Telling Tales (Vera Stanhope, 2)

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The setting perfectly captures the essence of the book, a 15 year old girl murdered in a village of lies and deceit. As new evidence comes to light that Jeanie Long had been wrongfully convicted with the murder of schoolgirl Abigail Mantel, DI Vera Stanhope travels to the East Yorkshire village of Elvet to uncover the truth as the real killer is still at large. Ann's success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London's Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. A particular joy in Telling Tales was that Vera made four big grand entrances within the first one-hundred-pages with her thick legs, shapeless Crimplene clothes, open toed sandals and blotchy skin. Vera’s presence is felt throughout the book, her no nonsense direct approach really fits with the Northern setting.

This second novel is another opportunity to devour Ann Cleeves unique brand of atmospheric crime fiction, marked out by her portrayals of village life against the rugged backdrop of the windswept and rugged Northumbria coastline. Then, a witness comes forward and gives Jeanie an alibi supporting her claim she was in London on the day of the murder and was innocent. Emma's parent's home seems cold and empty which was a perfect metaphor for what was going on with a lot of people.Excellently written and thought out in each detail with the characters playing their parts on the surface and uncovering their darker sides beneath. I had read The Crow Trap a couple of years ago and enjoyed very much, then got sidetracked by her Shetland series. Her husband, James, is very private, thoughtful and considerate, but why does Vera think he is hiding something.

My first introduction to Vera Stanhope is the second installment of the self titled series where Vera finds herself in Northumbria investigating a case that may have sent the wrong person to jail ten years earlier.Within six-months of moving to Elvet, Emma’s life was blighted by the discovery of her friends body, strangled to death. The killer is still at large, and Vera Stanhope must reopen the investigation and jog villagers’ painful memories. Whether detailing the domestic world, life with a small baby or the work of the pilots on the ships, Cleeves has an accomplished eye. At one point she is referred to as looking like a bag lady but when it comes to interviewing suspects and discovering the guilty she is the best.

Overweight and shambolic, DI Vera Stanhope certainly elicits strong reactions with her attempt at a dithering and out of her depth old woman, managing to send a ripple of fear through not only the guilty party but those reticent to be drawn. This leads to Vera turning over some rocks and bringing things that haven't been said or thought of in a very long time to light. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award - once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.Franklin's performance is direct and punchy, matching the speed and shrewdness of Vera's first-rate mind.

Vera does things in her own time and place and space and there is no rushing her and so you the reader need to be prepared for that. The MacMillan audio edition of Telling Tales, read by Julia Franklin, was shortlisted for an 'Audie' Award for best Mystery. And what of Emma’s husband, the genial pilot James Bennett and why is Keith Mantel so keen to send Vera chasing after him?

Given that the second murder is investigated under the authority of the the Yorkshire force and Vera has a tendency to rub people up the wrong way, DS Joe Ashworth comes in handy as a foil to extract information in their tremendous double act. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about reading this one since I've watched the episode on TV (twice) but it was fascinating to see the differences. After 10 years in prison, new evidence came to light that Jeanie was a victim herself and was innocent of the crime.