The Darkest Evening

DCI Vera Stanhope is on her way home in a terrible blizzard. She sees a car on the edge of the road with the door open and a baby inside, the driver gone. Vera takes the baby and goes to a big house nearby, a country manse owned by an estranged cousin where a party is going on. Later in the evening, a tenant farmer coming to pick up his daughters finds the battered body of the missing driver, a young woman, mother of the child. Vera gets her crew of inspectors with DS Joe Ashworth and DC Holly Jackman leading the way on the case in this country village with families intertwined. While the case is ongoing, a close friend of the deceased disappears. This really ramps up the case, and it isn’t long before another body is found.

Fans of Vera, either from prior books or the popular TV show, will be well satisfied with this rich, complex mystery containing red herrings galore. Author Ann Cleeves is a clever writer who really knows how to set scenes, build characters, and create a lot of tension in her very smart mysteries. This is a terrific story.