The Dark Wives Audiobook By Ann Cleeves cover art

The Dark Wives

Vera Stanhope, Book 11

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The Dark Wives

By: Ann Cleeves
Narrated by: Janine Birkett
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About this listen

"Janine Birkett's marvelous narration enhances this riveting mystery, part of the Vera Stanhope series, set on the majestic northeast coast of England"—AudioFile on The Seagull, an Earphones Award winner

As New York Times bestseller Ann Cleeves's beloved Vera series explodes in popularity in print and on TV, this stunning eleventh book explores the web of secrets surrounding a young man's death.

The man’s body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker in the park outside Rosebank, a home for troubled teens in the coastal village of Longwater. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous night but never showed up.

DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death, with her only clue being the disappearance of one of the home’s residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. Vera can’t bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can’t dismiss the possibility.

Vera, Joe and new team member Rosie Bell, are soon embroiled in the case, and when a second connected body is found near the Three Dark Wives monument in the wilds of the Northumberland countryside, superstition and folklore begin to collide with fact. Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, and the dark secrets in their community that may be far more dangerous than she could have ever believed possible.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

©2024 Ann Cleeves (P)2024 Macmillan Audio
Genre Fiction Mystery Police Procedurals Small Town & Rural Women Sleuths Young Adult
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Critic reviews

“Forceful . . . Multiple narrators and a core cast of keenly rendered characters lend the tale dimension while furthering the series arc. Cleeves’s fans will be well satisfied.”—Publishers Weekly

“A taut police procedural enhanced by relevant social consciousness.”—Booklist

“Like Rendell and James before her, like McDermid and Rankin today, Ann Cleeves is one of our secret chroniclers, charting—under cover of a series of expertly plotted and mesmerizing crime novels—how we live now.”—Mick Herron, author of the Slough House series

Intriguing Storyline • Complex Mystery • Excellent Narration • Surprising Twists • Satisfying Conclusion
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Who done it,and how they found out . The twists and turns. the cast of the story.

the story line

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I’ve always enjoyed the Vera books & was so happy when another was written. And this was as good as the older ones, the author hasn’t lost her touch. Keep our fingers crossed there may be more.

Another Vera Book!

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I so appreciate that this author does not just crank out a formulaic series: her characters evolve and the situations involve important issues without being preachy. I particularly like the continuing presence of Vera’s departed complex father in the story. Cleeve’s descriptions of the natural world as context are superb.

never formulaic

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Ann Cleeves is a masterful storyteller. Twists and turns abound.
As usual Vera Stanhope had it figured out before her team or the reader!

Vera is back!

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There was one thing that kept bugging me today, even though the story was interesting. I felt like it was a little too pulled out of the hat in terms of her, figuring it out, and the lack of teamwork is beginning to bug me a little. I’m now used to detectives having relationships with ornery, Pathologist, and, difficult bosses, and Vera seems to work and in world of her own. I was also hoping to have a little bit more… Mystical?… Connection with the three dark wives. So I would say this is a good story, but not one of her best.

Vera never fails to impress!

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Always love to listen to another Vera story, but they are getting a little predictable and politically correct.

Love the characters, the story just OK

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Another winner by Anne Cleeves. Never guessed the real culprits! Appreciated the character interactions and development.
Vera remains one of the fascinating detectives in fiction.

Descriptions of all characters and locations enthralling.

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I was happy Charlie got more credit in this one. No spoilers but I was engaged right from the start and shocked at who the bad guys were.

Vera as always never gives up.

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Liked the length and the mood of the book overall
Enjoyable because it was sending a messay

Good narration good values

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I have loved every single Vera Stanhope book. I especially love how complicated and imperfect Vera’s character is. In this one, though, I really didn’t like her, which was new. I’m not sure whether the author did this on purpose, but. I found myself impatient with her selfishness and that she didn’t seem to learn from her mistakes, especially Holly’s death, though she seemed to think about it quite a bit. I’d leave if she was my boss.

Disappointed in Vera

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