Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Now they are 50 years older, all at different places in their lives, about to begin another weekend of eating, drinking, meditation, swimming, and lots of walking and talking. But plans change; one of there number won’t survive the weekend! There were awards for VERA at the North East Royal Television Society Awards, presented at a star-studded event at the Hilton Newcastle-Gateshead in February 2022. The programme, starring Brenda Blethyn as the tenacious Detective Vera Stanhope, won the prestigious Best Drama award and the actress won for Best Drama Performance. Accepting the awards, Brenda Blethyn thanked the Royal Television Society, and said: "I am absolutely thrilled to bits. This year sees us embarking on season 12 of Vera, so that means we'll have made 50 feature length Vera films."
Vera felt the flutter of excitement that came at the beginning of an interesting case. It was shameful to want this to be murder, but all the same. Fifty years ago, a group of teenagers spent a weekend on Holy Island, forging a bond that has lasted a lifetime. Now, they still return every five years to celebrate their friendship, and remember the friend they lost to the rising waters of the causeway at the first reunion.She’s called in to investigate a suspected suicide, but as always, her instincts prove to be spot on, and she’s soon looking for a murderer. Read all about The Rising Tide here. Or visit Lindisfarne, and the setting for The Rising Tide, with The Book Trail. VERA is filmed at locations from across Northumberland and Tyneside: if the scenery gives you an urge to visit Northumberland, you can read what Ann has to say about the county here. The Guardian also published Ann's short guide to Vera's Northumberland. The setting of this whodunnit is hugely atmospheric, cold, misty, wild and ancient….I loved it….I know the island well, and many of the other locations, so, for me, this really adds another layer of pleasure to this favourite series.
In this standalone that includes characters Joe and Holly, murder suspects drop their defenses before Colombo-like detective Vera Stanhope, a character who understands natives and criminals better than most—and who seems to carry a deep empathy for them all. A group of elderly (=my age!) people gather every five years in a reunion of a bonding weekend they'd attended while in high school (not, of course, called that--this is in Northumbria). They are in a beautiful but isolated place which becomes an island when (you guessed it!) the tide rises. Then no one can get on or off the island, at least by car which is how these folk arrived.one of the most appealing fictional detectives to emerge since Andy Dalziel got into his stride..."
THE RISING TIDE is yet another example of Cleeves’ skillful writing, especially including a reference to COVID without dwelling on it. The ending is powerful, and one must applaud Ms. Cleeves for it. The story leaves one anxious for the next book. Ann is the author of the books behind ITV's VERA, now in it's third series, and the BBC's SHETLAND, which will be aired in December 2012. Ann's DI Vera Stanhope series of books is set in Northumberland and features the well loved detective along with her partner Joe Ashworth. Ann's Shetland series bring us DI Jimmy Perez, investigating in the mysterious, dark, and beautiful Shetland Islands... Vera herself - a chunky woman with a hearty appetite who's totally unconcerned about fashion - is my favorite character. Ann Cleeve's Vera Stanhope books are the basis for the TV series 'Vera', in which the Detective Inspector is wonderfully played by Brenda Blethyn. Ann Cleeves’s Vera Stanhope is a great character and series and The Rising Tide is now my favorite of her novels. It combines a complex plot with interesting characters who have known each other for 50 years and, naturally have a mixed history to go with that amount of time. Every five years, these former school mates meet for a reunion on Holy Island, a small piece of land that becomes a literal island at high tide. They stay at Pilgrims’ House, an austere setting and former nunnery, the scene of their initial getaway when they were teenagers. I am late to the party of reading the Vera Stanhope series (not just watching the wonderful tv series). I’m loving the more in-depth experience that a book allows.
The Rising Tide
Who doesn’t love “large and shabby” Vera Stanhope, the blunt detective in Ann Cleeves’s Northumberland police procedurals? She is already one of the genre immortals."— The New York Times If you've nar read this Newcastle (the toon) / Northumberland based series, eeee, howay man, you should because it’s canny and champion. Vera is a legend!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Second, I am finding the author’s descriptions of Vera’s body (over the entire course of the series) to be extremely tiresome. I suspect Ann Cleeves has persistent body image issues, and these emerge in her writing/character development. I think is the weakest of the Vera series. Ann Cleeves’ books are usually solid and well-crafted, with a decent plot that moves right along. This one, however, was much more simplistic and felt “rote” somehow. (There was a lot of interview/conversations; a lot of "telling," not much "showing.") I enjoy mysteries-with-more (the more being strong, well-developed characters) – and this series definitely fills that bill, although this one (until the twist at the end) really just tread familiar ground. I typically find Vera to be an engaging and refreshing crime-solver, and I usually look forward to a pleasant read from Ann Cleeves. Bear with the slow start at the beginning of THE RISING TIDE. Once Vera enters, in Chapter Seven, the story takes off and never lets go. Most of it takes place in a rather unique location—Holy Island—an area regularly cut off from the rest of
I must be getting used to Janine Birkett’s voice because it didn’t bother me as much with this book.
Great Deal 
New Comment