A body is found by an early morning dog walker on the common outside Rosebank, a care home for troubled teens. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who never showed up to work.
DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate. Her only clue is the disappearance of fourteen-year-old resident Chloe. 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 are soon embroiled in the case, but when a second body is found near the Three Dark Wives standing stones in the wilds of the Northumbrian countryside, folklore and fact begin to collide. Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, but it seems that the dark secrets in their community may be far more dangerous than she could ever have believed.
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It's November today. (Chapter One)
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(@panmacmillan, 29 August 2024, e-galley, 384 pages, ARC from the publisher via @NetGalley)
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I'm a huge fan of the Vera books. I really enjoyed The Dark Wives. First off, I loved the title of this book. It made me want to read it. I feel quite sad Vera has been cancelled and I won't get to see this adapted for the screen unless someone makes it into a movie. One can always dream. This had all the trademarks of a Vera novel, gripping and well written. Vera brings in Rosie to replace Holly who was killed in the during a recent case and she's as different from Holly as it's possible to be. I liked her. I hope there are more Vera novels so I can see how she develops and gels with the rest of the team. I really enjoyed this and would recommend it.
