A faded seaside town provides Vera with her most challenging case yet. The sense of foreboding was electric and the personal links to Vera really gave an insight in to the lady herself. In turns out she had played a part in his conviction and he is now offering - in return for protection for his family - information about a missing person which leads the police to a body buried near St Mary's Island - but then comes the discovery of a second hidden skeleton.

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. 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? 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. I've been watching the series Vera on PBS for a while and enjoying Brenda Blethyn's performance as the title character, so I am pleased to have had the opportunity to read a book from the series (my first) through NetGalley. I notice some subtle changes between the two mediums but otherwise an excellent carryover of the essence and integrity of characters and stories. This latest of stories has not yet been televised in the U.S. but comes just after the most current televised outing. It involves former detective superintendent John Brace, now a prison inmate due to a conviction for corruption. Now he and Vera are to become entangled again.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. 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!" 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.” 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. The central mystery is complex and dark but in a very good and clever way. This is the strongest Vera yet and the club and its dealings had such a menacing air – not even St Mary’s Lighthouse could shine on it and brighten it up – well there were two dead bodies out there.

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 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. I loved The Seagull — quite simply it reminds me why Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers! - Louise PennyWhen prison inmate and former police officer John Brace says he’s willing to give up information about the location of a dead body in return for protection for his family, Vera knows that she has to look into his claims. I also liked the way we got to know Joe more – his struggles at home with a new family and Holly too. A great cast of characters which bounce off each other with ease. The camaraderie is great too and the banter as strong as northern builder’s tea. Finally, phone evidence leads Vera to the village of Morna in Scotland, where she finds Mary, the key to the mystery. When Vera leans on the Siddens, and finds documents linking her father to Morna, it all comes out – underage girls, drug overdoses, and the central part played by accountant Claythorpe, who had killed Marshburn to protect Mary, then Scott Keane to keep his secret.