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A group of friends meet every 5 years on Holy Island to celebrate their friendship forged fifty years ago. One of the friends is found dead after an apparent suicide but DI Vera Stanhope believes it was murder…

The Rising Tide is the 10th book to feature DI Vera Stanhope. It is the first book in the series that I have read, although I have watched all of the TV episodes.

Vera is a fab lead detective and woman. She is intuitive and usually proved right. Her relationship with her sergeant shows her maternal side but also smacks of favouritism which shows she is vulnerable to flaws. Her dress sense and attitiude to food is abysmally sloppy which leads others to misjudge and underestimate her. She has an innate confidence in her own abilities and champions the truth.

This murder case is set on a island so the atmosphere is quite claustophobic. There are a limited number of suspects and none with any apparent motive. Vera starts to unpick the relationships between the friends and incidents in the past that may have a bearing on the case.

I enjoyed the character development, especially of the police even though they are an established team and this is a series. The rivalry between Joe and Holly as well as the home life elements make the characters more realistic. But it is really Vera’s character that shines and creates the opportunities for us to view the others through her relationships with them (both police and suspects).

The Rising Tide is an entertaining police thriller and I hope to read the earlier books shortly as well as wait for this to be adapted for TV.

THE RISING TIDE
Published 1st September 2022, Pan Macmillan, priced £20 H/B

‘One of the best natural writers of detective fiction’ SUNDAY EXPRESS

Ann Cleeves returns with the TENTH in her acclaimed Vera Stanhope series, in which a school reunion turns deadly as the tide rises on Northumbria’s Holy Island.

Fifty years ago, a group of teenagers spent a weekend on Holy Island, forging a bond that has lasted a lifetime. Now, they still return every five years to celebrate their friendship, and remember the friend they lost to the rising waters of the causeway at the first reunion.

Now, when one of them is found hanged, Vera is called in. Learning that the dead man had recently been fired after misconduct allegations, Vera knows she must discover what the friends are hiding, and whether the events of many years before could have led to murder then, and now . . .

But with the tide rising, secrets long-hidden are finding their way to the surface, and Vera and the team may find themselves in more danger than they could have believed possible . . .

‘The best living evoker of landscape’ THE GUARDIAN

‘Cleeves’s Northumberland novels are strong on atmosphere, combining old-fashioned detective work with a modern take on class’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘The master of innuendo, smooth prose and deeply drawn characters’HERALD

ANN CLEEVES is the author of more than thirty-five critically acclaimed novels, and 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. 2022 marks 30 years of publishing with Pan Macmillan.

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. She lives in Northumberland where the Vera books are set. You can find Ann on Twitter and Facebook @AnnCleeves.

THE RISING TIDE is also available in ebook and audio

PRAISE FOR THE DARKEST EVENING & ANN CLEEVES

‘Less country house mystery than a countryside one, as she struggles to unravel the tangled links between taciturn rural folk. A Thoroughly engrossing thriller’ MAIL ON SUNDAY

‘The Darkest Evening is a classic Christmas murder mystery complete with spooky country house, troubled toffs and surly, secretive locals’ RADIO TIMES

‘Brilliantly written with more twists and turns than you can shake one of Vera’s hats at’ HEAT

‘Cleeves is quietly carving out a reputation as the new Queen of Crime’ SUNDAY MIRROR

‘Nobody does unsettling undercurrents better than Ann Cleeves’ VAL MCDERMID

‘Ann Cleeves is a skilful technician…one of the best natural writers of detective fiction’ SUNDAY EXPRESS

‘Cleeves weaves an absorbingly cunning mystery’ DAILY MAIL

‘Everything is told crisply in scenes full of sharply observed detail’ INDEPENDENT

‘A fine writer’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

‘A dark, interesting novel with considerable emotional force behind it’ SPECTATOR

‘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

‘Great sense of place, well-rounded characters and a cracking plot’ WOMAN & HOME

‘A triumph that cements Cleeves’ status as one of Britain’s best crime writers’ DAILY EXPRESS

1952, Mary Kate is in the pits of despair and is ready to take her own life when a letter arrives that changes everything. Suddenly she is catapulted into wealth and decides to open a boarding house with a caring ethos which attracts women in need.

