Review of THE RISING TIDE by Ann Cleeves (New Release)

 4 Stars

This is the tenth book in the Vera Stanhope series. 

A group of school friends has been gathering every five years for the last fifty on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, a tidal island on the northeast coast of England.  On the Saturday of the reunion weekend, one of the members, a celebrity journalist, is found dead.  Vera arrives and quickly determines that though the death looks like a suicide, the man was murdered.  Joined by her team of Joe Ashworth and Holly Clarke, she leads the investigation which uncovers several secrets.   

There is a large number of suspects so the reader is kept guessing.  It is amazing how the author writes so well that the reader is not confused about the various characters.  Likewise, there are several possible motives. Was the victim killed because of the sexual misconduct allegations made against him?  Or was his promise of a tell-all book the reason for his death?  The night before his death, the victim reveals, “’It’s fiction naturally but very definitely based on fact.  You’ll find our pasts very much brought back to life.  All our secrets, actually, finally seeing the light of day.’”   Could his death be connected to the death of another member of the circle of friends 45 years earlier?  This is a fair-play mystery in that the clues are all there, though, admittedly, there are red herrings.

Though I love the television adaptation starring Brenda Blethyn, the book, by including Vera’s inner thoughts, provides more information about her personality and motivations.  Twice she is described as a “control freak.”  There are revealing statements that show a contrast between her no-nonsense exterior and her sensitive interior:  “She’d been teased at school about her weight and her clothes and her weird father . . . and the jibes still lingered in her brain” and “She hadn’t really made many friends at school” and “The beginning of an investigation when she could believe that she was the best detective in the world.  She’d soon lose that confidence” and “She knew what it was like to be an unwanted child, the unloved survivor” and “she wouldn’t want [Joe and Holly] forming some sort of allegiance against her” and “That was what Vera missed, now she had to spend so long at her desk.  The prying and nebbing into other folk’s business” and “She’d never bothered about her immediate surroundings, though she’d always needed outside space.  A long horizon.  A place to breathe” and “Vera had stood up to plenty of teachers in her time.”

Since the perspectives of others (Joe, Sally, a couple of the reunion attendees) are given, the reader sees how others perceive Vera.  For instance, Joe thinks, “Vera tended to complicate matters, and often the most obvious explanation was the right one.”  Holly thinks, “Vera liked the detail of an investigation.  It was the boss’s strength, but also her weakness.  She could dig away at the tiny details, losing sight of the overall picture.  The past was her territory.  She always said it explained the tensions and stresses of the present.”  Others often mention Vera’s unstylish appearance and her size and love of food; I couldn’t help but remember that in the novel preceding this one, The Darkest Evening, we are told that “food had always been her comfort, her means of escape.  Her own private addiction.”

Fans of Ann Cleeves and Vera Stanhope will not be disappointed.  This is a solid procedural with interesting characters and a strong plotline.  And the ending will leave you stunned!

Note:  I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.