Harbour Street: A Vera Stanhope Mystery

Wow! I am so excited that I have discovered the Vera Stanhope series by author Ann Cleeves. Harbour Street is the sixth book in the series. I need to go back and read the first five!

Vera is a middle-aged larger woman...somewhat of a mess...but very smart and intuitive. I really enjoyed the character of Vera as well as the detectives on her team. The supporting characters were also very well written.
Ann Cleeves can spin a great tale. I had a hard time putting down Harbour Street. I didn't know how much I was dying to read a great English police procedural. How refreshing!

Margaret Krukowski is fatally stabbed on a commuter train. Detective Joe Ashworth who is a member of Vera's team is on the train with his daughter. His daughter is the one who notices that Margaret is not moving. Margaret's murder sets off a series of events that brings Vera and her team into the lives of everyone on Harbour Street.

Cleeves captures the dark mood and cold dampness of Northern England. It is set just before Christmas so this was the perfect time to read it! I understand that this series has been made into an English television series. I am going to have to get a hold of some episodes!

There are lots of wonderful twists in this tale. I love how Cleeves keeps peeling back layers and you learn more and more about the characters. I was completely surprised by the ending! Great story!

Highly recommend Harbour Street. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

One of Ann Cleeves' best in the Vera series. As usual one cannot possibly know the answer to the question of who is guilty. Ann never tells you enough as both Vera and Joe kept information from the reader. So the reader has to be satisfied with the writing and how Ann spins the web, which she does superbly. You are not meant to solve the mystery, but the story told here of the events on Harbour Street and in particular in the one house, a B&B, on the street, should keep you engaged.. The only other structures are a boatyard, a fish restaurant and a church. That setting should engage your imagination.

Reconnecting with Vera Stanhope in Ann Cleeves' sixth in the series, HARBOUR STREET, is like connecting back up with a good friend. Vera has her prickly side, but she has a very good heart, and Cleeves is as a master of characterization as Vera shares her insecurities and loneliness. With each book, the reader comes to better understand what motivates Vera and the younger (and thinner) detectives who work for her. That said, Cleeves doesn't forgo an intricate plot in deference to character. Plot, character, and location all play well together in her work.

Harbour Street is on the rundown side of town, on the fishing harbor, where Kate Dewar has attempted her own bit of gentrification by turning an old boarding house into a bed and breakfast. For years, Kate has had the assistance of Margaret, an elderly woman with a soft spot for homeless and abused women. As the book opens, Vera's favorite detective, Joe Ashworth, is in a train car when Margaret is murdered. The investigation of the murder draws us into the life of the bed and breakfast and its regulars, the women's shelter where Margaret volunteered, and the very tightly knit web of relationships in the small fishing town. Margaret had a great secret from her past that hides behind recent events, and before the secret is revealed, another murder has taken place and a third is threatened.

Vera and her detectives have difficulty coming up with a theory to tie the past to the present, and attempts toward that resolution contain enough truth to be convincing while heading into some dead ends until, of course, the last piece falls into place. The frustrations of trying to get information from closed-mouth locals who distrust the police are keenly felt by both Vera and Joe. Vera takes a more active role in the investigation than her position would actually require, and she feels deep guilt as the slow pace of progress results in a second murder and an abduction. The reader is caught up in the anxiety of the characters more than in the suspense of the decades old intrigue, resulting in an engaging but not particularly fast-paced read. Cleeves brings the setting to life so that the reader can almost smell the fish and see the land- and seascape. HARBOUR STREET, while not the most beautiful seaside locale, is a fascinating place to spend a few hours.

This review first appeared at www.reviewingtheevidence.com.

Just started reading this series and this particular book didn't disappoint! I never thought a certain someone would end up being the killer. I couldn't put the story down once I started, I absolutely love this series!

First Sentence: Joe pushed through the crowd.

The last think Detective Joe Ashworth expects when taking his daughter Jessie Christmas shopping, is that she will find a dead body on the Metro. Margaret Krukowsky had been a long-term resident at Harbour House, but even those who spent time with her, know almost nothing about her. Only when a second woman dies, do the facts start to come forward, and put Jessie in danger.

