Books Related To The Vera Stanhope Series
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Vera Stanhope Books In Order
The Vera Stanhope series is set in Northumberland, an area Ann Cleeves describes as “the most beautiful county in England” and perfect for traditional crime novels because the people there “know everybody’s business.” Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope is an imperfect and unconventional detective with a penchant for wearing frumpy raincoats. Her gruff and unkempt demeanour hides a brilliant detective that Ann says is “independent, authoritative, strong.” Ann adds that Vera “would hate to be patronised,” so she sometimes comes across as harsh and unforgiving to Sergeant Joe Ashworth, Vera’s “conscience” and surrogate son, and DC Holly Jackman, a young, ambitious police officer seeking Vera’s approval.
Despite her prickly personality, fans grow to love Vera and become engrossed in her investigations with her team. The character-driven stories have a police procedural flavour, but Ann writes her characters with considerably more psychological depth and complexity than many conventional mysteries, which is what fans say makes the series one of their top favourites.
It should be noted that Vera only appears halfway through The Crow Trap (Book 1). Ann says that the character “blew in quite unexpectedly” when she got stuck with the story, and she has been writing the character ever since. For that reason, some readers find The Crow Trap, although a solid introduction to Vera, is less a Vera mystery and more of a standalone novel. Therefore, you could start the series with either The Crow Trap or Telling Tales (Book 2).
There are also a few short stories in the Vera series that can be read at any point. However, for those who wish to read these stories chronologically, Frozen is considered Book 8.5 and The Woman On The Island is Book 9.5, which introduces the setting for The Rising Tide (Book 10).
As the Vera books progress, readers gain insight into Vera’s personal history, her relationships, and the inner demons that drive her relentless quest for truth. Reading the books in order will give you a deeper understanding and enjoyment of Vera and her team.
Despite her prickly personality, fans grow to love Vera and become engrossed in her investigations with her team. The character-driven stories have a police procedural flavour, but Ann writes her characters with considerably more psychological depth and complexity than many conventional mysteries, which is what fans say makes the series one of their top favourites.
It should be noted that Vera only appears halfway through The Crow Trap (Book 1). Ann says that the character “blew in quite unexpectedly” when she got stuck with the story, and she has been writing the character ever since. For that reason, some readers find The Crow Trap, although a solid introduction to Vera, is less a Vera mystery and more of a standalone novel. Therefore, you could start the series with either The Crow Trap or Telling Tales (Book 2).
There are also a few short stories in the Vera series that can be read at any point. However, for those who wish to read these stories chronologically, Frozen is considered Book 8.5 and The Woman On The Island is Book 9.5, which introduces the setting for The Rising Tide (Book 10).
As the Vera books progress, readers gain insight into Vera’s personal history, her relationships, and the inner demons that drive her relentless quest for truth. Reading the books in order will give you a deeper understanding and enjoyment of Vera and her team.