Vera Stanhope is investigating a murder and a disappearance. The body of a young man named Josh has been discovered outside the care home where he worked; and Chloe, a fourteen-year old resident of the home, is missing. The Dark Wives are three ancient standing stones in a field in the countryside of Northumbria; legend has it at they once were three witches, and the annual “find the witch” ritual is held there every year. Vera, Joe and new team member, Rosie, have to find connections to all of these facts, as well as a further crime which is about to be committed.
In this book Ann Cleeves highlights the problems faced by children growing up in foster care and how they have to find a sense of belonging, and ‘fitting’ in. Care workers, no matter how dedicated, caring and understanding they might be, have time- and cost restraints to work to and these things are, of course, universal.
Vera is back on home ground with this case, and memories of her life with her criminally-inclined birdman father are with her as she revisits familiar places. Vera is a unique character; in no way resembling any other fictional detectives; she is neither male nor divorced/unhappily married; she is not a borderline alcoholic (well, I don’t think she is) and she is not scruffily attractive, although she is scruffy. Joe, and now Rosie, work hard to keep up with her and, occasionally, to interpret her commands and it would be nice of her to let them know occasionally what she is thinking.
The Dark Wives is an intriguing story and like all good detective stories, it keeps you guessing. I love being surprised when the culprit is unmasked, and this denouement didn’t disappoint in that respect.
Ann Cleeves has done it again with bells on!
Published by Pan Macmillan
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