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The Darkest Evening
Vera Stanhope (Related to this series)
- Author
- Ann Cleeves
- Narrator
- Janine Birkett
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date
- 3 September 2020
- Run Time
- 11 hours 17 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Christmas is coming – and death is at the door. DCI Vera Stanhope returns in The Darkest Evening, the ninth novel in number one Sunday Times bestseller Ann Cleeves’s phenomenally popular detective series.
The darkest nights can hide the deadliest secrets . . .
Driving home during a swirling blizzard, Vera Stanhope’s only thought is to get there quickly.
But with the snow driving down heavily, she becomes disorientated and loses her way, eventually stumbling on another car abandoned on the road. With the driver’s door open, Vera assumes the driver has sought shelter but is shocked to find a young toddler strapped in the back seat.
Afraid they will freeze, Vera takes the child and drives on, arriving at Brockburn, a run-down stately home she immediately recognizes as the house her father Hector grew up in.
Inside Brockburn a party is in full swing, with music and laughter to herald the coming Christmas. But outside in the snow, a young woman lies dead and Vera has a new case. Could she be the child’s mother and, if she is, what happened to her?
'A thoroughly engrossing thriller' – Mail on Sunday
Enjoy more of Vera's investigations with The Rising Tide, the next entry in the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling crime series.
Critics Review
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A thoroughly engrossing thriller
Mail on Sunday
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Cleeves’s Northumberland novels are strong on atmosphere, combining old-fashioned detective work with a modern take on class
Sunday Times
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Brilliantly written, with more twists and turns you can shake one of Vera’s hats at
Heat
-
A gripping read
Sun
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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Fans will enjoy matching wits with Cleeves’s eccentric sleuth right up to the dangerous surprise in her denouement
Kirkus Reviews
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Cleeves has a fine time constructing a clockwork murder plot
Booklist
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Superb . . . This page-turner is must reading for fans as well as newcomers
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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This ninth instalment will keep you guessing until the end
My Weekly
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Well-paced and plotted, with its evocative Northumberland village setting and excellent characterisation, this is a great winter read
Choice
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A touch of the Agatha Christie house-party murder
Book of the Week, Country Life
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Award-winning crime author Ann Cleeves makes a welcome return with the ninth book in her popular Vera series
Woman
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Nobody does unsettling undercurrents better than Ann Cleeves
Val McDermid, award-winning author of Silent Bones
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Cleeves is quietly carving out a reputation as the new Queen of Crime
Sunday Mirror
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The Queen of the detective novel, thrilling millions of readers
Daily Express
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Ann Cleeves
- Narrator
- Janine Birkett
- Duration
- 11 hours 17 minutes
- Release Date
- 3 September 2020
- ISBN
- 9781509889549
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Genre
- Crime and mystery: police procedural, Crime and mystery: women sleuths / detectives, Narrative theme: sense of place
Synopsis
Christmas is coming – and death is at the door. DCI Vera Stanhope returns in The Darkest Evening, the ninth novel in number one Sunday Times bestseller Ann Cleeves’s phenomenally popular detective series.The darkest nights can hide the deadliest secrets . . .Driving home during a swirling blizzard, Vera Stanhope’s only thought is to get there quickly.But with the snow driving down heavily, she becomes disorientated and loses her way, eventually stumbling on another car abandoned on the road. With the driver’s door open, Vera assumes the driver has sought shelter but is shocked to find a young toddler strapped in the back seat.Afraid they will freeze, Vera takes the child and drives on, arriving at Brockburn, a run-down stately home she immediately recognizes as the house her father Hector grew up in.Inside Brockburn a party is in full swing, with music and laughter to herald the coming Christmas. But outside in the snow, a young woman lies dead and Vera has a new case. Could she be the child’s mother and, if she is, what happened to her?'A thoroughly engrossing thriller' – Mail on SundayEnjoy more of Vera's investigations with The Rising Tide, the next entry in the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling crime series.
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