Fascinating.
Vera is quite a wonderful character: good at her job, insightful, with years of life experience.
Her colleagues are a wonderful mix who both admire her and wonder about her.
The mystery is a good one. Who wanted the young woman dead and why would she leave the baby in the car with the door open?
It takes some perseverance, but Vera gets there, albeit with serious danger, in the end.
Well done.

The center of any murder mystery is a dead body - Lorna Falstone, found outside during a blizzard - in Ann Cleeves' newest thriller, "The Darkest Evening." Add in the English countryside in Northumberland, an English manor in disrepair and a bevy of potential killers and you have the premise for a very enjoyable whodunit.

At the center of the investigation is Vera Stanhope, the chief detective, who inadvertently stumbles across a car left abandoned in the blizzard with the driver's door opened and a toddler strapped into the back seat. Vera is middle-aged and disheveled in her appearance, but has earned a reputation as a thorough and intuitive investigator. She learns that the abandoned car belonged to a friend of the dead woman and the toddler is actually her own son. Vera Stanhope must determine why Lorna Falstone left her son in the car and ultimately why she was killed.

That the dead woman was found on the grounds of Brockburn Estate, home to Vera's relatives, adds another dimension to the mystery as some of these family members are viewed as potential murder suspects. Ann Cleeves expertly presents each potential murderer amid an atmosphere fraught with tension and anxiety as the identity of the killer remains unsolved and another woman is murdered.

Cleeves is masterful at her craft which kept me guessing until the final reveal. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and recently learned that this was the ninth book in the Vera Stanhope Series which can certainly be read as a stand alone. Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Ann Cleeves for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Rating 5
Thank you to Macmillan & Net Galley for providing an ARC
This is a book in the Vera Stanhope series. On her way home during a snow event, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope sees a car pulled to the side of the road. She stops to see if the driver needs assistance. What she finds is a small child strapped in a car seat.
She takes the little boy and drives to the nearest house to call her team. Unfortunately, Brockburn is a mansion she knows well, as she visited there in her youth & her extended family owns it. Vera is now dealing with memories of her past connections with these relatives and with the abandoned child when a body of a young woman is discovered.
We are introduced to Vera’s team as they begin to work the murder. Even though this book is the 9th in the series I never felt lost. The characters are well drawn out, with their own personalities and quirks. I was fully engaged and played the “who done it” along with Vera & her crew.
A very enjoyable murder mystery with a satisfying ending. I will be reading the Vera Stanhope mysteries.

This was my first Vera Stanhope mystery so I feel that may have been a disadvantage. The beginning hooked me right in. Imagine finding a car that is off the road on a cold snowy evening with the door left open. Then imagine finding a baby abandoned in the car. Masterful hook! At times the story seemed to stall a bit and then it got back on track. Vera’s family was hard to take. I did appreciate the surprise ending. It kept my interest. Many thanks to Ann Cleese’s, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this mystery, to be published in September.

My thanks to St. Martin's/Minataur Press, Ann Cleeves and Netgalley.
I've been wanting to read one of these Vera Stanhope books for a very long time! I saw this come up on Netgalley, and hoped that it would work as a standalone. It did!
I found a place in my heart for these characters. Vera especially is brash and take charge. That's my kinda woman!
But, what I loved most was the location! I'm just one of those folk who needs to feel comfortable where the action is. I could live here! I would actually be happy as a pig 🐖in a poke up here in Northeastern England.
What surprised me was how taken in I was. The villain? Didn't even cross my mind!
Another thing that surprised me, and bothered me from the beginning was how naive a few of these Detectives were. How can you be shocked that so many families are so messed up, and be a detective! Surely you must be a constable then take an exam to become a detective. As a Constable, you're going to see the real world. Even in a small area? I also enjoyed Holly. I like watching police grow, and she's a smart one!
Still, those final pages were heartstopping. Seriously, I had to quit reading at least 8 times. I know that Homicide detectives in the U.K, don't have guns, but really a nightstick or a stun gun would save me from having multiple heart attacks!
I'd read more Stanhope books.

Reading about Vera Sanhope is even better than watching the show.
Terrific mystery filled with memorable characters and a resolution that was a surprise but completely reasonable. One of the best mysteries of the year.

Great novel that made me feel like it was a cold winter night on a hot summer day

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were believable and some were even like-able. I especially appreciated that the gender stereotypes regarding babies and work assignments were not followed and that they were presented in a matter-of-fact way.

There was some gore, but about what you would get in an Agatha Christie or Louise Penny novel, not Stephen King (all favorite authors of mine).

I think it is the first book I have read by the author, but it won't be the last.

One December night Vera Stanhope was returning home from her job as a Detective Inspector at the local police station in Northumberland. The snow was coming down at an alarming rate and she had a hard time finding her way home. So when she saw a car on the side of the road with an open door, she had to stop and check. Inside she found a young child in a car seat but the driver was nowhere in sight. Vera took the child to the nearby manor and began to organize a search party for the missing driver. Then a local farmer, out on his tractor to pick up his daughters at the manor house, came across the body of Lorna, the baby’s mother, who had been murdered.

The setting of this was a small rural town where everyone knew each other and gossip was the order of the day. There were several suspects who might want Lorna dead. She had been troubled soul and harbored many secrets including identity of the father of her child.

