eBook ARC - 5 Stars

When I decided to dive into Ann Cleeves' books [first Shetland, then Vera, and now Two Rivers], I never truly anticipated liking, much less loving each one [as I was new to English mysteries, first finding the TV shows online and then gravitating to the books when I can], yet here we are, on book eleven, and I am praying they never end [all while grieving the upcoming final season of Vera with the stupendous Brenda Blethyn as our Vera], even though I know that that day will come. Until then, I will read and anything Ms. Cleeves gives us.

Book 10 was heartbreaking. I cried in disbelief and struggled with that ending for awhile. But more books called [and were read], and sad endings go to the back of our minds and all is well.
Enter book 11 and the reader is reminded again of book 10 and its end and I'll admit that I sniffled a bit at that forgotten memory, and I am not going to lie, in not loving the new team member [maybe she will grow on me?], made me sad all over again.

This was a crazy, twisty, mystery that had me guessing throughout the whole book [ALL while being annoyed at Joe and the damn whining he was doing - dude, this isn't your first go 'round with Vera, you know the score FFS], and by the reveal, I was completely shocked and deeply sad all over again, as there was just so little happy at the end of this one.

This was just a fantastic read and I am always so glad when I get to go and visit Northumberland and my "friends" there.

Audiobook ARC - 4 Stars

As always, Janine Birkett does a really good job narrating the newest Vera book - SO. MANY. CHARACTERS! I am in awe of how she keeps them [and their voices] all in her head and manages to keep them all straight in the story. Amazing. Well done.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ann Cleeves, Janine Birkett - Narrator, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Macmillian Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

The series novels of Ann Cleeves, be they the ones featuring DI Jimmy Perez, the ones featuring DI Vera Stanhope, or those featuring Detective Matthew Venn, all have something in common that is extremely important to the veteran mystery reader. Readers know that the mystery to be solved by any of these fictional detectives is going to be every bit as intriguing as it is complicated - and readers who figure any of them out before Cleeves makes her big reveal near the end of each novel are to be congratulated. The Dark Wives, book number eleven in Cleeves's Vera Stanhope series, is most certainly no exception to the rule.

It all starts when the body of a young volunteer at a home for troubled teens is found dead outside the building early one morning. When Vera Stanhope arrives on the scene she also learns that a fourteen-year-old resident of the home has not been seen since the previous evening. While others, including Vera's favorite Detective Sergeant, Joe Ashworth, instinctively see the missing girl as suspect number one, Vera is not so sure. Her gut tells her that the young girl is more likely to be victim than villain. Whether the investigation proves her right or not remains to be seen.

So here we have the makings of another solid Vera Stanhope novel. However, what really makes an Ann Cleeves novel so good these days is the special care that Cleeves uses each time out to further develop the emotional evolution of her recurring series characters. As The Dark Wives opens, Vera is still struggling to cope with the loss of of a female officer whose death she blames herself for. But even now, despite being determined to be more open with her staff - and less rash about placing herself in harm's way without backup - Vera keeps falling back on her old habits.

Joe Ashworth, personally closer to Vera than anyone else in the department, can't help but notice and worry about Vera's struggles, so when the flashy new investigator Rosie Bell shows up to begin her first day on the team, Joe is not quite sure what to expect. Rosie is very different from her predecessor, so different, in fact, that Joe begins to feel a little threatened by her presence after Vera starts to show her what Joe can't help but feel is special treatment at his own expense.

As one thread after another is yanked on by the investigators, shocking as the results often are, it all starts to make perfect sense to Vera. But even when she is almost certain that she knows the identity of those behind everything that went wrong at the teen refuge, Vera still has to prove it. So has she learned to share her theories with the rest of the team yet...or will she make the same mistakes she made last time?

I jumped into Vera Stanhope's world with this book for the first time, and I was able to follow without having read the other books, but I feel like the reading experience is always enhanced when you read a series in order. After reading this book, I will be going back and adding the others to my TBR list. Vera and her team, including officers Joe and Rosie, are great characters. I love how Vera tells it as it is. The mystery of this story centers around Rosebank, a home for troubled teens and the death of one of their staff members Josh. The setting is intriguing and presents many possible suspects making for interesting plotting. Fans of police procedurals like Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan series will enjoy this one.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Ann Cleeves’ The Dark Wives is the 11th installment in the beloved Vera Stanhope series, and it does not disappoint. This novel is a masterful blend of mystery, folklore, and the intricate dynamics of a small community, showcasing Cleeves’ talent for crafting compelling and atmospheric crime fiction.

