by now. However, it’s still an enjoyable read with unexpected twists, a good new character for Vera’s team and Ann Cleeves is still on top of her game. The children's home and social workers concerns are all too realistically portrayed, sadly.

book would definitely make good television viewing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The latest book in the Vera series is - as always - fast paced with plenty of twists and turns. I found the story gripping and couldn't put it down.

Well written with moments of dry humour, it's another brilliant addition to the series. However, I was slightly disappointed with the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

I’m a long time fan of the vera Stanhope novels, having read them all and watched all of the televised episodes, so I was more than pleased to be offered the opportunity of an ARC of The Dark Wives. As usual, there is murder involved along with a missing person/suspect, set against the background of Rosebank, a home for troubled teens. Vera, Joe and Charlie are hot on the chase, accompanied by a new team member, Rosie, who replaces the late lamented Holly.
Unusually, there is a scratchy friction running through the writing. Joe resents any attention given by Vera to Rosie, Rosie is critical of Vera and Vera herself shows hitherto unseen flashes of ‘spiteful joy’.
The plot itself jogs along quite nicely with a good selection of suspects to get the reader pondering. Unfortunately, the ending is very non-Vera in that she has multiple conversations with people, none of which the reader is privy to; she also keeps her team in the dark about her investigations and the result is a deus ex machina followed by quite a few chapters of weighty exposition. I won’t comment further on that to avoid spoilers.
All in all, I was left a bit disappointed and, in a sense, cheated. We’re aren’t given the opportunity to admire the brilliance of Vera’s deductions as she keeps her cards so close to her ample chest. Nonetheless, I will look forward to Vera’s next adventure and hope the team have put their playground squabbling behind them.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚆𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠

𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ★★★★.5☆

The Dark Wives is the 11th instalment in the Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope series. Following the death of a team member, DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death of a social worker, with her only clue being the disappearance of one of the home’s residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. 

Reunited with familiar characters, we’re thrown into a world of addiction, anger, revenge and corruption. Grappling with unpredictable suspects, an annual Witch Hunt, deception and a new fiery team member, the waters are rough for DI Stanhope.

Set in Northumberland - a small town in the rural North of England - the book title refers to three large ancient stones standing in the countryside surrounding the town, and the folklore around them. I found the blend of detective mystery and local folklore in The Dark Wives was intricately done, woven through the plot and the characters that gave this murder investigation a whole new level of intrigue.

While a fictional mystery, the deep dive into political corruption and broken social systems was poignant and thought-provoking, given the current climate of underfunded and overstretched public systems and the danger of poorly regulated private services.

The pacing was exceptional. Littering the plot with misdirects, hints at clues and frustrating mysteries, I was racing through the book, While desperate to know the culprit, I was also desperately trying to savour the book so it wouldn’t be over too soon.

With any detective novel, I always try to work out who the villain is before the big reveal, and Ann Cleeves bests me more often than not. In The Dark Wives, I had an inkling of one accomplice, but the true villain had me floored. I do wish there had been a few more actual clues drip-fed through the story as it felt like the reader was excluded from being able to speculate the suspects properly which made the ending slightly less satisfying.

Another incredible and gripping DI Stanhope novel, I will most likely be re-reading this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for providing a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

A Vera Stanhope story by Ann Cleeves is always something to look forward to and this eleventh book in the series is an absolute winner.

Set against a backdrop of a children's home and an academy school, Ann Cleeves shines a spotlight into the world of the 'haves and have-nots' and private business managing what were once public bodies.

The death of a support worker at a care home and the disappearance of one of the young residents leads Vera and her team into a complex case; new team member Rosie makes a good addition to the series. There is a race against time to find the missing child.

The story takes the team out into the countryside where a second body is discovered and into the village of Gillstead- close to three large mysterious standing stones called The Three Dark Wives and annual event called The Witch Hunt.

The plot is fast and the details of the crime procedural are as excellent as ever - unfeeling the tragedies and frailties within all types of relationships and families. It is Ann Cleeves' eye for the detail in every day life that makes the series so good and of course Vera's brooding character and determined ( and sometimes sharp) nature that makes her such a brilliant protagonist. In this story she even attempts to be more inclusive with her team following the events of the previous book.

