There is honest police work here. The investigation is conducted by legwork as well as technology; getting out and talking with people. The case is worked step-by-step, without flash. Readers will enjoy Vera's relentless quest for the truth in this astutely observed, atmospheric crime novel." The Seagull is based on Ann's latest Vera Stanhope novel. This is the eighth case for Vera, and was the first of Ann's books to be published simultaneously in the UK and in the US." The Seagull is a searing novel by Sunday Times bestselling author Ann Cleeves, about corruption deep in the heart of a community, and fragile, and fracturing, family relationships. 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.”

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. The Seagull is a searing novel about corruption deep in the heart of a community, and about fragile, and fracturing, family relationships. Well this takes Vera to a whole new level. She’ s just as curmudgeonly, still annoying Joe but there is a new side to her here, a vulnerable one and this time the reader gets to know her that little bit more. Vera opens up to Aiden about her concerns, while Donahue finds another skeleton in the drain – it proves not to be Mary, but another club girl, the under-age Rebecca. Was Rebecca a witness to Marshburn’s murder, and had Scott Keane been asking awkward questions about the past events? Never in fashion, overweight, cranky, alone and not giving a toss about what anyone thinks of her, Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope is one of the best coppers around,"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? Her evidential insights in this series have rarely amounted to much more than going through phone records, bank statements and CCTV, so we can’t say we’re that impressed with her detective abilities; but she is becoming a more rounded character, and all the better for it. Her father is seemingly involved with her latest case and when she visits one of his associates in prison, finds a body and then is asked to look out for someone on the outside, Vera finds herself walking a very fine line. I’ve never found her vulnerable yet still with that frown and those vinegar laced comments. Vera is fearful of facing the past and with the way the present day case pans out, I’m not surprised. Bodies at St Mary’s Light house, a dodge club at Whitley Bay – this is her most personal case yet.

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. In the episode, viewers will see Vera re-open a cold case after coming face to face with an old enemy in prison: a former detective superintendent - former friend of her father - who turned to crime. Of the rest of the gang, Hector escaped a similar sentence by virtue of dementia then death. The mysterious “Prof” disappeared, as did wheeler-dealer Robbie Marshall, who was rumored to have far-flung criminal connections. Now, John is willing to tell Vera where Robbie’s body is, so long as she helps Patty cope with the aftermath of her husband walking out on their family. Winning. It is Stanhope herself—a homely, overweight spinster with blotchy skin, a fondness for alcohol, and a toxic personality—who, using intuition and subtle intimidation, brings all the disorganization to an illogical but satisfying conclusion.”— Publishers Weekly on Silent VoicesAs a former theatre professional, I spent far too much time thinking of parallels between this book— Ann Cleeves’s 8th DI Vera Stanhope mystery—and the Chekhov play of the same name. Yes, almost all the violence happens off-stage—or at least outside of the continuous present-day narrative—and yes, there are tangles of interpersonal narratives loosely grouped together in fours. But the main things the two works of fiction have in common are the themes of guilt, obsessive love, and parenting at a remove, whether physical or emotional. On your way up to the Northumberland parts of the booktrail don’t forget to call into the Drift Cafe at Druridge Bay – Vera approved don’t you know. Those who follow the BBC television series “Vera” and may be disappointed by the departure of some characters, it’s nice to see that Holly and Joe are still here in the books. The description of Vera’s team is done in terms of their relationships to Vera. What is lovely is her understanding of what drives them, each member’s strength and what motivates them. Vera and Joe’s visit to the mother of a missing man is a sad reminder of the pain through which families go without the closure of knowing what happened. The Segull" follows Vera after she's forced to go and talk to inmates concerning the crimes they did and the impact on victims. One of the inmates is a former officer, John Brace, who knew Vera as a child. The two of them have long-standing ties since Brace was friends and ran around with Vera's deceased father Hector. The gang of four (made me think of the Christie novel) included Brace, Hector, a man named the Prof (who no one ever met/saw in real life it seems) and a 40ish year old man named Robbie Marshall. When Brace demands that Vera look in on his daughter and her children in exchange for the location of Robbie Marshall's dead body (Marshall disappeared more than 20 years earlier) she looks into the particulars of Marshall's disappearance in the 90s and the people that moved in his circle.