I thought this book was a bit wordy, as it went on and on and on. Still, it was an interesting mystery. When the killer was finally revealed, that person wasn't anywhere on my list of suspects. However, both Vera and Joe both separately realized the identity of the killer at about the same time. But the author really didn't tell us how they figured it out.
One interesting note... From comments in the book, it appears the mystery is taking place in the 21st century. Yet the author continually makes comments about smoking, and nicotined-stained fingers, ceilings, walls, etc. Whereas, most people no longer smoke in Great Britain or even in the U.S and some other countries. Was this just filler? And I have to wonder if alcoholism is as big a problem in Great Britain, as suggested in the book. Even one of the main characters is on the juice.
One interesting note... From comments in the book, it appears the mystery is taking place in the 21st century. Yet the author continually makes comments about smoking, and nicotined-stained fingers, ceilings, walls, etc. Whereas, most people no longer smoke in Great Britain or even in the U.S and some other countries. Was this just filler? And I have to wonder if alcoholism is as big a problem in Great Britain, as suggested in the book. Even one of the main characters is on the juice.
I have all the Vera dvds and enjoyed them. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Harbour Street". Great characters, very interesting.
Book Description
Harbour Street is the next spellbinding installment in Ann Cleeves' series of crime novels about Vera Stanhope, played in the TV detective drama VERA by Brenda Blethyn.
As the snow falls thickly on Newcastle, the shouts and laughter of Christmas revelers break the muffled silence. Detective Joe Ashworth and his daughter Jessie are swept along in the jostling crowd onto the Metro.
But when the train is stopped due to the bad weather, and the other passengers fade into the swirling snow, Jessie notices that one lady hasn't left the train: Margaret Krukowski has been fatally stabbed.
Arriving at the scene, DI Vera Stanhope is relieved to have an excuse to escape the holiday festivities. As she stands on the silent, snow-covered station platform, Vera feels a familiar buzz of anticipation, sensing that this will be a complex and unusual case.
Then, just days later, a second woman is murdered. Vera knows that to find the key to this new killing she needs to understand what had been troubling Margaret so deeply before she died - before another life is lost. She can feel in her bones that there's a link. Retracing Margaret's final steps, Vera finds herself searching deep into the hidden past of this seemingly innocent neighborhood, led by clues that keep revolving around one street...
Why are the residents of Harbour Street so reluctant to speak?
Told with piercing prose and a forensic eye, Ann Cleeves' gripping new novel explores what happens when a community closes ranks to protect their own-and at what point silent witnesses become complicit.
My Review
Ann Cleeves is an excellent writer who keeps her clues very close to the vest. Her characters are very well-developed and her plots are quite entertaining with plenty of twists and turns. I enjoyed the fact that Vera Stanhope delegated responsibilities to her crew more than in the earlier books in the series. The storyline kept me engaged and guessing until the very last pages. I now look forward to reading the next book in the series, The Moth Catcher, and highly recommend this series to those who love mystery novels.
Harbour Street is the next spellbinding installment in Ann Cleeves' series of crime novels about Vera Stanhope, played in the TV detective drama VERA by Brenda Blethyn.
As the snow falls thickly on Newcastle, the shouts and laughter of Christmas revelers break the muffled silence. Detective Joe Ashworth and his daughter Jessie are swept along in the jostling crowd onto the Metro.
But when the train is stopped due to the bad weather, and the other passengers fade into the swirling snow, Jessie notices that one lady hasn't left the train: Margaret Krukowski has been fatally stabbed.
Arriving at the scene, DI Vera Stanhope is relieved to have an excuse to escape the holiday festivities. As she stands on the silent, snow-covered station platform, Vera feels a familiar buzz of anticipation, sensing that this will be a complex and unusual case.
Then, just days later, a second woman is murdered. Vera knows that to find the key to this new killing she needs to understand what had been troubling Margaret so deeply before she died - before another life is lost. She can feel in her bones that there's a link. Retracing Margaret's final steps, Vera finds herself searching deep into the hidden past of this seemingly innocent neighborhood, led by clues that keep revolving around one street...
Why are the residents of Harbour Street so reluctant to speak?
Told with piercing prose and a forensic eye, Ann Cleeves' gripping new novel explores what happens when a community closes ranks to protect their own-and at what point silent witnesses become complicit.
My Review
Ann Cleeves is an excellent writer who keeps her clues very close to the vest. Her characters are very well-developed and her plots are quite entertaining with plenty of twists and turns. I enjoyed the fact that Vera Stanhope delegated responsibilities to her crew more than in the earlier books in the series. The storyline kept me engaged and guessing until the very last pages. I now look forward to reading the next book in the series, The Moth Catcher, and highly recommend this series to those who love mystery novels.
