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The Seagull: Ann Cleeves (Vera Stanhope)

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The most enjoyable element about this novel was the main character, Vera. I loved Cleeves’ characterisation, particularly Vera’s Yorkshire ways. She refers to many people as “Pet” and I could really picture her character in my head. She breaks all stereotypes of an investigating officer and I enjoyed this uniqueness. I would even go so far as to say that this would be a woman I’d love to meet in real life. Warm, friendly, yet determined – Vera comes across as someone to rely on in a crisis. Despite Vera being the focal point of her tight knit team, Cleeves never neglects her supporting cast, with Charlie benefitting from a recent boost of his daughter's return home, pet DS Joe Ashworth becoming more assertive, although still torn between the demands of his wife and ‘other woman’ and DC Holly Clarke starting to shape up quite nicely. Recent instalments to the Vera series have included parts of the narrative as seen from the perspective of both Joe and Holly, and this has proved beneficial in terms of delivering a more well-rounded feel to the series. Now, Brace promises Vera information about the disappearance of Robbie Marshall, a notorious wheeler-dealer who disappeared in the mid-nineties, if she will look out for his daughter and grandchildren. He tells her that Marshall is dead, and that his body is buried close to St Mary’s Island in Whitley Bay. However, when a search team investigates, officers find not one skeleton, but two. Brace promises Vera information about the disappearance of Robbie Marshall, a notorious wheeler-dealer, if she will look out for his daughter and grandchildren. He tells her that Marshall is dead, his body is buried close to St Mary's Island in Whitley Bay. However, when a search team investigates, officers find not one skeleton, but two.

The Seagull is the eighth book in Ann Cleeves’s Vera Stanhope series – which is now a major ITV detective drama starring Brenda Blethyn as Vera.This mystery, has Vera investigating and old crime, but it soon has new implications. Ties to someone very close to Vera, this outing hits close to home. Just love Vera herself, described as large, a little ungainly and very determined. She thinks herself irreplaceable, and it convinced her team can't handle things without her. She is unassuming, just a regular kind of person, and people just want to talk to her, and she takes full advantage of this natural talent. The other three members of her team are also interesting, varied in age and talents. This is a well written procedural, with another enticing location, Whitely Bay. This is the eighth book in Cleeves’ Vera Stanhope series; my book group was reading it, which is why I didn’t start with the first Vera book (though this feels like the sort of series where the individual novels can stand alone). It is the basis for a popular TV adaptation featuring Brenda Blethyn, who has described Vera as “big, fat and ugly.” The inspector’s appearance is frequently commented upon, to the point where I felt it got a little excessive; one of her underlings notices her Velcro-strapped sandals, which reveal her “filthy” feet: “[he] felt a moment of revulsion.” It all begins when Vera goes to speak at a prison (against her own wishes) and is asked to meet with a former police officer, John Brace, who was revealed as corrupt and was convicted of being involved in the death of a gamekeeper, an innocent victim (that is "innocent" as in not corrupt or a part of organized crime) who got in the way of Brace's greed. Brace asks Vera to look out for his daughter, the fruit of his liaison with a former sex worker and drug addict who disappeared many years ago. In exchange, he offers information about the long ago disappearance of a man the location of whose body Brace offers to Vera. From Ann Cleeves— New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—comes The Seagull.

It would be foolish to discount Vera because she doesn't dress smartly--she can outfox even the wiliest of criminals, while wearing whatever she pleases, and readers will delight in getting the chance to see how such a quirky character evolved."— Library Journal on The Crow Trap The Seagull is a searing novel about corruption deep in the heart of a community, and about fragile, and fracturing, family relationships. Chillingly brilliant with a sense of menace and foreboding which really brought Vera to the forefront and gave me a thrilling new insight into the lady of the mac and hat. Vera is one of those detectives who is married to her job, which she does exceptionally well. In The Seagull, she is dealing with a cold case involving the discovery of two dead bodies which had remained hidden since the 1990s. One is identified right away, but the other is a mystery. Vera must consult a man in prison, John Brace, for information about the crime; Brace was a bent cop who was close friends with Vera’s late father, who frequently associated with shady figures, a group “held together by loyalty and shared secrets, that strange kind of male friendship that seemed more important to those involved than either marriage or family.” I loved The Seagull - quite simply it reminds me why Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers! I relish learning more about Vera with each book, and The Seagull provides fresh insight into one of our most complex and lovable sleuths."

As Vera’s past collides dangerously with the present, she will have to confront her unwanted memories and face the possibility that her father was involved in what happened. The truth is about to come out, but is Vera ready for what it will reveal? I loved The Seagull — quite simply it reminds me why Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers! - Louise Penny This book brings Vera face to face with her own past: her father Hector who was a member of the gang of four. She knows he engaged in criminal activities but now the question is: how far did he go? Was he capable of murder? And who is the mysterious fourth member of this gang, the Professor? Vera must search her own memories, long pushed aside as she tried to move past her painful youth to create a life of her own. 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.” 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.

I went into reading The Seagull with a certain degree of trepidation. It is always risky reading a book that is part of an established series. The Seagull is my introduction to the work of renowned British crime author Ann Cleeves. Although I have heard of the successful Vera and Shetland television series, I also haven’t watched any episodes of these popular adaptations. So I went into reading The Seagull with fresh eyes. I am glad I took a chance on reading The Seagull and on the work of Ann Cleeves, as I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I believe this was down to the command Ann Cleeves has of her characters, setting and plot. I also found Cleeves has an easy writing style that immediately drew me into the unfolding events of this solid British crime novel. By this stage, we were beginning to lose the thread. Other than a conviction that Sidden’s hard-nose wife Elaine (Clare Higgins) was guilty of something, and that Vera’s dad must have been innocent despite the damning evidence, we didn’t really have a clue what was going on. I adore Vera, who is something of a cross between Miss Marple and Columbo, but unlike that pair we know her inside out. And we know, at the end of it all, she'll get her man (or woman). Some crime heroes love to sail close to the wind, while Vera may appear to be happier paddling about in the shallows in a tattered rubber dinghy. But don't be fooled, because beneath that tatty anorak beats the heart of a lioness and under her rain hat there's a brain equal to that of Poirot or Rebus. More please!"From the inside, Vera is somewhat self-hating, but she also possesses an endearing “what the hell” attitude. It’s a delight to watch her exceed people’s expectations and to watch as the tiny details she notices add up to the big revelation.”— Booklist on The Moth Catcher 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.

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