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I'm not sure where I've been for the last twenty years. Ann Cleeves published the first Vera Stanhope mystery, The Crow Trap, in 1999. The television shows based on this series began in 2011, and I missed all of them. I did read a number of books in the Shetland series, as well as seeing some of the television episodes and I am an enormous fan of Jimmy Perez, the police inspector who is the main character. I've also read The Long Call, which was published last year. It introduces Detective Matthew Venn, and it is well worth a separate post of its own. But somehow I missed my introduction to Vera Stanhope.
Thanks to my friends at Net Galley, I received a copy of the Darkest Evening and literally read most of Saturday and then finished the book on Sunday. I can't remember when I've read a book virtually non-stop and didn't commit the crime of skipping to the end. In The Darkest Evening Vera returns to her extended family's estate and the countryside surrounding it. A young woman is found dead in the snow and as the investigation of her murder proceeds we meet most of the village and discover many not-so-well hidden secrets.
I particularly enjoyed getting to know Vera Stanhope and learning her story. Vera is an eccentric workaholic Detective Inspector and we come to understand how Vera entered police work and the source of her personality. I am now totally engaged in the series and look forward to catching up on the books that I've missed. I generally wouldn't start with the most recent in a series, but better late than never. I'm very pleased to share The Darkest Evening today, which is its publication day in the United States.
If you're interested in learning more about Ann Cleeves, please visit the link for The Long Call above. It links to a very interesting interview with Lori Rader-Day in the Chicago Review of Books.
I appreciate the comments over the last few months asking about my welfare and I hope I've properly responded to all of them. I've been well -- thankfully -- and cozy, especially during the worst months of March through May. Honestly, I've been lonely, like so many others, and all the Zooms and virtual tours on the internet don't make up for spending time with friends and family. I hope you're all well, cozy and reading.
As ever, thanks for visiting and wishing you many happy hours of mysteries.
