Ebook/Mystery: I knew when I picked this out from NetGalley that it was part of a series. The characters were already complete with lives and background, but it was not that hard to figure out some things. It did take a while for me to realize Vera is built like a battleax, but I got her no nonsense investigating style early on through the writing.

What drew me to the book was the back cover summary. A body found in snow is usually a goodie. I liked that cellphones took a backseat in the storytelling because the English countryside was remote in spots.

This book has not come out yet, so no plot spoilers: I am not as smart as Vera (or Holly) as I the had the wrong person as the murderer. As far as a book, it was okay. The sub-characters were okay. The writing has more than Holly and Vera's point of view that is done in third person. I think part of my problem is that this is my first Vera Stanhope book. I do recommend it because it is a quick read for fans of mystery.

Are happy families a myth?

Ann Cleeves latest installment in her popular “Vera” series takes place the week before Christmas. During a blizzard Vera misses a turn on her way home from work, ending up on the wrong road where she finds an abandoned vehicle. Inside, is an unattended baby. Vera takes the child to the nearest dwelling, which turns out to be a manor house in decline. The child’s mother is subsequently discovered in the snow having been murdered, and Vera’s team investigates.

Cleeves gives us her version of the “country house mystery” trope, as each guest and employee at the manor come under suspicion. And did I mention that Vera is related to the family which owns the crumbling estate. Along with the crime-solving, Vera must face some of her family’s past history. Sgt. Joe Ashworth is here, but we also see development in Holly Lawson’s character as she plays a larger role in solving the case.

Oh I do enjoy Vera stories. I can't wait to see this one turned into a season on the TV. Vera has run out into a storm and missed her turn for home. She finds an abandoned car with a child inside. That is the beginning of a mystery. We learn more about Vera's paternal extended family too. Lots of exercise as Vera walks her way through the book. A good mystery with a surprise ending. Excellent reading.

I'm somewhere between a 3.5 and 4 star on this one. It was my first outing with Ann Cleeves and I must say I was charmed! This is well into the Vera Stanhope series, but I had not read any of the previous books & I can safely say you don't need to have read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one. While this is not my very favorite trope (an isolated closed circle mystery), it does have a lot of elements I enjoy in a procedural whodunnit: small town/rural setting, the claustrophobia of movement being restricted by snow, a big old country house with suspicious characters, and a lovely rapport between the recurring series characters. This wasn't revolutionary, but if you are like me & like your mystery on the cozier end of the spectrum, I think this will be a delightful little whodunnit for you to enjoy

On a snowy road a car sits abandoned with a toddler strapped inside. Inspector Vera comes across the ghostly scene and then has to solve the mystery. Where's the mother? Each chapter delves more into the mother's story and her background. Many secrets are hidden in the small Northumberland community. Vets keeps questioning amd probing until the secrets are exposed but it's too late for some.

I enjoyed "The Darkest Evening" by Ann Cleeves. I have not read any of the Vera Stanhope novels before and now I will be going back and reading the others. This book is a mystery. Vera comes across a car in the snow with the door open and a baby inside and no one else around. The mother of the baby ends up being found, murdered. So now they must solve the case. The book was clever enough to keep you guessing on who the murderer was, and I did not figure it out before the mystery is solved! Which pleased me immensely!

Gentle and persistent snow turns into heavy blizzards.

That's what Inspector Vera Stanhope comes face-to-face with when leaving the police station one evening. All that swirling and blurring has played havoc on her sense of direction. A missed turn here or there in the Northumberland countryside can frost you in more ways than one.

Vera's windshield clears for a brief moment and she spots a white vehicle left to the side of the road with the door open. Vera pulls over to help. She peers inside and finds a toddler strapped in his carseat alone. With no one else in sight, Vera surmises that the adult went for help. No way was she going to leave this child abandoned in a blizzard. Carseat and child are transferred to Vera's Land Rover.

And here's where Vera will come to find that she's got more than what she bargained for. Vera pulls into the first driveway of a well-lit house. Memories hit her straight on. It's the Brockburn House. Our Vera is on the bottom rung of the well-heeled Stanhopes and this is their mansion and its surrounding acreage. She's greeted by a distant cousin who brings Vera and newly found child in. We'll get an eye full of the comings and goings here.

