"Totally riveting! What happens when deeply held secrets get revealed?"
Reviewed by Audrey Lawrence
Posted February 4, 2016
Mystery | Suspense
With her
sharp intellect and extensive knowledge, Detective
Inspector Vera
Stanhope quickly
realizes the strange stabbing of an elderly, yet
still elegant woman on a crowded metro train is not
going to be a simple murder case. Who was Margaret
Krukowski? Why was she on the train full of Christmas
shoppers and why would someone want her dead? If you love top notch police procedurals, you are going
to love HARBOUR STREET now available in the United States
as well as in the United Kingdom. HARBOUR STREET is the
sixth novel in internationally acclaimed author Ann
Cleeves's Vera Stanhope series and forms part of
the very popular TV series Vera starring Brenda
Blethyn.
Even if you have never seen the series (and I have not
had the pleasure as yet), Cleeves instantly transports
you to the action right from the first sentence and
never lets go until the very surprising conclusion. I have to confess that I am a total fan of Ann Cleeves
and her novels which can be relished both as a series or
enjoyed as a very compelling stand alone murder mystery.
Cleeves has an amazing ability to balance out the right
degree of detail needed to totally bring a scene vivid
life. Her
characters are all
well developed with some good and some flaws so they are
very authentic in their actions, mannerisms, and speech. Vera is an eccentric older Detective struggling with her
weight, yet a highly compassionate character with a
brilliant mind and very unusual childhood. She likes to
drink her whiskey and lick up the last sticky bit of
her sweets, yet quickly puts her intuition and
strategic mind at work to investigate murders in the
Northumberland region in England. In HARBOUR STREET,
the action moves to the fictional seaside town of Mardle
near Newcastle. Over time, Vera has developed her
small team of trusted people around her, especially her
favourite partner, the family-oriented and well-dressed
Detective Joe Ashworth and the trim and fashionable
Holly. Vera's views on management theories are sure to
give you a good chuckle. HARBOUR STREET is an exemplary police procedural and
one of Cleeves's many talents is her ability to bring into
play the second guessing and how emotions and small
circumstances can cause a missed key connection or
have a random thought really open up the
investigation. Yet, despite their efforts, another murder happens.
While seemingly not connected, Vera feels there has to be
a connection. What do you think? Go to HARBOUR STREET
and check it out! You will be glad you discovered this
amazing story and series! Be warned! If you read one
Vera Stanhope mystery, you will want to read them
all! Any of
Cleeves' many fans will tell you the same! Enjoy!
SUMMARY
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.
What do you think about this review?
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