Customer Reviews

Hidden Depths

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my second Cleeves novel featuring DI Vera Stanhope, the first being Silent Voices, and I must admit that this series is becoming a firm favorite. DI Stanhope is razor-sharp and an astute judge of people, though she herself is not your typical heroine. Stanhope is not glamorous nor even charismatic, she is dumpy, overweight, and can judge people too harshly, yet her excellent deductive skills make up for these flaws as she goes about solving murder mysteries.

In Hidden Depths, Stanhope finds herself at a bit of a loss when faced with two murders with a similar modus operandi. Both victims were strangled before being placed in water and covered with flowers. The victims initially don't appear to be connected in any way, but with some determined digging, Stanhope, her capable assistant Joe Ashworth, and the rest of the investigative team do come up with a tenuous connection. As they work on the case, some startling discoveries are made, revealing human frailties and compulsions that result in tragic consequences.

Readers who like Karin Fossum's psychological Swedish procedurals might appreciate the DI Vera Stanhope series.

I came to "Hidden Depths" from Ann Cleeves' Shetland Island series, which I admired very much for its intelligent and original story lines. "Hidden Depths" has a different setting, Northumberland, England, and a very different protagonist in Inspector Vera Stanhope. This essentially a dark drama peopled with a cast of unhappy, spiritually wounded or struggling characters in whose midst two murders are committed. The victims are both very young and unusually beautiful--one young male and one young woman. Inspector Stanhope, a woman with personal issues of her own (she's basically built like a rugby player), starts out on a procedural investigation that gradually sorts through suspects and their catalog of misdeeds to track down the killer who is about to add a third victim. This is a slow and basically intelligent reveal that respects the reader's intelligence.

If you are a fan of Reginald Hill, Ruth Rendall and/or Karin Fossum, you will most likely take kindly to "Hidden Depths". The story is largely about the characters and their problems and relationships. At the same time, author Cleeves works in some interesting sidebars such as birdwatching (a carryover from the Shetland Islands series) to very good effect. An excellent read and recommended.

I purchased this book for a relative as a Christmas gift. I don't know how she liked the book after reading it but she was happy to receive it. She and I are reading the Vera Stanhope series of novels by Ann Cleeves. The book itself arrived in great condition sealed in plastic. It was as advertized. I only gave it 4 stars because I haven't read it as yet.

This book is the third in the excellent Vera Stanhope series of British mysteries by the gifted writer, Ann Cleeves. One really cannot go wrong with a Cleeves novel, in my opinion. There is always crisp writing to look forward to, a smattering of some unusual and interesting settings, intricate plot structure, very believable and fleshed-out characters, tremendous psychological suspense, and sudden jolts of action. Having said the latter, I should emphasize that there is always action of some sort going on in a Cleeves book, just not always of a physical kind (though the latter is judiciously added to pepper the mix). There are undercurrents and tensions at play which belie the calm demeanor of many of the characters and which creates a charged atmosphere of suspense. This is a winner.

This is why I love Ann Cleeves as an author! This book was interesting. I couldn't wait for 11pm to roll around to have my "reading time" with this one!