THE DARKEST EVENING

THE DARKEST EVENING by Anne Cleeves

But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep.

                                                            -Robert Frost

You may be enjoying our current weather too much to sink yourself into a mystery set in the dead of winter in Northumberland, England. If that is the case, save this one for the middle of our winter with a cup of hot beverage of your choice, a comfy chair, a fleecy blanket, and if possible a crackling fire. Then hold on tight as you step through the door into Vera Stanhope's world.

DI (Detective Inspector) Vera Stanhope is driving back to her home in rural Northumberland after a long day of work in the middle of a snowstorm when she makes a wrong turn. After going just a little ways she finds a car that has slid off the road with the driver door wide open. Stopping to check to make sure everyone is alright, Vera approaches the vehicle and hears the cry of a young child but no parent in sight. Taking the child to the nearest home, which happens to be an estate owned by her relatives where she is considered an outcast, she begins the process of trying to locate the missing parent. A local farmer driving his tractor to pick up his daughters, who work at the estate, stumbles across the body of a young lady half buried in the snow and the mystery takes off.

Vera and her team have their hands full as they sort through the secrets and rumors that abound in small village life about the past and the present. They must try and navigate the line between the upper class of the estate and the lower class of the tenants and village residents to solve this mystery that has ties to both.

I'm going to make a general statement about murder mysteries. They are the result of stepping out of God's plan for life. Some are super heavy, leaving the reader to digest situation after situation where the reader can feel bogged down. This one allows breathing room!

HEADS UP - A handful of words including approx. 4 F-bombs.

Alongside Activity- BBC has made Vera into several TV episodes. I love them!! Check out your local PBS or BBC listing or find them at the library!