An enjoyable mystery. I liked that most of the main characters are all in their mid to late 60’s. Ms. Cleeves treated the characters like people that age are actually like and not a bunch of dottering old fools. The story reminded me of a ‘Miss Marble’ or Agatha Christie mystery. I happily recommend this book. Thank you to Net Gallery and McMillan Audio for this complimentary audio book. Reader, Janine Birkett, was delightful to listen to.

oh my what an adventure of Ann Cleeves and I am one that is just jumping in at now and although this can be read as a stand alone I believe I would have been better prepared by reading her earlier works prior to reading this one. I enjoyed it - the thrills and chase - although slow at first it did hold my attention.

The Rising Ride AUDIO by Ann Cleeves opened my eyes to Vera Stanhope. I have watched the television program but this book was so much more comprehensive, delving into Vera’s past and her life outside of her job. It was a revelation. It was a peculiar crime which took place on part of a peninsula cut off from the rest of the country twice a day when the tides came in. They were a group of people who got together once every five years to celebrate friendships that began when they were in grammar school. Then one night, one of them committed suicide, or so they thought until Inspector Vera Stanhope arrived and declared it murder. She thought is origins were in the original gathering 40 years earlier and so she and her team set about getting to know these people, who they were currently, and who they had been. I took some planning as they couldn’t simply work all day and return to their homes in the evening: there was the tide.

Vera Stanhope is the personification of the brilliant detective. She sees things others do not and combines clues to come to amazing conclusions. She lives by herself in the cottage she inherited from her father and often begins her day with a long walk, near the sea. Only recently has she made a friend, Joanna, a neighbor, who is opening up her world to Vera. Very is getting old and is overweight and dumpy. She dresses like a washerwoman and cares little for her appearance. She is the penultimate character. Cleeves does well building a character as she builds the crime. Vera Stanhope always solves the crimes set out before her. This was a good one, and as she suspected, was rooted in the past. This group of people contained examples of people we all know and include in our lives, not ending in murder most of the time. It is an extremely well-written book, doing the character of Vera Stanhope justice.

Janine Birkett was the narrator and did a terrific job. She was Ver Stanhope and as such brought the appropriate amount of gravitas to the narration. She did well with the other characters as well, without resorting to funny voices or imitation. She made it an enjoyable listen.

I was invited to read a free e-AUDIO of The Rising Tide by MacMillan Audio, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #MacMillanAduio #AnnCleeves #Janine Birkett #TheRisingTide

My first mystery/thriller by Ann Cleeves and I found it to be an enjoyable listen.
Vera is an easy to like Inspector who has a tendency to "mother" her co-workers ensuring that they toe the line and remain loyal to their positions.
Cleeves takes us through twists and turns remarkably hiding the suspect responsible for the murders that take place in the novel. As I listened I tried hard to figure out how the jigsaw was put together but I could find no easy clues.

Narration was great, a smooth change of voices for each character performed by Janine Burkett. I really enjoyed Vera's voice and her cheeky comments had me smiling as I listened.

This was an enjoyable mystery audiobook and I'm looking forward to reading more of Ann Cleeve's works.
My thanks to #NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this arc and this opinion is my own.

THE RISING TIDE by Ann Cleeves is the latest in the Vera Stanhope mystery series. The setting is in the North of England, specifically Holy Island which is periodically cut off from the mainland when the causeway is flooded due to changing tide levels. Forty-five years ago, a young women died when she misjudged the timing of the tides. Her friends have been holding reunions on the island (it "transported them back to a time when they were young and free, and life was exciting and full of possibilities") every five years and during the most recent visit someone else perishes. Vera and her team, Joe and Holly, are assigned to investigate the apparent suicide. In addition to the group of friends (baker Annie, loyal wife Lou and husband Ken who has dementia, BBC commentator Rick, and priest Philip), there are several other local connections and some dubious links to the deceased's reputation regarding exploiting young female colleagues. Kirkus summed up THE RISING TIDE as "a character-driven puzzler that ends in a painful denouement." It is quite a tangle for Vera, her team and Cleeves' many readers. I enjoyed listening to the audio version read by Janine Birkett and am already looking forward to the next installment!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a little cumbersome at points because there is a large cast of characters, but overall it was a decent mystery novel. It is nice that the reader does not have to read all of the Vera novels to know what is happening in the story.

A group of friends has met once every 5 years since they got out of college and now they are in their 60s. The friends have lost loved ones and married and had children, but they have always made time to come back to reconnect after attending a weekend retreat called Only Connect. It is on this weekend that they come together at a converted nunnery, on a tiny island in north England, where one of the group members and celebrity is killed. It is made to look like a suicide, but the detective Vera Stanhope digs deeper. She interviews the friends and feels the groups history is at play...A few days after the initial murder there is another in this same group of friends. There are twists and turn and this was a who dun nit that I I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters were likeable and I was not sure where the story would end. I did not realize this was an established series and would very much enjoy hearing about Vera's further exploits.