The story begins with the discovery of a young man’s body in the early morning light by a dog walker in the park outside Rosebank, a home for troubled teens in the coastal village of Longwater. The victim, Josh, was a staff member who was supposed to work the previous night but never showed up. DI Vera Stanhope is called to investigate, with her only clue being the disappearance of fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence, a resident of the home. As Vera delves deeper into the case, she uncovers a web of secrets and lies that lead her to the Three Dark Wives monument in the Northumberland countryside.

Cleeves excels in character development, and The Dark Wives is no exception. Vera Stanhope remains a formidable and endearing protagonist, her sharp intellect and unyielding determination driving the investigation forward. The introduction of new team member Rosie Bell adds fresh dynamics to the team, while the enigmatic Chloe Spence and the troubled teens at Rosebank provide a rich tapestry of characters that keep readers engaged. Each character is meticulously crafted, with their own secrets and motivations that add depth to the story.

Cleeves’ writing is atmospheric and evocative, capturing the bleak beauty of the Northumberland landscape and the eerie ambiance of the Three Dark Wives monument. Her prose is both descriptive and precise, creating a vivid sense of place that immerses readers in the story. The pacing is expertly managed, with tension building steadily as Vera uncovers the layers of the mystery.

The Dark Wives explores themes of trust, betrayal, and the impact of the past on the present. It delves into the complexities of human relationships and the ways in which secrets can fester and destroy. The novel touches on the power of folklore and superstition, and how they can influence and shape a community’s collective psyche.

Ann Cleeves has once again delivered a gripping and atmospheric mystery with The Dark Wives. The novel is a testament to her skill in blending intricate plotting with rich character development and evocative settings.

Whether you’re a long-time fan of Vera Stanhope or new to the series, this book is sure to captivate and intrigue you. It’s a must-read for anyone who appreciates well-crafted crime fiction with a touch of the supernatural.

The Dark Wives
Ann Cleeves
August 27, 2024

At the age of 12 Chloe felt her life slipping away. Her father ran away to find better things. Her mother began to eat less and less. She was fired from her job. Her mind started to slip away. By the time Chloe was 14, she had asked adults for help but none had given her a supportive answer. By the time her mother had landed in the hospital there was no one to care for her. Her grandparents were not the solution, it was decided to put her into the children’s home. She would continue going to school. This is how Chloe’s world began to colapse. By the time Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope and her staff were called due to the staff finding a body outside the home, Chloe had already lost her way, she was gone.
The Dark Wives will be published by Minotaur Books on August 27, 2024. I was able to read Ms. Cleeves latest novel via NetGalley. It was superb. She gives us another journey into the Britbox Vera series. As I have watched all that have been broadcast I could envision this one as it took place in my reading. Due the vast amount of details Cleeves provides in solving each case brings before her in the Northumberland Police Department, it's important for the reader to absorb all the facts as they come into play. It’s excellent! A fan of the Vera show or novels? Enjoy.

Ann Cleeves is back with the next installment of the Vera series - one of my favorites. This one did not disappoint.
Vera is called to investigate the death of a young man, a university student, who works at Rosebank - a home for troubled teens. She finds that Chloe, a fourteen year old resident of the home, has gone missing. Are these two facts related?

Since the death of Holly, Vera has been assigned a new team member, Rosie, who is keen to prove herself. Joe is very interested in doing his best work to impress Rosie.

I love Vera's no nonsense character, and the way she rounds up her team members and pushes them to do their best.

This series has not run out of steam, and I'm looking forward to the next.

I love Vera and the newest book in the series is excellent! DI Vera Stanhope is still adjusting to changes to her team of detectives. She and DS Joe Ashworth are getting to know DC Rosie Bell. Rosie is smart and ambitious, but both Vera and Joe wonder if things will work out with Rosie. As a reader, I do, too, and have mixed feelings about how well she will fit in with Vera and the rest of the team in the long run. The current case involves the death of a staff member at a care home for troubled teens. One of those teens, Chloe Spence, is missing and they need to determine if she is a victim or a killer. Vera is brusque and often impatient on the outside, but very vulnerable on the inside and it's touching to see how she relates to the missing teenager. Vera's connection with this young woman that she had never met makes Vera more determined than ever to find Chloe and hopefully find that she isn't innocent of a crime.

