This is the 9th book of the Vera Stanhope mystery series. I have read all of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope books. Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite authors. Her books are all very hard-to-solve mysteries. This one works great as a standalone but it's best to start with book 1 and get to know the characters.

Vera is on her way home and finds a toddler in a car which has slipped off the road. Brockburn is nearby so she makes her way there. It is the home where her father, Hector, grew up. She finds a party in full swing but a woman's body is also found on the grounds. Vera soon finds that Brockburn holds many secrets from the past.

The plot was fast-paced and the characters were believable. Holly is my favorite and I love the way Vera relies on Joe so much meanwhile Sal, Joe's wife, is always waiting for Joe to come home. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and highly recommend this book to those who love page-turning police procedurals.

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All's well with my world when there's a new Ann Cleeves mystery to savor, and I settled down with The Darkest Evening ready to enjoy a visit with one of my favorite fictional characters, Vera Stanhope. In this ninth book of the series, readers get to learn more about the rich and entitled branch of Vera's family about which she says, "That branch of the clan used politeness as a weapon of mass destruction." Deep in the winter snow and cold, we find that Vera is longing for the comfort of a bit of family and for a few like-minded friends-- all on her own terms, of course-- and I enjoyed Vera's reflections on her life.

Holly and Joe, the stars of Vera's hardworking team, also figure prominently in The Darkest Evening. From time to time, Holly reminded me of a young Vera, but then I realized that she was more like a sponge-- watching Vera, listening to her, absorbing the invaluable lessons the older woman has to share. In the meantime, Joe is Joe, although he does have trouble understanding an illness like anorexia which does have a part in the story.

The only thing that I didn't find to be "up to snuff" was the mystery itself, although I certainly did enjoy watching the investigation unfold. It was altogether too easy to deduce the killer's identity. But the rest is choice and what fans have come to expect from Ann Cleeves. Now if only I didn't have to wait for my next opportunity to tag along with Vera on an investigation!

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)

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