Silent Voices
"Ann Cleeves has a great understanding of people and her cast of characters are totally believable and fascinating."
Synopsis:
DI Vera Stanhope is valiantly trying to get fitter and is quietly visiting a gym in order to do so. When she comes across the body of a woman in the sauna she initially believes that it is an innocent death. However that hope doesn't last for long and Vera is soon off on the hunt for the killer, using her team of detectives to track the movements of the victim.
Vera is totally devoted to the job in hand and relishes the excitement in her life. Colleague Sergeant Joe Ashworth has to balance his devotion to the job with his commitment to his family - a nice twist in the usual pattern of things. The investigation leads to the victim's involvement in social services and a past case of child death that interconnects with other characters in the area.
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Review:
Vera Stanhope is a very real character. Not perfect by any means, she does convince you that she is very good at her job, totally committed and able to understand the motives and foibles of her suspects. I like the idea that she is the detective with the tunnel vision concentrating on solving the case, whilst her male sergeant is the one who has to balance home and work commitments. Even when reading this fourth book in the series without knowing the previous books, Vera's character is beautifully described and the way her background and personality affect the way she behaves is very clear. Ann Cleeves has a great understanding of people and her cast of characters are totally believable and fascinating. The outcome is a surprise but makes absolute sense. The way in which she weaves the many and varied characters into a complex plot is both professional and a joy to read. I look forward to seeing Vera Stanhope on the small screen soon. I'm sure she will become a firm favourite.