This must be my reading year of firsts. This is my first book by Ann Cleeves and my first Vera Stanhope novel.
This was a great one to start with. Loved the backstory and the development of the characters. Recommend.

Feisty and Disheveled DCI Vera Stanhope returns for her eleventh North Umberland investigation in the Ann Cleeves’ chilling new novel, “The Rising Tide.” Set on a tiny tidal island off the mainland, a group of friends have gathered to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of a school holiday retreat called “Only Connect.” They have encamped at Pilgrims House on Holy Island, a small, isolated retreat operated by nuns on the remote island.
The five friends, Rick, a television journalist, Annie, a gourmet food purveyor, Phillip, a retired priest and Ken, an Alzheimer’s victim and his wife, Louisa, have returned to relive the glory days of their friendships, parties and booze as they do every five years. Although it might be a spoiler, after the first midnight, one guest dies by hanging. The victim had been the glue holding this motley group together and had been suffering from a long list of personal and professional challenges. Initially, the diagnosis of suicide seems reasonable until Vera Stanhope is enlisted to investigate, and discovers evidence of foul play.
Since the crime scene is located far from home, and the tide makes the island inaccessible, Vera and her team, Joe and Holly, set up camp in a local hotel. That way, Vera can keep her suspects close, and observe their relationships and interactions under her detective’s microscope. The investigation expands as potential suspects include former spouses and children of the attendees, the teacher who arranged the first retreat, agents, employers and even Vera’s boss. Vera and her team will rule no one out until they find the killer.
Vera’s investigation dredges up terrible memories of the tragic death of another student who attended the first reunion over twenty-five years ago, and an ancient infanticide investigation involving the friends. She believes there’s a connection between the two historic deaths with the present homicide, but is she correct? And why was the victim killed now? What was the motive for the crime?
Cleeves even acknowledges the #MeToo movement when one character falls prey to sexual misconduct allegations at the workplace. Could the inappropriate workplace behavior have been a motive for the crime?
“The Rising Tide” is a complicated revelation of lies, jealousies, liaisons, guilt, financial relationships, betrayals and secrets that have been festering for a half-century. Even the closest of friends and spouses have been keeping secrets from each other, and especially from Vera and her team. DCI Stanhope knows rules can be stretched to the breaking point, and she will go the distance to fight for victims unable to fight for themselves. And in “The Rising Tide,” she knows that “everything important to this case had happened in the past.”
In this novel, Vera is quite self-aware. She understands that her lieutenant, Joe, has outgrown her team and is ready to move on, but selfishly, she is holding onto him as long as possible. The crime’s setting, Pilgrim Island, also stirs up old memories for Vera as well. It forces her to revisit her relationship with her cruel father, with whom she traveled to the island as a child so he could steal bird’s eggs. Vera draws upon her past pain as her inspiration to become a stealth detective with a brilliant mind. Beneath the rumpled bag lady's appearance, she investigates crimes in her own quiet manner. Once Vera gathers all the evidence, she is ready to confront the killer, despite the danger it poses to her own life.
As usual, Cleeves paints a vivid, visual picture of the remote holiday island. It is winter; a time full of cloudy skies, pounding turf, gulls circling overhead, and locals gathering at the local pub exchanging stories. Cleeves depiction is so fined-tuned that the readers feel as though they are alongside Vera as she tramps through the grasslands of a holiday camp on the trail of a killer. “The Rising Tide” is a treat for the senses and the mind.
“The Rising Tide” cements Ann Cleeves in the annals of crime writers, who seamlessly blend intriguing characters, unusual settings, intricate plotting, and brisk pacing to keep readers turning the page. Let’s hope the author never permits DCI Vera Stanhope to retire her old, ratty Macintosh. She would be sorely missed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves is a stand alone mystery-thriller. I give the audio book a 3 star. The narrator, Janine Birkett, did a broad variety job changing her voice adding drama to the pronunciation.
My opinion, this is a book to read vs audio. It starts slow paced and is confusing with all the characters , interviews, past/present relationships etc. Because their was so much confusion going on, I found I was forcing myself to listen. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for ARC book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this British murder mystery by Ann Cleeves. Vera is the detective investigating a murder that has several suspects. Vera is a good, down-to-earth, intelligent, detective who is older and doesn't fuss about her appearance or weight. She does, however, know how to solve a crime, and hopefully, she can solve this one before her team or others befall the same fate. This is book 10 I understand but you can read stand-alone. I will go find earlier ones as I like the characters portrayed in this story. The narrator - Janine Birkett did a phenomenal job. If you like mysteries you will like this book. I think I got more out of the audio than if I had read it myself. The narrator giving the different accents and tones did a lot for the book. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this audio this is my honest opinion I do recommend this book.

Happy Book Birthday to one of my absolute favorite fair-play mystery series.This is book 10 in the Detective Inspector (DI)Vera Stanhope series.

