The Crow Trap

Select an Action

The Crow Trap

Title:

The Crow Trap

Vera Stanhope Series, Book 1

Author:

Cleeves, Ann

Subject:

Mystery

Fiction

Description:

From Ann Cleeves—New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—comes The Crow Trap, the first in the Vera Stanhope series."Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers."—Louise Penny Three very different women come together to complete an environmental survey on the Northumberland countryside. Three women who, in some way or another, know the meaning of betrayal....For team leader Rachael Lambert the project is the perfect opportunity to rebuild her confidence after a double-betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Botanist Anne Preece, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And then there is Grace Fulwell, a strange, uncommunicative young woman with plenty of her own secrets to hide...When Rachael arrives at the cottage, however, she is horrified to discover the body of her friend Bella Furness. Bella, it appears, has committed suicide—a verdict Rachael finds impossible to accept.Only when the next death occurs does a fourth woman enter the picture—the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, who must piece together the truth from these women's tangled lives in The Crow Trap.

Publisher:

St. Martin's Publishing Group

Minotaur Books

Date:

2017/02/21

Digital Format:

HTML

ADOBE EPUB

KINDLE

Language:

English

Vendor:

Libby

Summary

From Ann Cleeves-- New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows--comes The Crow Trap , the first in the Vera Stanhope series.

"Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers."--Louise Penny

Three very different women come together to complete an environmental survey on the Northumberland countryside. Three women who, in some way or another, know the meaning of betrayal....For team leader Rachael Lambert the project is the perfect opportunity to rebuild her confidence after a double-betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Botanist Anne Preece, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And then there is Grace Fulwell, a strange, uncommunicative young woman with plenty of her own secrets to hide...

When Rachael arrives at the cottage, however, she is horrified to discover the body of her friend Bella Furness. Bella, it appears, has committed suicide--a verdict Rachael finds impossible to accept.

Only when the next death occurs does a fourth woman enter the picture--the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, who must piece together the truth from these women's tangled lives in The Crow Trap .

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Fans of the Vera Stanhope novels already available in the U.S., as well as the TV series Vera, will welcome Cleeves's intricate series opener (first published in 1998), which introduced the Northumberland detective inspector. Three very different women-team leader Rachael Lambert, botanist Anne Preece, and mammal expert Grace Fulwell-are conducting an environmental impact assessment to estimate the damage that a new quarry would do to a national park's pristine land and wildlife. When a suicide and a murder rock the project, Vera must sift through the murk to catch a ruthless killer. Though it offers a fine mystery, the story nevertheless belongs to its women. Cleeves thoroughly explores the passions and motivations of each, while exposing the human greed and sorrow beneath the bucolic landscape. The Columbo-esque Vera, who hides a fierce intelligence and razor sharp instincts under garish clothing, uses every tool at her disposal to solve the crime. Agent: Sarah Menguc, Sarah Menguc Literary Agent (U.K.). (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

Published in the UK in 1998 and just now released in the United States, this first book in Cleeves's "Vera Stanhope" series (which also inspired a popular television show) demonstrates exactly why the curmudgeonly Northumberland police detective gets results. Three local women-botanist Anne, zoologist Grace, and team leader Rachael-have banded together to study the environmental impacts of a proposed quarry on a national park. It isn't even the suicide of Rachael's friend that gets Vera on the case: it's the more obvious murder of someone closely linked to the project that raises the detective's investigative hackles. Like so many large-scale environmental programs that have the potential to disrupt small villages, the quarry project stirs up bad blood, causing Vera to question whether or not the deaths-she's convinced the two are connected-are related to the new development or to darker secrets buried much deeper. VERDICT It would be foolish to discount Vera because she doesn't dress smartly-she can outfox even the wiliest of criminals, while wearing whatever she pleases, and readers will delight in getting the chance to see how such a quirky character evolved. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.