Harbour Street – Ann Cleeves

We Brits love Vera. Played on TV by the wonderful Brenda Blethyn, Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope is a straight-talking investigator whose suppressed maternal instinct sometimes finds its way to the surface with a gruff, awkward charm. And ah, those big skies, desolate landscapes and that Tyneside accent….

The good news is that this novel, Harbour Street, is currently in production for the new season of Vera, but it also means you‘ll have to read it quick!

It’s Christmas in Newcastle and Detective Joe Ashworth’s train has been stopped in its tracks by the snow. As the train empties, an elderly lady remains in her seat: Margaret Krukowski has been stabbed, but why would anyone want to harm this reserved, elegant lady?

DCI Vera Stanhope is secretly relieved to be able to ignore Christmas and enjoy the buzz of a new enquiry. Soon she and Joe are on their way to Mardle, home of the victim. When a second woman is murdered, Vera must dig deep into the hidden past of this seemingly innocent small town: the clues keep leading her back to one place, but why won’t the residents of Harbour Street talk?

 Ann Cleeves has Northern British Noir written through her like a stick of rock. Northumberland (a county in north-eastern England) is featured in a series of books featuring DCI Vera Stanhope and another featuring Inspector Ramsay. Her Shetland Quartet (Raven Black, Red Bones, Blue Lightning and Dead Water) is set on islands to the north of Scotland.

Her books have now sold over 1 million copies worldwide, winning numerous awards. Her work has been adapted for two popular television series: Vera and Shetland. She was inducted into the CWA Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2012.