A new Vera novel is eagerly anticipated, and it has been two years since the dramatic events of The Rising Tide with its finale that shocked many readers. Those events have had a profound and lasting effect upon Vera. She has taken Holly’s death personally, blaming herself for it, punishing herself with ‘survivor guilt’ and surprisingly for an unreligious woman, the need for penance. This being Vera, she’s not the kind to wallow in self-pity or self-recrimination, she realises she must change the habits of a lifetime, be more open, and less blunt in favour of being more mellow. Still in her dark times or those brief moments of self-doubt Holly is there in spirit, in her thoughts. In this story we see much more of compassionate side of Vera, who is one of the most complex and compelling lead characters in crime fiction. The spectre of her father Hector is never far away, but here she reflects that even though she was an unloved child she never felt unsafe, as she worries about the missing Chloe. Policing never stops though, there is a new member of the team, Rosie Bell who is stepping into Holly’s shoes, though she could never be her replacement. In a characteristic piece of Vera mischievousness, she has taken on a young woman who couldn’t be more different from Holly, someone to keep stable, reliable family man Joe Ashworth on his toes. Rosie is an outgoing woman, with a touch of flamboyance to go with the hair and the fake tan, who loves a night on the town. It helps that she is very much in awe of Vera and was determined to work for her team. She also proves herself as a good cop, with Vera taking a bit of a shine to her, leaving the reader to ponder whether she sees a bit of herself in Rosie or perhaps the woman she could have been where it not for Hector. One of the author’s great strengths is to capture the location and its people in such an evocative way yet retaining the ordinariness of working and country people. In this story the isolation and ruggedness of the open moorland proves vital, with the three standing stones. The superstition and mythology behind the stones provide background and flavour to the tale with witchcraft and the three strong women. It provides echoes within; the missing girl Chloe has her two close confidants Esther and Alice. Then there is Vera, Ma the village publican and Kath the social worker lead are also three strong women who battle against the tide to provide support for their communities. These celebrations of the superstitions of the past can seem silly and trite to sophisticated city folk, but our author is aware they provide the glue that binds small, isolated communities together, so her handling of it could never be less than perfect. The storyline is the search for a missing girl, who hopefully is alive, and a murderer so there is plenty of cat and mouse to the man hunt. The potting is masterful, managing to be tight and compact but set against a sweeping vista of moorland. The question is would be the more open Vera spoilt it, after all fans of the series have come to expect a ‘rabbit out the hat’ from the great lady. Have no fear she gives the team the name of her suspect but not the reader. The search provides some frantic moments and there are plenty of surprises to hold our interest. The principal setting, that of a private children’s home, was prompted by a radio investigation and so is current and important. We are left in no doubt there must be a better way, it’s a shame that there are not more ladies like Kath and Vera. Of course there are lighter moments, I particularly liked the thought that Vera had never worn high heels, and there is the usual city versus country and old versus new ways woven in. All of this is nicely judged so as not to detract from the seriousness of the message. The Dark Wives is another piece of masterful story telling from an author who is an acute observer of what is around her.

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves sees the very welcome return of indomitable,and self-proclaimed "old bag", Vera Stanhope. When the body of a young staff member is found not far from Rosebank,a Northumbrian care home for troubled teenagers, it coincides with the disappearance of resident 14 year-old Chloe. With no sign of the girl another body is found near the iconic Dark Wives group of standing stones. Vera is sure that Chloe has nothing to do with the deaths despite her links with the deceased and the areas they've been found in. She is however seemingly determined not to be found despite the best efforts of Vera and team members Joe and Rosie,a glamorous replacement for the late,lamented Holly. The great thing about the Vera books is the characterisation,not just the main characters but most of the lesser ones are many-faceted and not always as they first appear. There's a lot of social comment on the privatisation of care homes,a subject Ann Cleeves obviously is passionate about, but it never becomes preachy, teenage friendship , a touch of folklore and an ancient tradition play a part as well.

I’m a great fan of all the Vera books and was excited to buy a signed copy of this one which didn’t disappoint at all. I’d highly recommend it to anyone.

This is the latest ‘Vera’ novel and it didn’t disappoint. A body is found outside a care home for troubled teenagers and Vera is called to investigate. The victim is Josh, who works at the home. At the same time, Chloe, a resident, also disappears and then another body is found at the standing stones known as The Dark Wives. All this happens at the time of year when a local witches festival takes place, and Vera knows she urgently needs to find Chloe. I found the book unputdownable! Vera is her usual self and there’s the usual cast of characters plus some new ones, who are just as interesting. But most importantly for me, Ann Cleeves is back on form. This is a great story that’s well-paced, with descriptions so vivid you can see the locations in your mind’s eye. It is just so much better than the last book Ann Cleeves published about Matthew Venn in Devon. Vera gets 5 Stars. Norfolk Gal, Oundle Crime

The Vera series just gets better and better. A great story with many twists and turns. I love Vera and her interactions with the team and also how she is trying hard in this book to be more open with her colleagues. Great ending.