At the beginning of the year, I made a list of authors that I've been saying I need to read and commit to reading at least one book by each of the authors in 2025. Here's my thoughts on one of those books/authors.
Blurb: At the isolated Baikie's Cottage on the North Pennines, three very different women come together to complete an environmental survey. Three women who, in some way or another, know the meaning of betrayal...
For team leader Rachael Lambert the project is the perfect opportunity to rebuild her confidence after a double-betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Botanist Anne Preece, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And then there is Grace Fulwell, a strange, uncommunicative young woman with plenty of her own secrets to hide...
When Rachael arrives at the cottage, however, she is horrified to discover the body of her friend Bella Furness. Bella, it appears, has committed suicide - a verdict Rachael finds impossible to accept.
Only when the next death occurs does a fourth woman enter the picture - the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, who must piece together the truth from these women's tangled lives...
For team leader Rachael Lambert the project is the perfect opportunity to rebuild her confidence after a double-betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Botanist Anne Preece, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And then there is Grace Fulwell, a strange, uncommunicative young woman with plenty of her own secrets to hide...
When Rachael arrives at the cottage, however, she is horrified to discover the body of her friend Bella Furness. Bella, it appears, has committed suicide - a verdict Rachael finds impossible to accept.
Only when the next death occurs does a fourth woman enter the picture - the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, who must piece together the truth from these women's tangled lives...
My Thoughts: This was not what I was expecting at all and that's not a bad thing! I was fully expecting this to be a cozy English countryside mystery with a quirky detective. I guess in very broad strokes it is all of those things. It takes place in the countryside and Vera is definitely quirky however, I definitely would consider this a cozy read. This is the story of 3 very complicated women who are living in a cottage in the woods working on environmental surveys. Vera shows up about halfway through the book after an unexpected murder with no immediate suspects (but a few possibilities) and is determined to untangle the mess at Baikie's Cottage. I had about 45 theories as the book went along and still ended up surprised. This was my first time meeting Vera but it definitely won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and look forward to the next Vera book. My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
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