I am fairly sure I read this before, but I can find no record of it on bookcrossing, which is odd. So I got this copy and read it again.
Disgraced police officer John Brace asks for Vera to come visit him in prison. He holds out the carrot of possible useful information. Vera therefore does go see him, and he asks her to look in on his daughter, see if she is okay. Vera finds the daughter and looks in on her. She is not interested in her dad given that she did not even grow up with him, but she does take in Vera's genuine caring. The young woman is struggling and this frumpy woman is just motherly enough.
The bits of information Brace throws out are corraled by Vera and turned into a cold case investigation, the investigation of the disappearance of a low-level con man who used to fraternize with Vera's father, Hector Stanhope.
As she gets deeper and deeper into the work, Vera finds Hector playing a bigger role than she expected. Hector and three friends were involved in criminal activity, both minor and not, and they met frequently at a now-defunct nightclub called The Seagull.
Vera is not one to shrink from the truth, much as it promises to hurt.
Disgraced police officer John Brace asks for Vera to come visit him in prison. He holds out the carrot of possible useful information. Vera therefore does go see him, and he asks her to look in on his daughter, see if she is okay. Vera finds the daughter and looks in on her. She is not interested in her dad given that she did not even grow up with him, but she does take in Vera's genuine caring. The young woman is struggling and this frumpy woman is just motherly enough.
The bits of information Brace throws out are corraled by Vera and turned into a cold case investigation, the investigation of the disappearance of a low-level con man who used to fraternize with Vera's father, Hector Stanhope.
As she gets deeper and deeper into the work, Vera finds Hector playing a bigger role than she expected. Hector and three friends were involved in criminal activity, both minor and not, and they met frequently at a now-defunct nightclub called The Seagull.
Vera is not one to shrink from the truth, much as it promises to hurt.
Book Description:
A visit to her local prison brings DI Vera Stanhope face to face with an old enemy: former detective superintendent, and now inmate, John Brace. Brace was convicted of corruption and involvement in the death of a gamekeeper â and Vera played a key part in his downfall.
Now, Brace promises Vera information about the disappearance of Robbie Marshall, a notorious wheeler-dealer who disappeared in the mid-nineties, if she will look out for his daughter and grandchildren. He tells her that Marshall is dead, and that his body is buried close to St Mary's Island in Whitley Bay. However, when a search team investigates, officers find not one skeleton, but two.
This cold case case takes Vera back in time, and very close to home, as Brace and Marshall, along with a mysterious stranger known only as âthe Prof', were close friends of Hector, her father. Together, they were the 'Gang of Four', regulars at a glamorous nightclub called The Seagull. Hector had been one of the last people to see Marshall alive. As the past begins to collide dangerously with the present, Vera confronts her prejudices and unwanted memories to dig out the truth . . .
The Seagull is a searing new novel by Sunday Times bestselling author Ann Cleeves, about corruption deep in the heart of a community, and fragile, and fracturing, family relationships.
My Review:
This is the 8th installment of the Vera Stanhope Mystery series. I enjoyed this one as it gave us a glimpse into more background about Hector Stanhope, Vera's dad. It stirs up thoughts about Vera's unhappy childhood and how her father was always too busy with his bird hobby and didn't really have much time for her. The book gets off to a slow start but then moves towards the middle through to the ending. The characters are interesting and the plot is intricately woven. Ann Cleeves' excellent descriptive writing makes the book very atmospheric and you feel you are a part of the story. The book is full of twists and turns which kept the pages turning. I look forward to reading the next in the series and I highly recommend these books to those who love mystery thrillers. I suggest they be read in order as the stories build one upon the other.
A visit to her local prison brings DI Vera Stanhope face to face with an old enemy: former detective superintendent, and now inmate, John Brace. Brace was convicted of corruption and involvement in the death of a gamekeeper â and Vera played a key part in his downfall.
Now, Brace promises Vera information about the disappearance of Robbie Marshall, a notorious wheeler-dealer who disappeared in the mid-nineties, if she will look out for his daughter and grandchildren. He tells her that Marshall is dead, and that his body is buried close to St Mary's Island in Whitley Bay. However, when a search team investigates, officers find not one skeleton, but two.
This cold case case takes Vera back in time, and very close to home, as Brace and Marshall, along with a mysterious stranger known only as âthe Prof', were close friends of Hector, her father. Together, they were the 'Gang of Four', regulars at a glamorous nightclub called The Seagull. Hector had been one of the last people to see Marshall alive. As the past begins to collide dangerously with the present, Vera confronts her prejudices and unwanted memories to dig out the truth . . .
The Seagull is a searing new novel by Sunday Times bestselling author Ann Cleeves, about corruption deep in the heart of a community, and fragile, and fracturing, family relationships.
My Review:
This is the 8th installment of the Vera Stanhope Mystery series. I enjoyed this one as it gave us a glimpse into more background about Hector Stanhope, Vera's dad. It stirs up thoughts about Vera's unhappy childhood and how her father was always too busy with his bird hobby and didn't really have much time for her. The book gets off to a slow start but then moves towards the middle through to the ending. The characters are interesting and the plot is intricately woven. Ann Cleeves' excellent descriptive writing makes the book very atmospheric and you feel you are a part of the story. The book is full of twists and turns which kept the pages turning. I look forward to reading the next in the series and I highly recommend these books to those who love mystery thrillers. I suggest they be read in order as the stories build one upon the other.
