The Seagull: Ann Cleeves (Vera Stanhope)

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From the inside, Vera is somewhat self-hating, but she also possesses an endearing “what the hell” attitude. It’s a delight to watch her exceed people’s expectations and to watch as the tiny details she notices add up to the big revelation.”— Booklist on The Moth Catcher Fans of the Vera Stanhope novels already available in the U.S., as well as the TV series Vera, will welcome Cleeves’s intricate series opener. The Columbo-esque Vera, who hides a fierce intelligence and razor sharp instincts under garish clothing, uses every tool at her disposal to solve the crime."— Publishers Weekly on The Crow Trap In a case that’s often too close to home, Vera must uncover a web of secrets and corruption to understand the circumstances that led to both murders. The Seagull is the eighth book in Ann Cleeves’s Vera Stanhope series – which is now a major ITV detective drama starring Brenda Blethyn as Vera. With DI Vera Stanhope’s curiosity piqued and at something of a loss without a murder investigation to get her teeth into, her very own ‘gang of four’ (DS Joe Ashworth, DC Holly Clarke and reliable old-timer Charlie) find themselves occupied chasing down dead ends and decades old testimonies, on what Joe thinks is one of Vera’s whims! However, a visit to Brace’s daughter and single mother of three, Patty Keane, sets the wheels in motion for Vera’s endeavours, but crafty Vera knows better than to trust a word out of Brace’s mouth. When the supposed location of Marshall’s bones, a culvert of St Mary’s Island in once thriving Whitley Bay, turns up enough bones for two skeletons Vera marches in to Warkworth Prison to demand an audience with Brace. She is never fooled for a minute by his denial that he knew nothing about the second body in the culvert, and suspects an ulterior motive lies behind his information exchange.

One club stood out from those days, The Seagull. It was for adults who had money & style, the rich & famous. On the surface it was a romantic jazz club, but one that contained many secrets. And someone is willing, even after all of this time, to ensure that those secrets are never revealed. Janine Birkett's marvelous narration enhances this riveting mystery... Listeners will appreciate Birkett's handling of the dry humor, particularly Stanhope's. Birkett's portrayal of the strong personality of elderly Mrs. Marshall intensifies the story's conclusion." First Sentence: The woman could see the full sweep of the bay despite the dark and the absence of street lights where she stood. A visit to her local prison brings DI Vera Stanhope face to face with an old enemy: former detective superintendent, and now inmate, John Brace. Brace was convicted of corruption and involvement in the death of a gamekeeper and Vera played a key part in his downfall.

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Those who follow the BBC television series “Vera” and may be disappointed by the departure of some characters, it’s nice to see that Holly and Joe are still here in the books. The description of Vera’s team is done in terms of their relationships to Vera. What is lovely is her understanding of what drives them, each member’s strength and what motivates them. Vera and Joe’s visit to the mother of a missing man is a sad reminder of the pain through which families go without the closure of knowing what happened. Winning. It is Stanhope herself—a homely, overweight spinster with blotchy skin, a fondness for alcohol, and a toxic personality—who, using intuition and subtle intimidation, brings all the disorganization to an illogical but satisfying conclusion.”— Publishers Weekly on Silent Voices By this stage, we were beginning to lose the thread. Other than a conviction that Sidden’s hard-nose wife Elaine (Clare Higgins) was guilty of something, and that Vera’s dad must have been innocent despite the damning evidence, we didn’t really have a clue what was going on.

The most enjoyable element about this novel was the main character, Vera. I loved Cleeves’ characterisation, particularly Vera’s Yorkshire ways. She refers to many people as “Pet” and I could really picture her character in my head. She breaks all stereotypes of an investigating officer and I enjoyed this uniqueness. I would even go so far as to say that this would be a woman I’d love to meet in real life. Warm, friendly, yet determined – Vera comes across as someone to rely on in a crisis. Vera’s self-awareness is admirable—“then she thought she was making a drama of the situation. She always did.” Yet, to her—“…the law matters. All those little people you despise so much have to abide by it, and so do you. So do I.”

