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Thursday, March 8, 2018

Hidden Depths - Ann Cleeves

Hidden Depths by Ann Cleeves

First Paragraph(s):

Julie stumbled from the taxi and watched it drive away.  At the front gate she paused to compose herself.  Best not to go in looking pissed after all those lectures she'd given the kids.  The stars wheeled and dipped in the sky and she almost threw up.  But she didn't care.  It had been a good night, the first with the girls for ages.  Though it wasn't the girls that had made it so special, she thought, and realized there was a great soppy beam on her face.  Just as well it was dark and there was no one to see.

My Thoughts:

Hidden Depths is the third book in the Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope crime series.  I'm really enjoying listening to these books - this one narrated by Ann Dover.  In this book, a young man is killed and left in the tub with flowers, his sister asleep in another part of the house.  Their mother comes home from a night out with friends and finds him.  A few days after this, another young person is strangled and left near the sea, also with flowers surrounding her.  Vera, Joe and others on their team interview numerous people, including a group of men who have been friends for a long time.  They are birders - something Vera herself knows a bit about as her father was very interested in birds.  There are lies and obsession and infidelity.  There's danger to another young person.  Vera makes her canny way through all the clues and comes up with the truth in the end.  As I've noted before, these are not thrillers, but they are interesting police procedurals that I am liking very much.  I'm moving on to the audio of the next book, which I read in print last year.  It's Silent Voices.

Blurb:

On a hot summer on the Northumberland coast, Julie Armstrong arrives home from a night out to find her son murdered. Luke has been strangled, laid out in a bath of water and covered with wild flowers.

This stylized murder scene has Inspector Vera Stanhope and her team intrigued. But now, Vera must work quickly to find this killer who is making art out of death. As local residents are forced to share their private lives, sinister secrets are slowly unearthed.

And all the while the killer remains in their midst, waiting for an opportunity to prepare another beautiful, watery grave…

22 comments:

  1. I like the way you give the first paragraph - it's good to be able to see the style of writing. As always, you've made me want to get to Ann Cleeves soon...

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    1. Thanks about the first paragraph. I sometimes wonder if people like it, but I feel I've kind of got my 'review' format down now. And readers can skip over any part they don't want to see.

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  2. Ann Cleeves was one of the reasons why I went to Left Coast Crime. I love her books!

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    1. Um, yes, I remember you going all 'fangirl' when Ann met us at the door of that panel she was moderating. LOL LOL

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    2. Too bad you missed my repeat performance when she was at The PP! LOL

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    3. It is too bad. I'd like to have seen that. Ha!

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  3. I really want to give this series a try.

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  4. :) Vera is unique in the realm of female detectives!

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    1. She is indeed. Kind of like Columbo in female form - in skirts. Because of the itching. LOL

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  5. I want to read this series before I watch any more of the shows!

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  6. It seems like the books I have read by Cleeves move slowly but I like them a lot.

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    1. They do move slowly and have a lot of conversation. But that's Vera's style, right? I'm really liking how the stories develop. The audios are quite good.

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  7. I do love this author's writing and thought I preferred her Shetland stories but I've come to love Vera too! Good to hear the narrator is good in this one - I really do wish I was 'better' at audio books

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    1. The Shetland books will be on my list for maybe later this year. As to audio - for me, it took a little practice. I started out only listening to books I had already read in print - then it didn't matter if I missed bits. However, I've got it down now. I'm a pro. LOL

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  8. I'll have to add her to my audio series list.

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    1. I have really enjoyed them, though the narrators change.

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  9. I want to check out this series but I have fallen behind on her Shetland series and think I need to catch up on that one first.

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    1. I completely understand. I hope to read the Shetland books maybe later this year.

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  10. I'm a big fan of police procedurals though other than Deborah Crombie's books I haven't read that many in awhile. I like the sound of this one and I've loved what I've seen of Ann Cleeves' books though I've yet to read one.

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    1. Always so many books to try, right? I decided this is my Ann Cleeves year.

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Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!