or, listened to rather, was by Ann Cleeves. It's a Vera Stanhope and I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of that particular series. However I was desperately casting round for something to get from the library's Borrowbox collection and this seemed the best bet.
It was called The Darkest Evening and it was really enjoyable. Maybe that was because I hadn't read any others recently, or maybe I find them easier to get into, having seen some of the stories on TV which has given me a better handle on some of the recurring characters. I don't know. But I enjoyed listening to it and it was very well read, even down to variations in the characters' Northumbrian accents by someone called Janine Birkett. I'd never heard of her, but she was excellent.
It starts with Vera on a snowy night coming across a baby in an abandoned car. She takes it to shelter at the nearest house ( a place she is familiar with from her own childhood) and while she's trying to sort out a search for its parent(s), its mother's murdered body is found nearby in the snow.
What I particularly liked about this was that several times I thought 'It must be them wot dunnit' only to be distracted and made to think it wan't ... and then it was. It takes a clever writer to do that.
If you like police procedurals, worth a read or a listen.
I’ll stick it on my Audible list. A good reader makes all the difference!
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