Despite Vera being the focal point of her tight knit team, Cleeves never neglects her supporting cast, with Charlie benefitting from a recent boost of his daughter's return home, pet DS Joe Ashworth becoming more assertive, although still torn between the demands of his wife and ‘other woman’ and DC Holly Clarke starting to shape up quite nicely. Recent instalments to the Vera series have included parts of the narrative as seen from the perspective of both Joe and Holly, and this has proved beneficial in terms of delivering a more well-rounded feel to the series. The Seagull is the eighth book in the Vera Stanhope series, and whether you’re new to the series or a long-standing fan this novel will be sure to please. It is an entertaining, gripping, mysterious tale that emphasizes the enduring psychological effects parents can have on their children even long after they’re gone. Brace now promises Vera information about the disappearance of Robbie Marshall, a notorious wheeler-dealer, but he wants something in return. He has a daughter and grandchildren on the outside who will need protection. Brace then tells Vera about Robbie – he disppeared yes, but now he’s dead and he was the one to bury his body close to St Mary’s Island in Whitley Bay. However, when a search team investigates, officers find not one skeleton, but two. If there’s one complaint we’ve always had about Vera, it’s that we never find out much about the woman herself. Perhaps in The Seagull, the last of the current series, something of her past will finally be revealed. Ann Cleeves is best known as the brainchild behind popular British television series Vera and Shetland, both series are based on her bestselling books on detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez. Cleeves has obvious worldwide appeal and her latest novel, The Seagull, marks her eighth novel in the Vera Stanhope series. The Seagull is a startling crime novel, about the tenuous nature of family relationships and the extortion that is entrenched in the core of a sleepy seaside community.

Brace chats with Vera later. He tells her that he would be willing to give details about the disappearance of a certain bad guy, Robbie Marshall, who may hold the key in this cold case. But Brace leans in on a bargain for this information. He wants Vera to look in on his daughter Patty and her children. Patty is coming undone after her wayward husband left her. Vera has no idea of what is lurking behind this door of negotiations. This mystery, has Vera investigating and old crime, but it soon has new implications. Ties to someone very close to Vera, this outing hits close to home. Just love Vera herself, described as large, a little ungainly and very determined. She thinks herself irreplaceable, and it convinced her team can't handle things without her. She is unassuming, just a regular kind of person, and people just want to talk to her, and she takes full advantage of this natural talent. The other three members of her team are also interesting, varied in age and talents. This is a well written procedural, with another enticing location, Whitely Bay. Cleeves does a fine job of portraying a solid sense of place in her latest novel. The Seagull is a highly atmospheric read and the main location of the novel, a seaside town located on the north-east of Britain, was meticulously portrayed by Cleeves. This strong sense of place is grounded in authenticity, which is drawn from the fact that Cleeves has lived in the location in which the novel is set. In the author’s note at the close of the novel, Cleeves does make it clear that her descriptions of St Mary’s Island and Whitely Bay are in no way meant to denigrate the area. Instead, Cleeves hopes that by basing her new book at these locations it will serve to draw positive attention to the area, as a place to visit and one day restore. It all begins when Vera goes to speak at a prison (against her own wishes) and is asked to meet with a former police officer, John Brace, who was revealed as corrupt and was convicted of being involved in the death of a gamekeeper, an innocent victim (that is "innocent" as in not corrupt or a part of organized crime) who got in the way of Brace's greed. Brace asks Vera to look out for his daughter, the fruit of his liaison with a former sex worker and drug addict who disappeared many years ago. In exchange, he offers information about the long ago disappearance of a man the location of whose body Brace offers to Vera. Vera’s team seem unsure why she wants to reopen a cold case, but when a suspect, Scott Keane, is found dead, they perk up, particularly as his father-in-law is an imprisoned corrupt cop, John Brace (Mark Wingett, best known as DC Jim Carver from The Bill).Vera opens up to Aiden about her concerns, while Donahue finds another skeleton in the drain – it proves not to be Mary, but another club girl, the under-age Rebecca. Was Rebecca a witness to Marshburn’s murder, and had Scott Keane been asking awkward questions about the past events? Chillingly brilliant with a sense of menace and foreboding which really brought Vera to the forefront and gave me a thrilling new insight into the lady of the mac and hat. Her father is seemingly involved with her latest case and when she visits one of his associates in prison, finds a body and then is asked to look out for someone on the outside, Vera finds herself walking a very fine line. I’ve never found her vulnerable yet still with that frown and those vinegar laced comments. Vera is fearful of facing the past and with the way the present day case pans out, I’m not surprised. Bodies at St Mary’s Light house, a dodge club at Whitley Bay – this is her most personal case yet.

The dome of the Spanish city still shines bright over the town and it’s apparently going to be an art gallery in the future. The aroma of the best fish and chips in town still lingers and there might not be The Seagull but there are plenty of the chip stealing , dive-bombing variety so hold on to your hats on your booktrail!I loved The Seagull - quite simply it reminds me why Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers! I relish learning more about Vera with each book, and The Seagull provides fresh insight into one of our most complex and lovable sleuths."