The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves
A LOCAL MYTH. A DEADLY THREAT.
Vera Stanhope returns in the eleventh formidable novel in Ann Cleeves’ acclaimed series
The man’s body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker on the common outside Rosebank, a care home for troubled teens. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous night but never showed up.
DCI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death. Her only clue is the disappearance of one of the home’s residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. Vera can’t bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can’t dismiss the possibility.
Vera, Joe and new team member Rosie Bell are soon embroiled in the case, and when a second connected body is found near the Three Dark Wives standing stones in the wilds of the Northumbrian countryside, superstition and folklore begin to collide with fact.
Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, but it seems that the dark secrets in their community may be far more dangerous than she could ever have believed possible.
About the author
ANN CLEEVES is the author of 37 critically acclaimed novels, an international bestseller translated into over 20 languages worldwide. In 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television in ITV’s Vera, BBC One’s Shetland and ITV's The Long Call respectively. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide.
Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of ‘Murder Squad’, working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. Ann also spends her time advocating for reading to improve health and wellbeing and supporting access to books. In 2021 her Reading for Wellbeing project launched with local authorities across the North East, and in 2022 she was awarded an OBE for her services to reading and libraries. The Dark Wives, is her 11th Vera novel. She lives in Northumberland where the Vera books are set. You can find Ann on Twitter and Facebook @AnnCleeves.
Review
‘The Dark Wives’ is packed full of atmosphere as darkness spreads over the pages as the story progresses and the narrative really does pull at the heartstrings. This is the 11th book in the Vera series but it can be read as a standalone quite easily. Somehow, I managed to miss the last book which I will be going back to read as I need to find out what happened to Holly! The reverberations of that carries into this book as Vera and Joe try to come to terms with it all, however, if you are a numpty like me and didn't read it you easily pick up all the salient points. This is a marvellous series and I thoroughly recommend it!
When the body of a young man is found on the common in front of the Rosebank care home, Vera and the team are called in to investigate. The victim is called Josh and is a worker at the home. When it is discovered that a resident - 14-year-old Chloe is missing from the home, Vera is loathed to think that she might be murdered. She is treating her as a witness but first, she must find her. When another body is found up in a remote village near the standing stones ‘Three Dark Wives’ Vera is under a lot of pressure to solve the case.
This was another brilliant read and it really drills down into some of the economic and social pressures that exist in the North East. Especially, in already deprived areas. Care homes are under a lot of pressure both to find places for the kids but also in how to provide for them both psychically and mentally. A friend of mine works in this ‘industry’ and some of the stories she tells me are horrific but thankfully her work seems to be the exact opposite of Rosebank. Kids find themselves in care for numerous reasons and they can't all be written off as bad uns.
Vera is the same as always but maybe a tad more reflective. We see a new member join the team, Rosie, who is the exact opposite of Holly and I think that is a good thing. Vera is heartfelt and I have always loved that about her and her empathy is definitely on show in this book. Vera is a character I would happily read about for eternity! This was a brilliant addition to the series and I am already looking forward to the next book.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