This book is an engaging, well-written mystery with complex characters and storylines involving disadvantaged children, dark secrets, and folklore. Everyone helps with the investigation, but I was pleased to see DS Charlie Hardwick get some well-deserved recognition for his contributions to the case. If you are a fan of this series, you will definitely want to add The Dark Wives to your "To Be Read" list. I've read all of the previous ten books in the series but since a new team member joined the team, I think new readers could easily jump in, so I highly recommend this book to both new and returning readers.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

I've always enjoyed Ann Cleeves novels, especially the Vera Stanhope series, and this one is no exception. Having some knowledge of previous books in the series adds to the enjoyment of this novel and would probably improve the experience of readers new to the series, but I believe it could still be read as a standalone. Superstition, folklore, and local prejudice combine to obscure the truth in the murder of a juvenile care home worker and the disappearance of a troubled teenager as Vera is still grieving and guilty over the loss of Holly, a member of her team. The relationships between Vera and her team members (including the new officer replacing Holly) and the relationships amongst the families of the troubled teen and the victim also come into play. This makes for a strong, character-driven mystery, that keeps readers engaged and guessing who is behind the murder as the pace gains speed and the tension propels the novel towards the climax during the second half of the novel. The exploration of the foster care system and the administrators of it point up the failings and shortcomings inherent in it and provide added depth to the story.

Ann Cleeves and her Vera Stanhope series are favorites of mine. I was so excited to read The Dark Wives, book eleven in this excellent British detective series, and thoroughly enjoyed it!

This story takes a small time jump after the devastating events of the previous book. As a result, Vera has vowed to change and be more open with her colleagues during investigations as the team adjusts to working with its new member, Rosie, an ambitious new investigator.

As usual, the plot is tight, the writing crisp, unforeseen twists change the trajectory of the investigation, and the pacing is fast. I love Cleeves's writing style, dialogue, and how Vera calls everyone "pet." The book is atmospheric, from the underfunded/understaffed care home to the local "Witch Hunt" event. Serious and gritty real-life issues are brought up, some of them heartbreaking.

I love the compelling characters, too. They are complex, with flaws and struggles. Vera's a brilliant investigator and a bit of a lone wolf. She has good intentions about changing, but old habits die hard, and she carries emotional scars from her youth. So, we see her struggle and even fail to be more forthcoming with her team, and the team is frustrated by her. Vera's failed attempts also keep some clues from the reader with information that does not come out until the denouement. Cleeves's approach with Vera felt honest and all too human to me. Vera has work to do on herself, and it will be interesting to see her as a work in progress in future books. I'll root for her as always. Even the new character, Rosie, had enough complexity that I went back and forth on how I felt about her.

Suspenseful and entertaining, and it can be read as a standalone, though I recommend the series wholeheartedly.

Thank you to St, Martin's Press Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the gifted ARC.

*4.5 rounded up

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

I adore Ann Cleeves and was so excited to get to read another book by her in advance. I have read a few other books in the Vera Stanhope series and she is one of my favorite British detectives. I love the fact that is incredibly unconventional and that in reading the book you are able to get some insight into her thought process and feelings. The way that Cleeves unfurled this mystery was slow and steady in all the right ways and had me waffling back and forth on who could have done it, where Chloe could be and who to trust. The setting was suitably creepy and sinister and would make for a great late fall read. I will continue to shout from the hills just how good Ann Cleeves books are and loved this book.

Although this could be read and enjoyed as a stand alone, please, please do yourself a favor and read all of the Vera Stanhope books in order! I love how Vera is evolving in the series, after the loss of a team member she’s determined to do better in sharing information, but she still continues to confuse and frustrate her team. She’s definitely showing a softer side as she deals with 2 teens in a care home, and her possibly finding a new friend who shares the same horror at the system that profits off these children was a lovely addition by the author to illustrate Vera’s loneliness she hides under a tough exterior. The new addition to her team, Rosie, a brash, outspoken younger woman who wants to prove herself to Vera is a great addition, she’s not afraid to ask questions, she’s somewhat like her boss, it will be interesting to see how their relationship will play out in future books. You’ll enjoy the book if you like mysteries that make you think, and address issues like child welfare, and the worth of an any child, no matter how troubled. It’s wonderfully atmospheric, you can see the cold, damp care home out on an old coal loading area, the darkness and chaos of the Witch Hunt, and the village with it’s struggling farmers and holiday home owners living side by side.
Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for an advance copy, I highly recommend it!

This was my first Vera Stanhope novel and my first time reading a book by Ann Cleeves. I enjoyed the story and I feel like this is a solid detective novel. The setting was interesting and I enjoyed the imagery of the Witch Hunt. I wasn't as invested in the main characters as I would have liked, but I think this is mostly due to not having read any of the previous books in the series. I think if I had been with these characters through the first 10 books, I would be much more invested. The end was wrapped up nicely. My biggest complaint is that a lot of the detective work seemed to happen off the page and then the pieces were given to us at the end. I would have liked a bit more of the pieces to be given to us throughout the story instead of just spelled out at the end.

