Description

DCI Vera Stanhope returns in The Darkest Evening, the ninth novel in Sunday Times bestseller Ann Cleeves’ enduringly popular series.

Driving home during a swirling blizzard, Vera Stanhope’s only thought is to get there quickly.

But the snow is so heavy, she becomes disoriented and loses her way. Ploughing on, she sees a car slewed off the road ahead of her. With the driver’s door open, Vera assumes the driver has sought shelter but when she inspects the car she is shocked to find a young toddler strapped in the back seat.

Afraid they will freeze, Vera takes the child and drives on, arriving at Brockburn, a run-down stately home she immediately recognizes as the house her father Hector grew up in.

Inside Brockburn a party is in full swing, with music and laughter to herald the coming Christmas. But outside in the snow, a young woman lies dead and Vera knows immediately she has a new case. Could this woman be the child’s mother, and if so, what happened to her?

A classic country house mystery with a contemporary twist, Ann Cleeves returns with a brilliant Vera novel to savour.

Publisher Review

One of Britain's best crime writers * Daily Express * Nobody does unsettling undercurrents better than Ann Cleeves -- Val McDermid This ninth instalment will keep you guessing until the end * My Weekly * Superb . . . This page-turner is must reading for fans as well as newcomers -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Cleeves has a fine time constructing a clockwork murder plot * Booklist * Fans will enjoy matching wits with Cleeves' eccentric sleuth right up to the dangerous surprise in her denouement * Kirkus Reviews * Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers! -- Louise Penny A gripping read * Sun * Brilliantly written, with more twists and turns you can shake one of Vera's hats at * Heat * Who doesn't love "large and shabby" Vera Stanhope, the blunt detective in Ann Cleeves's Northumberland police procedurals? She is already one of the genre immortals. Cleeves delivers some choice Vera moments in THE DARKEST EVENING * New York Times * Cleeves's Northumberland novels are strong on atmosphere, combining old-fashioned detective work with a modern take on class * Sunday Times * A thoroughly engrossing thriller * Mail on Sunday *