Ten long years after a murder and a suicide shocked the village of Elvet, new evidence comes to light that proves the innocence of the woman accused of the murder. Vera is genuine and astute, lacking in airs and graces and is often intrusive and tactless, but she also represents a brand of detective that the reader can identify with. Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope is tasked with uncovering the truth and, as her new inquiries stoke up past secrets the villagers will lie to protect, she must find out which lies will bring her to the killer.

My first introduction to Vera Stanhope is the second installment of the self titled series where Vera finds herself in Northumbria investigating a case that may have sent the wrong person to jail ten years earlier.And in the end, those dots led to the doorstep of a killer that may have surprised both Vera and this reader. Fast paced with enough twists and turns to keep me hooked with a cast of very intriguing characters. In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. A big thank-you to Ann Cleeves, Macmillan UK Audio, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.

When I finished the series, I realized that I DID want to give the books a try [I had read the first one, which is what led me to the TV show] and so I dove in.Emma's parents, who moved Emma and her young brother to Elvet from York ten years earlier, are a little strange too.

But the story is also told from other perspectives, those of the town folk proper and this adds a nice touch.Ten years later a witness has come forward who saw her in London on the day of the killing; too late, however, for Jeanie has hanged herself in prison. If The Crow Trap was the perfect teaser for Vera Stanhope, then Telling Tales cements her as one of Britain’s most popular modern detectives. Onschuld is een boek dat redelijk traag op gang kwam en waar zeer uitgebreide beschrijvingen van de verdachten aan bod komen. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore.

This second book I’m the series hooked me as the first one did not, and left me more than impressed with Cleves. If it has substance, Vera eeks it out, from attitudes to Keith Mantel, regarded as lacking scruples in business and known for a string of glamorous young girlfriends, to his importance as a local fundraiser. But it was too late now for Jeanie, as she committed suicide in her cell before the witness could verify her story that she had been in London the day the murder took place. Vera’s presence is felt throughout the book, her no nonsense direct approach really fits with the Northern setting.The locals of this small East Yorkshire village will not escape the thorough questioning of Vera as she scrutinizes them closely for anything that may be amiss. Excellently written and thought out in each detail with the characters playing their parts on the surface and uncovering their darker sides beneath.