The Darkest Evening

THE DARKEST EVENING
Ann Cleeves
Pan Macmillan

REVIEWED BY GEOFF ADAMS

This book deservedly became an instant New York Times bestseller, published 21 years since the author's first novel The Crow Trap.  Cleeves' detective with the trademark floppy hat and big floating coat became a hit as Vera on television. It was first broadcast in Britain in May 2011, and to date, 10 series have aired, the latest making its debut in January this year.

Anyone enjoying Cleeves' books or the TV series named after the fictional Vera Stanhope (well portrayed by Brenda Blethyn) should read this book. It is a thriller with classic ingredients: an old Northumberland country house, snowy night, and a dead body. The plot has an eerie, gothic feel like a murder mystery from Agatha Christie in the golden age of crime fiction.

This is the 10th book in the series. Readers are guaranteed to enjoy the puzzles woven in the plot. Set in modern times, it begins with Vera finding a young baby alive, left in a car with its door open, abandoned in the snow. Then she discovers the nearest house is Brockburn, a grand old mansion needing repairs where a house party is in progress. The Stanhopes own the property and surrounding farms - Vera's father grew up in the mansion but he became estranged from that branch of his family.

The story thickens in many ways as Vera puts a lot of mileage on her battered Land Rover, chasing leads and people, and deploying her staff of detectives.

Readers will enjoy being bamboozled, even though Vera seems to be showing her age - will she retire from the force like other favourite sleuths (Harry Bosch and John Rebus)? It is an idea that Cleeves may entertain.

In the meantime The Darkest Evening skilfully shows a dedicated Vera solving the complex mystery, while portraying a small community, the many faces of families and dysfunctional nature of some, along with a strong whiff of feudalism.

A complex but very entertaining tale.

Geoff Adams is a former ODT editor