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The Darkest Evening: A Vera Stanhope Novel

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AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

From Ann Cleeves--New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows--comes the stunning new Vera Stanhope novel, The Darkest Evening.

Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers.--Louise Penny

As a huge fan of both the Shetland and Vera series of books, I had high expectations for Cleeves' latest. . . . A stunning debut for Cleeves' latest crimefighter.--David Baldacci on The Long Call

On the first snowy night of winter, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope sets off for her home in the hills. Though the road is familiar, she misses a turning and soon becomes lost and disorientated. A car has skidded off the narrow road in front of her, its door left open, and she stops to help. There is no driver to be seen, so Vera assumes that the owner has gone to find help. But a cry calls her back: a toddler is strapped in the back seat.

Vera takes the child and, driving on, she arrives at a place she knows well. Brockburn is a large, grand house in the wilds of Northumberland, now a little shabby and run down. It's also where her father, Hector, grew up. Inside, there's a party in full swing: music, Christmas lights and laughter. Outside, unbeknownst to the revelers, a woman lies dead in the snow.

As the blizzard traps the group deep in the freezing Northumberland countryside, Brockburn begins to give up its secrets, and as Vera digs deeper into her investigation, she also begins to uncover her family's complicated past.

Product Details

Price
$27.99  $25.75
Publisher
Minotaur Books
Publish Date
Pages
384
Dimensions
6.3 X 9.5 X 1.3 inches | 1.2 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781250204509

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About the Author

ANN CLEEVES is the multi-million copy bestselling author behind two hit television series--Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall, and Vera, starring Academy Award Nominee Brenda Blethyn--both of which are watched and loved in the United States. Shetland and Vera are available on BritBox in the United States. An adaptation of The Long Call, the first book in her Two Rivers series, will premiere on BritBox in 2022. The first Shetland novel, Raven Black, won the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel, and Ann was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger in 2017. She lives in the United Kingdom.

Reviews

Praise for The Darkest Evening:

Superb . . . This fair-play mystery brims with fully developed suspects and motives that are hidden in plain sight. Skillful misdirection masks the killer's identity. This page-turner is must reading for fans as well as newcomers.--Publishers Weekly (starred)

Fans will enjoy matching wits with Cleeves' eccentric sleuth right up to the dangerous surprise in her denouement.--Kirkus

Cleeves has a fine time constructing a clockwork murder plot... Loneliness plays both sides
of the aisle here, afflicting both Vera and the murderer she hunts.--Booklist

Praise for The Long Call:

Brilliant, thoughtful and deeply engaging.--Sara Paretsky on The Long Call

Cleeves's true strength lies in her descriptions of the natural world, gorgeously captured.--New York Times Book Review

Cleeves' acclaimed Shetland series may be history, but her newest detective--buttoned-up, gay, married, ex-evangelical Matthew Venn--is a righteous successor.--People

The plotting is complex and intriguing, the location comes alive, and the resolution satisfies... fans of Cleeves lamenting the end of the 'Shetland' series will find much to love in her new characters and setting.--Library Journal (starred)

Fans missing detective Jimmy Perez (Wild Fire, 2018, etc.) will find a worthy successor in the equally complex Venn, who presides over an excellent mystery in this series kickoff.--Kirkus

Cleeves makes good use of Devon local color and populates this subtle, expertly paced mystery with distinctive supporting characters.--Publishers Weekly

As usual with this talented author, the key is relationships, and the murder is an occasion to examine them and then, finally, to expose what rips them apart.--Booklist

Cleeves' new series is as nuanced, compassionate and compelling as her bestsellers starring two other gifted cops, Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez.--Seattle Times

Praise for the Vera Stanhope series:

Cleeves offers up evocative settings and flawed characters with depth, making her mysteries wonderfully addictive. Her latest is no exception.--Library Journal (starred)

Engrossing...This nuanced, adroitly paced tale should satisfy both series fans and new readers.--Publishers Weekly

A nice mixture, in the British tradition, of social comedy and detective work. More Vera, please.--Booklist (starred)

It's easy to admire Vera's brainpower...her adventures have been a hit on British television, and readers devoted to Cleeves' tales of Jimmy Perez (Blue Lightning, 2010, etc.) will want to give Vera a try.--Kirkus Reviews
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