The Irish Boarding House is a novel set in Ireland in the 1950s. The historical and cultural aspects to the plot and characters felt authentic and brought the book to life.

Mary Kate is instantly easy to like. She was abandoned as a baby then gave up her own hopes and dreams to care for her elderly grandparents who had taken her in as a baby. Now alone in the world, she wanders from one boarding house to another, finding no hint of compassion or help. When she comes into an inheritance, Mary Kate is determined that other women should have a safe space to live in peace and comfort.

We meet a whole range of women who have signficant changes in their lives: new jobs, pregnancy, retirement. The personal situations of the various characters are easy to relate to and the emotions are clearly described. Mary Kate’s life is given hope and new meaning as she helps others. The tone is uplifting and warm, perhaps a little saccharine but the overall effect is a lovely book in which women and their friendships are given a voice. It has a really strong message about helping others and the power of kindness and generosity of spirit.

The Irish Boarding House is an engaging and heart warming book to read and lifts the spirits as hope triumphs over adversity.

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Lady Eleanor Swift’s friend Constance is due to get married in a week when her fiance is accused of a breach of contract. Has he acted dishonourably and can Ellie prove his innocence? Her efforts are further hampered by a series of deaths…

Death Down The Aisle is the 11th book in the Lady Eleanor Swift series by Verity Bright. It would work as a stand alone book but I can’t imagine not wanting to read the whole series!

Nope, still not a wedding for Ellie and Hugh! The slowest romance ever? But this book is still full of delicious moments of love, care and respect between the pair that fans of the series like me are desperate to turn into a happy ending.

Of course the most striking relationship in the book is once again that between Ellie and her butler Clifford. He is unflappable, stoic and despairs in a kindly way at his mistress’s behaviour but it is obvious he loves her dearly.

There are a wonderful host of suspects for Eleanor and Clifford to investigate. Class and gender play a crucial role as Eleanor investigates. Ellie defies convention at every turn, often putting herself in danger much to Clifford and Hugh’s dismay. I enjoyed the historical detail which enhances the plot and character development.

Death Down The Aisle is a very enjoyable cosy murder mystery.

The society wedding of the decade has everything: the blushing bride, beautiful flowers… and the groom arrested before he can walk down the aisle? Thank goodness Lady Swift is on the guest list!

Author Bio:

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

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Two teens burn to death after trespassing into a summer house. Was the fire accidental and was the property owner to blame or the target? Henshall and Peters begin to investigate an emotional case which grows in scale as developments shock the community…

One Hot Summer is a police thriller set in Sheffield, England. It is the first book that I have read by this author but won’t be the last!

We are dropped straight into the action as a fire spreads through a summer house. The deaths of the two teens is hugely emotive and the reaction of their families felt authentic. Sadly, these are not the only deaths and the arson attacks escalate rapidly. The whole police team are dedicated and determined to bring the killers to justice.

However, it is the fledgling relationship between Laura and Will that really captured my imagination. They are struggling to negotiate a romance alongside their professional lives but their colleagues are all supportive. I enjoyed seeing their softer sides which contrasted with their steely resolve to catch the killers.

The book is full of action and quite fast paced. I did guess the arson ringleader but this did not spoil my enjoyment of the book. The ending was totally shocking but I’m avoiding spoilers!

One Hot Summer was a gripping police novel and I loved the two main detectives.

One Hot Summer

A city on fire. A killer who can’t be stopped. Who will be next?

When two teenagers are found dead in a fire, DI Laura Henshall and DS Will Peters are called in to investigate. They believe it was a revenge attack gone wrong.

But soon fires are cropping up everywhere, and the police suspect they’re dealing with something much bigger . . . something that could bring the city to its knees.

With time running out, can the detectives find the arsonists before the city goes up in flames?

Purchase Links – https://amzn.to/3QqSkFw

Author Bio –

Anita Waller is the author of many bestselling psychological thrillers and the Kat and Mouse crime series. She lives in Sheffield, which continues to be the setting of many of her thrillers, and was first published by Bloodhound at the age of sixty-nine. Her first book for Boldwood will be published in August 2022.

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