How nice to have a story opening at the beginning of the actually story; no prologue. Not only is the setting established, but we also have a sense of the character for one of the protagonists, Joe. And Vera; how can one not like Vera and her no-nonsense style, her self-awareness—“She didn’t take notes at this point. Notes stopped her concentrating.”--and her awareness of, and relationship to, others: “On the platform in the distance she saw Joe Ashworth. Her sergeant and her surrogate son, her protégé. And her conscience.”

One sign of a really good author is when one wants to share passages and dialogue from the book with others. With Cleeves, it’s hard to know where to stop, short of the entire book. It is also very clever of Cleeves to allow us into Vera’s internal narrative, as well as see her from the perspective of others—“…Holly wondered if she’d get a bollocking again for complaining. She felt every contact with Vera Stanhope was like an approach to a large and unpredictable dog. You never knew whether it would lick you to death or take a chunk out of your leg.”

Although Vera is certainly the central character, this is an ensemble cast with each member of her team being significant. It is also nice to learn about the other members of her team, as well as about Vera growing up. All of it combines to provide dimension to the characters. But Cleeves also gives one insight into the other characters, as well. It is nice when a case is solved by footwork, and by following the clues.

“Harbour Street” is another wonderful book by Ann Cleeves, with a complex, twisty plot, including one major twist at the end. If you’ve not read her before, it’s not too late to start.

HARBOUR STREET: A Vera Stanhope Mystery (Pol Proc-Vera Stanhope-England-Contemp) – VG+
Cleeves, Ann – 6th in series
Minotaur Books – Dec 2015

First Sentence: Joe pushed through the crowd.

The last think Detective Joe Ashworth expects when taking his daughter Jessie Christmas shopping, is that she will find a dead body on the Metro. Margaret Krukowsky had been a long-term resident at Harbour House, but even those who spent time with her, know almost nothing about her. Only when a second woman dies, do the facts start to come forward, and put Jessie in danger.

How nice to have a story opening at the beginning of the actually story; no prologue. Not only is the setting established, but we also have a sense of the character for one of the protagonists, Joe. And Vera; how can one not like Vera and her no-nonsense style, her self-awareness—“She didn’t take notes at this point. Notes stopped her concentrating.”--and her awareness of, and relationship to, others: “On the platform in the distance she saw Joe Ashworth. Her sergeant and her surrogate son, her protégé. And her conscience.”

One sign of a really good author is when one wants to share passages and dialogue from the book with others. With Cleeves, it’s hard to know where to stop, short of the entire book. It is also very clever of Cleeves to allow us into Vera’s internal narrative, as well as see her from the perspective of others—“…Holly wondered if she’d get a bollocking again for complaining. She felt every contact with Vera Stanhope was like an approach to a large and unpredictable dog. You never knew whether it would lick you to death or take a chunk out of your leg.”

Although Vera is certainly the central character, this is an ensemble cast with each member of her team being significant. It is also nice to learn about the other members of her team, as well as about Vera growing up. All of it combines to provide dimension to the characters. But Cleeves also gives one insight into the other characters, as well. It is nice when a case is solved by footwork, and by following the clues.

“Harbour Street” is another wonderful book by Ann Cleeves, with a complex, twisty plot, including one major twist at the end. If you’ve not read her before, it’s not too late to start.

HARBOUR STREET: A Vera Stanhope Mystery (Pol Proc-Vera Stanhope-England-Contemp) – VG+
Cleeves, Ann – 6th in series
Minotaur Books – Dec 2015

Excellent and efficient transaction. Thank you!

I love Vera Stanhope. I found out about her on TV so I thought I'd try the book. It was wonderful. I can't wait for the next one to get here.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I actually bought another book by the author and really liked it.

I am half way through reading this book and it's very good. The plot is great and the characters are very interesting so far. Love Vera! I loved the PBS show and never missed an episode including this one but don't remember the actual ending so I can read this book without knowing who done it.