Reviewed by Wendy Lipke
Ann Cleeves OBE is a British mystery crime writer. She wrote the Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez, and Matthew Venn series, all three of which have been adapted into TV shows. In 2006, she won the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for her novel Raven Black, the first novel in the Jimmy Perez series.
Her latest novel in the Vera Stanhope series, The Dark Wives, will be the last time viewers see this investigator on the TV because the cherished crime drama, Vera, comes to an end after 14 years. The ITV star, 78-year-old Brenda Blethyn will hang up DCI Vera Stanhope’s infamous trench coat and hat following the filming of series 14. The final Vera will consist of two feature length episodes, based on Ann Cleeves’ latest book The Dark Wives. This TV program is not expected to air before 2025 and that is probably in the UK.
Knowing this information as I began reading Ann Cleeves’ book, had me wondering how this story might end and if all the investigators would survive. I had to wait till I had finished reading to find out.
In this eleventh novel of the series, DCI Vera Stanhope is the first of the police on the scene when a body is discovered not far from a care home for troubled teens. A fourteen-year-old girl also appears to have gone missing leaving behind her personal diary. The victim was a young university student who was working part-time at the home. The missing girl is Chloe Spence who has been staying in the home while her mother is in hospital. Her father had left years earlier and is no longer interested in the family.
Some of Vera’s colleagues will be familiar to readers. However, a previous member had lost her life, and a new girl has arrived. Rosie Bell is a bit of a party girl and is determined to prove that she would be a better detective than the girl she was replacing (54). Also in this mix is the Police and Crime Commissioner, Katherine Willmore. Private Care Homes had become a news item, and this drew attention to Willmore’s role and her reputation.
Throughout the story the reader becomes aware of the personalities of the members of Vera’s team, especially those who work closest with her. Although they respect Vera, they often feel that she treats them as young children, that she is very often impatient and lacking in caution. Yet they also know that she is usually right in the direction she takes the investigation. Vera, for her part is trying to be more communicative, more collaborative especially since the recent death of one of their team.
Three locations of interest begin to materialise as the investigation proceeds but at first the connection between them is less obvious. One area is out in the English countryside near The Dark Wives – standing stones and Northumberland’s answer to Stonehenge (135). Legend had it that three uppity women had been turned into stone for nagging their husbands. When another body is found nearby the investigation takes the team to this location. Searching for a missing girl and a suspected killer during a witch hunt celebration, at night in the wilds of the countryside, was not what Rosie had envisaged her new posting would entail especially when Vera was not sharing her thought processes.
Like in all good detective stories, the reader has no idea who the killer is, or the motive behind their actions until the end of the book. There is much to interest the reader in this story through the investigation process, the various personalities, the setting and issues affecting society today. This story encompasses a lot, but at the same time the various aspects fit together neatly. There are ecowarriors, goths, witches, disturbed children, overworked employees, broken families and those who exploit others for their own gratification.
The story also highlights the fact that Vera is now advancing in age. When considering how a young girl might travel from place to place without being seen, she wonders whether young people still hitch a ride anymore (238). However, acknowledging her skills at being able to solve her cases in a timely fashion she is said to be as solid as one of the standing stones, with the attributes of a hunting dog – patient, sniffing out the scent of its prey (338).
This book has been dedicated to teens everywhere, and especially to the Dark Wives – strong young women with minds of their own, struggling to find a place in a difficult world. This story was triggered by an investigative piece about private children’s homes aired on BBC radio. However, the author emphasises that this work is entirely fictitious.
I look forward to seeing this story on the TV.
The Dark Wives
(2024)
by Ann Cleeves
Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 978-152907-775-9
$34.99; 384pp