But before long a woman's body is found near the entrance of the Brockburn House. The identity of this woman will send Vera and her team (DC Holly Jackman and Sgt. Joe Ashworth) into a maze of detective work. And Ann Cleeves is not one to give away the store on the first outing. This one will have more likely murderers than you can swing a stick at. The lineup of guilty faces is remarkable.

The Darkest Evening can be read as a standalone. Even if this is your first go-round with Vera Stanhope, you'll be drawn in by her straightforward, no frills, arrow-sharp personality and her sleuthing skills to match. Cleeves does herself proud in this one that entertains as well as wickedly holds back that final card until the end. Fine detective work and fine writing as always in this superb series.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Minotaur Books (St. Martin's Press) and to the talented Ann Cleeves for the opportunity.

This mystery/thriller felt more like a cozy mystery to me. I haven't read any of the previous books in the Vera Stanhope series, and maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had more of her character development because I was just annoyed by her through the entire book. Vera is also disliked by her co-workers and subordinates, so maybe it's not just me (ha ha). She was described as a frumpy, out-of-shape, older woman that doesn't seem to care about anyone except herself and her career. Her constant use of the word "pet" and always going off on her own drove me crazy.

Although the mystery was good and kept me reading all the way to the end, there was a lot of British slang that had me constantly looking up the definitions for, with several of them coming back through Wikipedia (i.e. they were not in the American dictionary). Based on this book and my extreme dislike for the main character, I wouldn't be interested in reading the other books in this series.

Another great mystery from Cleeves! The setting is Northumbria, Englad and this time Vera is driving home from work on the first snowy evening of the year. She misses a turn and as she's traveling she sees a car off the side of the road. A car door is open. Vera stops and the driver is not there (Vera assumes they have gone for help), but as she turns to leave she hears a cry and finds a child in the back. Vera takes the child and proceeds along to the road to the estate of a distant relative. They are in the middle of a party inside while Vera is checking to see if they have seen the mother. As the party is ending, a neighbor comes in and has found a body outside near the house. It's pretty obvious the woman has been murdered.

Vera and her team investigte the murder and have to wade through some secrets, rumors, and lies as they try to find the truth. Kept my attention and was an enjoyable mystery.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I had never read a Vera Stanhope book before this one although I've seen them at the library and have seen the series listed on Acorn. Wow! I am impressed and will be going back to start with book #1. This book was wonderful as a standalone and I really like the character of Vera. She finds an abandoned baby in a snowstorm (along with a dead body) and that leads to an investigation with plenty of twists and turns. I love how this story incorporates Vera's family as well as the locals into the book. It gives it a real intimate feel. Highly recommend.

Another excellent Vera Stanhope mystery from author Ann Cleeves. Vera mysteries are always well written, in excellent settings and incredible detail. I read a lot of mystery and thrillers and I can never figure out the ending to Vera mysteries! Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite Vera mystery yet. Inclement weather, a cozy house, and a cast of characters you don’t quite trust. When Vera takes a wrong turn on a snowy road she ends up stumbling upon a mystery keeps you guessing to the exact last page. I would highly recommend this read at our top 10 books of September.

Always a treat to read a new book by Ann Cleeves, but I am particularly a great fan of the Vera series. A great plot with twists and turns. and a case that hits close to Vera's distant family. A great read for a cold winter's evening!

https://www.goodreads.com Vera #9, The Darkest Evening, is expected in September 2020, but NetGalley and Minotaur to the rescue! Read the book straight through with only a break to sleep. 5 Stars!! Everything you've always loved about Vera, Joe, and Holly, Vera's team and her 'social skills' is all here to entertain you again. Ann Cleeves is magic! It's so hot in LA right now one can scarcely breathe, but Vera is in the middle of a dreadful almost blizzard and I was in my chair feeling chilly.

Grabbing the latest book in this series is a no-brainer for a couple of reasons. First, I know I’m in for a well written, twisty murder mystery. Second, I get to spend time with the wonderful Brenda Blethyn. Ever since I saw her portrayal of Vera Stanhope, she’s become the voice in my head as I read these books. And that’s no bad thing.

The story begins when Vera ends up with a baby. But not the usual way. In the middle of a blizzard, she comes across an abandoned car with a tiny person inside. Their only hope is to make it to the nearest house which just happens to be the ancestral home of her father’s estranged family. Awkward.

