It took almost 100 pages before Vera appeared and when she did, the novel took off. During those early 100 pages, I was trying to keep all the many characters that Cleaves introduced straight. The plot is about Jeanie Long, a young woman who has spent 10 years in jail for a murder that now the police know she did not commit. Vera is sent in as an outside police department to investigate the case to see where mistakes were made,

It turns out to be extremely complicated and as she works her way through the evidence and suspects, she finds herself changing her focus from one suspect to another with each new revelation. Lots of fun to read. ( )

I love the Vera series by Ann Cleeves - total addict when on PBS or streaming and have taken to calling people “pet” and eying shapeless floral print dresses, but I hadn’t read the books and I have to say they are a marvel. Crafting a mystery series that keeps the reader guessing, with multiple creepy story lines and interweavings is a huge challenge. In this book, Cleeves juggles several story lines and though I spotted the possible perpetrators early I ended up surprised by the ending.
Atmosphere is big here, too, and Vera’s increasing disgust with the case and the town is palpable, even as she acknowledges the thrill of the chase. I like her character and enjoy the greater view into it the books provide.
On to # 3 in the series- perfect reading for a cold winter’s night. ( )

Knap geschreven, mooie sfeerschepping en boeiende personages. Toch even op het verkeerde been gezet. ( )

(for British readers only) Northumberland and East Yorkshire are not far apart yet Cleeves makes them sound that way. That aside good book. ( )

A young woman sentenced for murder commits suicide, only for her alibi to belatedly emerge. Vera stays in a close-knit village to re investigate.

A solid murder-mystery that kept me guessing to the end. I like down-to-earth Vera, but didn’t feel invested in any of the other characters, but as this is a puzzle, it didn’t matter that much. ( )