I have been watching this series on PBS for years and it was such a pleasure to read/listen to The Rising Tide. It was also an absolute heartbreak...

DI Vera Stanhope, a "large and shabby," middle-aged, blunt and brilliant detective is called to Holy Island to investigate the hanging death of a man who was celebrating the 50th year reunion with his friends. While investigating his death,Vera and her team uncover years of secrets and lies among this group of friends as dangerous as the rising tide.

The actual rising tide looms large in this book as the murky waters presents unforseen dangers to everyone on the island. No one is immune to the threat it imposes not even Vera or her team.

Ann Cleeves knows how to write a dark, compelling mystery and yet somehow brightens it with Britain's favorite loud mouth sleuth Vera Stanhope. Vera, who calls everyone "Pet," has such keen investigating skills. She has a way of compelling both suspects and victims to reveal their secrets and crimes. It is always a difficult rush for me to try and figure out #whodunnit before Vera solves the case and this book was no exception.

I loved reading The Rising Tide. It is written with wonderful visual aclarity and full of suspense and twists. It is also one of the most emotional books in this series - hint: you may need some tissue by the end... 😢

Thank you @minotaur_books for my ARC and @macmillan.audio for my ALC. The Rising Tide is available now.

𝘔𝘦𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭!

A police procedural, a fantastic setting, beautifully written, twisty, suspenseful and a strong female main character, what else is there to ask?
I haven’t read the previous books in this series and had no problem at all following this story. A great read.

Thank you Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for this gifted copy.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

A group of friends has been meeting every five years for fifty years at Holy Island, initially the site of a school trip. One of the group died at the first reunion. We get to know each friend pretty well as the story unfolds.

Sadly, another death occurs on this most recent trip. At first, it appears to be a suicide, but it doesn't take very long to determine it is a murder. Everyone appears to be a suspect, and I had a hard time myself determining "whodunnit".

This book has great character development. I felt the multiple points of view added to the suspense.
And I did not see the ending coming.

I haven't read the series (this is book 10), but I felt it can definitely be read as a standalone!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio an advance audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Rising Tide, A Vera Stanhope Novel by Ann Cleeves and narrated by Janine Birkett. I chose to listen to this book on audio and liked the narrator very much. This was book 10 of this series but can be read as a stand-alone.
This is the kind of British murder mystery where everyone had a motive. I was lead down many entertaining rabbit holes. Vera was an interesting and likable character with a gentle, probing approach to solving this crime. She had a special talent to think things through.
If you like a good crime mystery than I highly suggest it.
Thanks Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

This was my first book by Ann Cleeves and it was good I will try this series from the beginning to see if I like the first one more. This book felt slow to me. I did not like that Vera is the typically hard female detective that is a bitch and has no family or real relationships. Women are so much more diverse and layered than that. Overall it was an average book and I will try another by her.

I have read the other books in the Vera series and mostly enjoyed them, just as I mostly enjoyed this installment. The overall mystery of who the killer happened to be was engaging enough to finish with my interest intact. I was able to guess fairly early on what would be revealed with some surprises still to come.

I have two major caveats that bring my rating down to 3 stars, one was the woke claptrap Ms. Cleaves often weaves into her stories to make them interesting to the modern reader and the second was the overwhelming amount of fat-shaming in this book. Mostly I can ignore nonsense such as that, but she spent the first third of the book making snide comments. I nearly dumped the book. I kept listening though, and the ending brought the whole thing home.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This is my first time reading this series and it starts with a murder that is made to look like a suicide. Of course, it's got all the elements of a great whodunnit. We have DI Vera Stanhope and my understanding is that this is book 10 in the series. Am I behind? The premise is that you have a group of friends meeting every 5 years and this is their 50th anniversary. Of course, they talk about their pasts and there's the rising tide along the causeway that has caused one of their friends in the past to drive through and be washed away. When a second person dies, then it gets more interesting. It took me a while to get into it. Too many characters, but then I can see why this is a fun little murder mystery series.

Vera and the team are back and ready solve a murder on an island that is cut off by the tides each day. Ann Cleeve always paints such a fine picture of Northumberland that I feel I know the coast and it’s people. Characterization is another of Cleeve’s strengths. They are flawed, imperfect, and often relatable. In this new book, the mystery began slowly for me, but grew better with every page. Another sure fire winner for Ann Cleeve and Vera’s fans!

This is my first book that I’ve read by Ann Cleeves. I didn’t realize it was part of a series but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not reading the previous books in the series.

I always love a good mystery thriller and I think the author did a great job with this one. A group of friends that have gotten together since school ended meet on an island. When people start dying it becomes questionable who and why these killing are happening. There’s several suspects throughout the story and the author kept me guessing until almost the end of the book’

Overall I liked it and the audio was good as well. The narrator did a good job of giving life to the multiple characters in the book.