And so Vera is reunited with snooty matriarch Harriet, her daughter Juliet & son-in-law Mark. She hasn’t seen this side of the family since childhood & it sets up an interesting dynamic. But any chit-chat will have to wait as Vera calls in reinforcements to deal with the baby, the car…..wait, where is the mom? By the time help arrives, there’s another more pressing question: who is the dead woman in the back yard?

And we’re off. Joe, Holly & all the regulars are back as the team tries to identify a killer who is hiding in plain sight. Motive is key to solving the case & as Vera digs with her typical persistence, family secrets & hidden ties are revealed. Appearances can deceive & even the happiest families have fault lines, soft spots that must be protected to maintain a facade.

The plotting is excellent & there are several credible “killers” to choose from. But what elevates the story is the addition of Vera’s personal history & present day interaction with long lost relatives. As local connections are uncovered, she has to wonder if her family knows more than they’re telling. They remember her as the awkward, frumpy daughter of the family’s black sheep. She may still be all those things but now she’s also an intuitive cop with the power to sort through & air their dirty laundry.

Picking up one of these books is like bumping into old friends. I love Vera & enjoy watching as criminals underestimate her at their own expense. Joe continues to be her long suffering righthand man while Holly’s character & relationship with the boss is further developed.

The pages fly by driven by a steady pace, clever dialogue & well rounded characters. By the end, the woman’s death is not the only mystery solved as Vera gains new insight into her father that may help put some of her personal demons to rest.

When Vera Stanhope comes across an abandoned car on the side of the road , she is surprised to find the drivers door open and a baby inside. Heading to a home of relatives she hasn't seen since she was a child, Vera lands on their doorstep with the baby. While at her relations a woman's body is found and Vera starts looking into the murder of this young woman.
This was like visiting an old friend, if you haven't read one of Ann Cleeves, Vera novels this is a good one to start with. I love the characters, each with their own faults and hidden secrets. The story captivated me from the first page and I was hooked until the end. Great read.

I have watched every episode of Vera, but until now, have not read any of the books. My mistake! This is a well done police procedural. No fast paced craziness here. Just good solid investigating by a solid team. The book is very character driven, not just the team but every person in the village and how they interconnect.
The premise is that on a snowy night, Vera comes upon an abandoned car on the side of the road. Driver door open, with a baby still in the back seat. She takes the baby to the nearest house, the manor house of the village, which is actually owned by her estranged relatives. Within hours, the driver of the car turns up dead on their driveway.
Because of the connection with her family, we learn about Vera’s past, her black sheep father and her lonely childhood. I enjoyed Cleeves’ writing, which made it very easy to see the scenes play out in my head.
Maybe because I’ve seen the tv show, this worked fine as a stand alone. But now that I’ve read this one, I intend to go back and read the others.
I recommend this for those who like team oriented police procedurals by the likes of Archer Mayor, Louise Penny or Joy Ellis.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

I found Darkest Evening a book whose prose captivated and uncomplicated plotting kept my interest. The mystery itself, a classic WHO DONE IT?, kept me guessing until the murderer was revealed. However, the police characters and all the suspects were presented in a thorough manner, just not very interesting to me. It definitely could have been wrapped up in 50 less pages. Vera Stanhope as the protagonist is understandable just not very sympathetic. However, her detective skills were impressive, even if the motivation for the crimes was hard to accept.

I received an advance reader copy of this book which has no effect at all on this review. This is the first book I have read by this author although it appears to be the 9th in a series. I enjoyed this book as I enjoy books involving investigations and the solving of crimes which happens in this book. I would recommend this book.

This is the 9th book of the Vera Stanhope mystery series. I have read all of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope books. Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite authors. Her books are all very hard-to-solve mysteries. This one works great as a standalone but it’s best to start with book 1 and get to know the characters.

Vera is on her way home and finds a toddler in a car which has slipped off the road. Brockburn is nearby so she makes her way there. It is the home where her father, Hector, grew up. She finds a party in full swing but a woman’s body is also found on the grounds. Vera soon finds that Brockburn holds many secrets from the past.

The plot was fast-paced and the characters were believable. Holly is my favorite and I love the way Vera relies on Joe so much meanwhile Sal, Joe’s wife, is always waiting for Joe to come home. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series and highly recommend this book to those who love page-turning police procedurals.