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vwalker3's review against another edition
4.0
Another fantastic Ann Cleeves mystery! The story was, as always, well crafted and perfectly paced. One thing that I love about this series is the emphasis and insight into different characters. In this installment, we learn more about Holly and her internal struggle. This is unexpected, but welcome, as Holly is a somewhat unlivable character and learning about her challenges makes her far more relatable. All in all, another stellar Ann Cleeves novel!
wanderlustsleeping's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
Another solid read in the series. I’m enjoying getting more of Holly’s perspective, and just having her be more equal in the squad.
ncteixeira's review against another edition
slow-paced
4.0
I recently watched the adaptation of this book for the tv series (“Vera”), and I was so impressed by the twists that I decided to read the book.
What I liked about the twists was that each was very well thought out and all believable.
As books tend to be better than the adaptations, I ordered a copy from the library, but as the condition of it was not very good, I purchased a box set of paperbacks containing the first 8 books of this series.
I read the first 3 chapters, and although I was enjoying the writing, I noticed that in every other pages there were derogatory comments about Vera’s weight (in some parts she is described as an ugly woman), which thankfully were not in the tv adaptation.
I do believe that it was done with the intention of showing how underestimated she was, but I think it could have been done in a different way, after all this book was released in 2015, not in the 80’s or even the 90’s, when such remarks were thought to be funny.
Anyways… as I said, I did enjoy the writing, the storyline and its slow (and not so thrilling - that’s why it took me longer than usual to finish this book) development, and the conclusion, hence my ratings.
I loved Vera’s personality and her line of inquiries, and the other characters were well crafted.
The book was well structured and I enjoyed some alternating POV.
I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I will try to set at least one book per month.
Paperback (Pan Books): 370 pages + 16 pages with the 2 first chapters of the next book, “The Seagull”
E-book (Kobo): 105k words, 385 pages (default - including 2 chapters from “The Segull)
reb3cca's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
zoer03's review against another edition
5.0
Another absolute brilliant crime mystery. It’s so good I think I am running out of words to do it justice. All I can say is just get a copy of this series it’s well worth it.
pattiillbee11's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
hjulia5's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
lambsears's review against another edition
3.0
A good murder mystery is perfect distraction on a long flight, which is where I read this.
I usually enjoy Ann Cleeves books and have loved all of the previous Vera Stanhope novels, however this one just didn't do it for me. Vera is a great character but I almost felt that Cleeves was just going through the paces with this book. I really didn't feel engaged at any point of the story and had more or less lost interest by the end - but maybe that was just me.
A bit of a disappointment.
I usually enjoy Ann Cleeves books and have loved all of the previous Vera Stanhope novels, however this one just didn't do it for me. Vera is a great character but I almost felt that Cleeves was just going through the paces with this book. I really didn't feel engaged at any point of the story and had more or less lost interest by the end - but maybe that was just me.
A bit of a disappointment.
abbotsford1234's review against another edition
3.0
Very complex by Vera standards. An aside: Annie should have expected rain when she picked up Lizzie. Any fan of movies like 'The Getaway' would have seen that coming a mile off