I love reading Ann Cleeves because I'm never disappointed. She writes such wonderful, atmospheric settings that I feel as if I'm in the book along with the characters. The Dark Wives immediately drew me into the story. Vera and her team have a new member after the death of one of their own, and she's thrown into a complex investigation right off. A volunteer at a teen group home is murdered and a girl is missing. The case becomes more and more confusing as the investigation moves forward.

I found the way Cleeves dealt with the issue of privately run group homes fascinating. Since I'm in the US, I'm not extremely familiar with this concept (though I do watch a lot of British TV...yes, Vera!). In this case, the group home had a lot of corruption at the top level which made me feel so badly for the group home workers. They can only do so much with the funds allotted by the top dogs who are making all of the money. (I could really rage on about this topic, but I know not all corporations are corrupt. It's just easy to see them this way, and in this case it applies!)

As usual, the characters are well-developed, and I loved the way we get to "know" the missing girl through diary entries and the observations of others. The characters are unique which make them memorable.

I highly recommend The Dark Wives for its atmospheric settings, well-written characters, and for the way the mystery played out over the course of the novel.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Still feeling guilty that her DC Holly Clarke died in her last case, Vera now needs to investigate a new case. A temporary worker in a privately owned home for troubled teen is dead and a fourteen-year-old girl from the home Chloe is missing. After reading Chloe's diary and knowing that she had a crush on Josh, Vera is worried that Chloe is in danger, but DS Joe Ashworth isn't so sure. Joe also isn't so sure about the city-bred new DC Rosie Bell. The team will have to cover a lot of ground and interview a lot of witnesses to find the culprit. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love this mystery series. The books keeping me guessing until the end. I also like how this book surprised me about the culprit and the motive. The addition of Rosie adds to the story.

Fourteen year old Chloe is living at Rosebank Home for teenage kids without proper family. Her father has left, and her mother is hospitalized. She has made friends with a young man Josh Woodburn, who has recently begun working at Rosebank. And then, one morning she finds Josh murdered, and she disappears. Vera and her team of Joe and Rose are assigned to the case. Josh's family is well to do, and he has possibly been working to impress his girlfriend. It's unclear whether Chloe has disappeared because she is guilty of killing Josh, or whether she is afraid of the killer. When a second body is found ( a young man who had been living at Rosebank) in Gilstead up in the country,
Vera knows she must find Chloe. There is a very exciting end of the book as Gilstead holds it's annual witch hunt in the dark night, and there are crowds of poeple and Vera and her team that know that both the killer and Chloe are somewhere in the crowd.

I thank Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC allowing me to read the book before publication.

Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope is investigating the death of a young man outside a care home for adolescents. She also has to search for a missing fourteen year old girl who may be a witness. There's a new person in investigating team named Rosie Bell who is finding her footing as a new team member. How will Vera deal with this? Can they find the missing girl too? Find out in The Dark Wives.

I want to thank Minotaur Books for this ARC via Netgalley.

Cleeves' deft talent with plot is fully on display here in Vera's latest outing. The characters were so compelling that I did wish we spent more time developing them. The mythology behind the standing stones was likewise fascinating, but only a brief portion of the novel. It's a great thing to leave your audiences wanting more.

This advanced reader's copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Cleeves is an excellent writer. All of her books that I have read have been engrossing, well plotted, with good character development. Her atmospheric, descriptive, detailed language draws the reader into the scenes. I did like the new addition to the team, Rosie Bell. She is also quite the character! Although the main players’ stories progress with successive books, each one can be read as a stand alone.

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves is the 11th in the Vera Stanhope series. Each one builds on the last, but you don't need to read them in order to enjoy them. I'm so glad to have another Vera Stanhope mystery. The series with Brenda Blethyn is excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy.

I always am excited when a new novel featuring Vera Stanhope is published. The Dark Wives is classic Ann Cleeves and I think that the author’s fans will be delighted with this book. Any new reader could start here but I think that they will then want to go back to read all of the other titles. (Note too that there is a TV series featuring Vera).

IMPORTANT: Anyone who did not read the last book but is a fan of the series should know that there is a spoiler about Holly. I do not give that away below .

A care home for adolescents who are unable to live elsewhere features in the story. Four young people live there in a place that is profit making. Nonetheless, there are some who seems to care about their charges. A per diem worker named Josh was seemingly well liked and yet he is murdered early in the story. At the same time, Chloe, one of the teens and someone who had a crush on Josh, has gone missing. So…the plot begins.

What led Josh to take this job? Does it tie in to his feelings for an old girlfriend? To his interest in the arts? To something else? What leads to a second murder?There is a lot for Vera and her team, including newbie Rosie, to sort through.

Just a few of the things that I liked about this book were: the settings, the number of characters and their connections, the plot and the concern of the author for young persons in need. This is an atmospheric story that kept me wanting to read more. It is easy to recommend this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.