As with all series, it is good to read them in order to see how characters develop, but this book could be read as a standalone.

The one element that shone through with this book is Ann Cleeves' feelings towards the disparity in society - 'privatised' state schools and care homes - targets and goals and profits - leading to the neglect of the most vulnerable in society.

A brilliant police /detective procedural but with a plot clearly directed to make us all consider what politicians and systems are doing to communities and individuals in the name of supposed "progress"!

Highly recommended

Another absolute smasher from Cleeves, and one with a really important message behind it.
The character development was brilliant and, as always, it felt like reuniting with an old friend when it came to Vera.
I thought it was such a realistic reflection of what kids in care /struggling with mental health have to face today as well as being another great murder mystery.
As always, I’m desperate for the next one now!

I do love a Vera novel and am very excited she is back. Great character development in this one and also some sad moments with the memories of one person in particular. There's a new character in the police on the scene which was good to see but the usual banter is still there and Vera is as acerbic as ever.

A nice visit to Cullercoats! Enjoyed that. And always lovely to head back to Northumberland. I can picture that green jeep amongst the grass right now.

I enjoyed this crime novel featuring detective Vera Stanhope. The Dark Wives is set in Northumberland, the title referring to three standing stones on the moors, where legend has it they were formed by three crones turned to stone by a giant. The locals celebrate with an annual witch hunt nearby, a dark and sinister game which one instinctively knows is going to feature in the story.

The plot begins with the death of a young man who is a volunteer worker at a children’s home, where we also find Chloe Spence, a troubled teenager whose mum has psychiatric problems and whose dad has abandoned his family. Except Chloe has disappeared. Where is she, alive or dead, and what is her involvement in the murder?

Chloe is smart and a writer, and the book features excerpts from her diary which are compelling and feel authentic – perhaps because Cleeves recruited a young woman to advise her on “everything teenager” and thanks her in the acknowledgements.

Crime mystery aside, the real topic here is how people like Chloe and others at her home are let down by underfunded social services and privatised children’s homes; in fact she is doubly let down, because her school is more interested in its own reputation than the welfare of its pupils. If that sounds a tad political, yes it is, and all the better for it in my opinion but views of course may vary.

The social commentary aspect is not at all heavy and it is a good yarn too, with some lively and well-observed characters like “Ma”, a formidable pub landlady in Gillstead, the village of the Three Wives. Everything has a strong Northumberland flavour and it’s a great read; better I think than its predecessor The Rising Tide (good though that was). I am not sure that the way Vera does her policing is altogether plausible but never mind about that!

The team carry on without Holly and with new recruit Rosie who was a fab addition. This case has Vera track down a missing girl from a children's home and discover the murderer of Josh and Brad. Full of atmosphere and character. I loved this book and would recommend. The Vera books keep getting better and better. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

There is a reason Anne Cleeves is the queen of crime and this book proves it.
Yet again she hits the mark with a well plotted true to life crime mystery , strong rich characters and highlights the issues we are facing in society. All this and set among a backdrop that is almost a character itself.
No spoilers but fans of Vera will devour this.

Vera is one of my favourite series and this did not disappoint. I love how Vera became mindful of her words and attitude towards the new member of the team following the death Holly. It was interesting to see a side of her that we have glimpsed over the years really come through. The new member of the team was refreshing and it seems as though we have a different side to Joe coming through which I can’t wait to see more of in the next book. A great storyline, with a fantastic ending which kept me guessing. Thanks for the early access netgalley

Another book in the DCI Vera Stanhope series which does not disappoint. There were twists and turns and dry humour all leading to an engrossing story and an exciting ending that I didn’t see coming. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book (and all the others in the series). Many thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this advance copy.

A fast paced whodunnit with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Having watched the tv series, reading the books was like being back with people you know; kind hearted but wanting to get stuff done. It shines a light on some of the problems with society but not in a preachy way. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next in the series.