The Seagull: Ann Cleeves (Vera Stanhope)

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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 part in his downfall. The Seagull” is such a good book. Beyond the excellent plot, what one really cares about is Vera and her team. The Seagull is the name of a night club that never existed. In my head, it was an art deco palace, sleek and curved like a luxury liner. There are still a few deco houses on the road that leads to St Mary's Island and perhaps they triggered my imagination. The lighthouse at St Mary's no longer guides ships into the Tyne, but it's a symbol of the place and it too plays a major part in the story. Cleeves offers up evocative settings and flawed characters with depth, making her mysteries wonderfully addictive. Her latest is no exception.”— Library Journal (starred) on Harbour Street 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

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.Readers will enjoy Vera's relentless quest for the truth in this astutely observed, atmospheric crime novel."

This team is its own—thankfully law-abiding—Gang of Four, with never married, childless Vera as their imperious if not anxiety-free mother figure. As they wait for the forensic investigators to finish working on Robbie’s grave, she reflects on her team: I also liked the way we got to know Joe more – his struggles at home with a new family and Holly too. A great cast of characters which bounce off each other with ease. The camaraderie is great too and the banter as strong as northern builder’s tea. 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.As a former theatre professional, I spent far too much time thinking of parallels between this book— Ann Cleeves’s 8th DI Vera Stanhope mystery—and the Chekhov play of the same name. Yes, almost all the violence happens off-stage—or at least outside of the continuous present-day narrative—and yes, there are tangles of interpersonal narratives loosely grouped together in fours. But the main things the two works of fiction have in common are the themes of guilt, obsessive love, and parenting at a remove, whether physical or emotional. I've been watching the series Vera on PBS for a while and enjoying Brenda Blethyn's performance as the title character, so I am pleased to have had the opportunity to read a book from the series (my first) through NetGalley. I notice some subtle changes between the two mediums but otherwise an excellent carryover of the essence and integrity of characters and stories. This latest of stories has not yet been televised in the U.S. but comes just after the most current televised outing. It involves former detective superintendent John Brace, now a prison inmate due to a conviction for corruption. Now he and Vera are to become entangled again. I loved The Seagull — quite simply it reminds me why Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers! - Louise Penny 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. The Segull" follows Vera after she's forced to go and talk to inmates concerning the crimes they did and the impact on victims. One of the inmates is a former officer, John Brace, who knew Vera as a child. The two of them have long-standing ties since Brace was friends and ran around with Vera's deceased father Hector. The gang of four (made me think of the Christie novel) included Brace, Hector, a man named the Prof (who no one ever met/saw in real life it seems) and a 40ish year old man named Robbie Marshall. When Brace demands that Vera look in on his daughter and her children in exchange for the location of Robbie Marshall's dead body (Marshall disappeared more than 20 years earlier) she looks into the particulars of Marshall's disappearance in the 90s and the people that moved in his circle.

One of my favorites (so far) of Ann Cleeve's Vera series. Of course, I think I may say that after I finish reading almost every one of them. For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival's first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries.

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Well this takes Vera to a whole new level. She’ s just as curmudgeonly, still annoying Joe but there is a new side to her here, a vulnerable one and this time the reader gets to know her that little bit more. 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. 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." When prison inmate and former police officer John Brace says he’s willing to give up information about the location of a dead body in return for protection for his family, Vera knows that she has to look into his claims. 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.”