Then Constance Browne, a retired teacher and close friend of Lorna, disappeared and her body was discovered in a remote forest. Now Vera and her team of detectives had two murders to solve. They followed all the leads until they found the unlikely murderer who confessed to both murders.

This is an interesting mystery story. The author gives the reader a feel for life in this remote section of Britain. She shows the reader that the feudal system is still alive even though some of the gentry are having difficulty maintaining the manor houses and the grand lifestyle.

This ARC was provided by Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Vera Stanhope is a beloved character for me, thanks to Brenda Blethyn’s depiction on PBS. This is my first time following her police work in print and it has given me the opportunity to delve further into her personal life. Christmas is drawing near as Vera, heading home in a snowstorm, comes across an abandoned vehicle with one passenger, two year old Thomas. Realizing she is very close to her family’s homestead, she carries Thomas to the shelter of the house that never truly welcomed her because of her father’s past behavior. A few hours later the corpse of his young mother is discovered in a snowdrift by a tenant farmer. The investigation of who, how and why this woman was murdered begins and evolves into the importance of discovering the child’s father’s identity., possibly leading to a second murder. The investigative team led by Vera will provide several possibilities and Vera’s personal proximity to some of these suspects.poses a serious threat to her. Ann Cleves has created a complex character in Vera and this novel provides the opportunity to witness her more sensitive side. I look forward to reading more.

This was a very interesting book. This author is new to me. I stumbled a bit on some of the terminology as I’m from the U.S. and not England. I enjoyed learning new words though. I was surprised by who the murderer was, I didn’t see it coming. That’s always a wonderful surprise as it doesn’t happen often. The characters were all very compelling. The writing is very good. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the E-ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I was delighted to be introduced to Vera Stanhope. I have read all the Jimmy Perez books and treasure every one. Having missed the preceeding Vera Stanhope books put me at a disadvantage, but I will start from book one and read the series. The book is a good "who done it" and kept me reading away. Vera deals not just with solving a murder or 2, but brushes up a bit close to family members from her past. Vera seems to be a very muti-deminsional character that I want to know more about. I like her relationships with her team members, respectful yet a bit frustrated with her at times. Ann Cleeves is a gifted writer and can create a well crafted mystery with characters that drive the story and make you care deeply for them as well. I'm giving this book 5 stars, 4 for the story and one more for Vera. Bravo to Ann Cleeves for creating a female character with fortitude, courage and tenacity. We need many more characters like this.

Police procedural. Interesting plot and main character. Beginning catches the reader's interest. An abandoned car in a snowdrift, with a baby inside. When Vera, a detective, finds the child, she immediately sets out to find out the story behind this, Especially when a woman's body is also found nearby. Because of the procedural details, I found the book a bit drawn out in the later half.

This was my first Vera mystery, and my first Ann Cleeves novel. Although this is #9 in the series, it can be read as a stand alone story. I felt the characters were well developed.

A few times in the book, the story seemed to keep repeating itself and I found that to be a bit tedious. Considering the time span of the novel was one week from discovering the body of a young mother to the identification of her killer, it felt much longer. I don't know if this was due to feeling like I was reading the same thing several times or just the style of writing. Having said that, it was still an enjoyable read. I kept trying to determine who the killer was and liked being a little surprised at the answer. There's nothing worse than a murder mystery that is too predictable.

The story shows how many families and their lives can be entwined together. I might look into some of the other books in the series.

Vera Stanhope is one of my favorite detectives both on TV and in Ann Cleeve's mysteries. This latest The Darkest Evening is my favorite of the novels so far!

SPOILER ALERT!
The Darkest Evening differs from the others in the series because it reveals so much about Vera. Vera comes across an emergency situation and must interrupt a dinner party to seek help. This encounter occurs at the Stanhope family estate.

We know Hector was a difficult father - distant, mean, miserly, and belittling with strange habits. We know a little of how Hector lived and the small cottage that he had, where Vera lives now. But in The Darkest Evening we learn about Hector's family, his heritage, and how his family members regarded him. We learn Hector was a black sheep, the disappointing younger son who made scenes during family reunions and the awkwardness and discomfort Vera felt around her relatives.

But this time around Vera is the detective in charge of the investigation. As she seeks answers to the suspicious death, Vera uses her insights into the area and the people. This added complication for Vera gives this particular mystery an added dimension and it is a treat!

Another great mystery by Ann Cleeves! She will always keep you guessing. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I would like to start by thanking NetGalley for my eARC for my honest review. Ann Cleeves writes Character Mystery like nobody else, and with this her latest Vera Stanhope novel she does not disappoint. . This along with the strength of her descriptive locations will continue to look forward to each and every novel she writes.

THE DARKEST EVENING takes place in the days before Christmas. Driving in a snowstorm, Vera comes upon a toddler alone in a car. She carries him to the nearest home, which happens to be Brockburn, the Stanhope's family's estate. Her family's estate. The body of the child's mother is soon discovered and Vera investigates, not knowing if she'll discover that someone in her family is a murderer. Another wonderful Vera mystery.

Characters are realistic, average people, which helps to keep the mystery from getting spoiled too soon. A light read

This was great! Kept me guessing until the end. Solid detective novel / police procedural with great characters. I really liked Vera and her team. It’s set in Northumberland UK in December and the descriptive details really set the mood.

This was my first time reading this author, but I will definitely going back to read this series from the beginning. The characters are interesting and the mystery was well-plotted.