Telling Tales

A Vera Stanhope Mystery

By: Ann Cleeves

Narrated by: Julia Franklin

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's Summary

It has been 10 years since Jeanie Long was charged with the murder of 15-year-old Abigail Mantel. Now residents of the East Yorkshire village of Elvet are disturbed to hear of new evidence proving Jeanie's innocence. Abigail's killer is still at large.

For one young woman, Emma Bennett, the revelation brings back haunting memories of her vibrant best friend - and of that fearful winter's day when she had discovered her body lying cold in a ditch.

As Inspector Vera Stanhope makes fresh enquiries on the peninsula and villagers are hauled back to a time they hoped to forget, tensions begin to mount. But are people afraid of the killer or of their own guilty pasts?

With each person's story revisited, the inspector begins to suspect that some deadly secrets are threatening to unfurl....

©2005 Ann Cleeves (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic Reviews

"Demonstrating singular adeptness with mood and pacing, narrator Julia Franklin shines in this character-rich mystery set in northern England...Franklin's performance is direct and punchy, matching the speed and shrewdness of Vera's first-rate mind." (AudioFile Magazine)

What a fabulous book to listen to

I have read Ann Cleve's for years. And even watched some of the Vera series on television. As good as both of those were, listening to this one with the wonderful narration was an exceptional experience. If the same narrator reads the other books in the series, I'm going to be hooked for a while.

A mystery with depth!

Ann Cleeves is simply an astonishing writer. She creates characters who have complicated lives and motivations, well drawn in the short space she has for giving the reader (listener) a chance to enter into Vera’s world for a short while. Because that’s how it seems—as though we deeply enter into the Vera Stanhope space, with good insights into who she is as both a woman and a detective. But we also get to know the characters very well, so that by the end, her books always feel very satisfying in that way.

This story is a good mystery, a police procedural, but it also explores a moral question of the town’s collective guilt, as we learn from the beginning that a decade earlier the wrong person was convicted of a murder. And in her despair over not being heard as innocent, she has now committed suicide in prison. So this book has layers of exploration—for who the actual murderer is, and how people are handling the false imprisonment of a young woman.

This is a really good story, well read by Julia Franklin. Just dive in, it’s well worth the credit.If you have watched the Vera series on tv, you are in for a treat, because only in the books, can you get all the nuances of who Vera is, how she came to be the way she is, and have a chance to really know her better as a character in her own right.

Early Entry in the Series

The style of this book seems different to me than later entries. There is more character development and less time spent on the police procedural aspect. I enjoyed the book very much. However, if you are looking for a fast moving plot with lots of action you may be disappointed.

The mystery is a good one - I didn't figure it out before it was revealed in the story.

The cast of characters have interesting stories that are revealed throughout the book. But the star of the show is Vera Stanhope. She is unique and amazing - one of a kind.

If you enjoy Ann Cleeves writing I believe you will enjoy this book.

Was the story as good as the reader?

As an American am I qualified to judge the quality of the portrayal of English regional accents? Probably not but that will not stop me. I was totally sold on the portrayals by this reader. She was so good ( for me) it is hard to judge the merits of the story. She made it 5 stars for me. Can’t wait to start next in the series.

Vera doesn't disappoint

Cleeves does another masterful job of creating characters, plots and settings that ultimately are woven together into a clear narrative. I listened at every opportunity, finishing it in time comparable to listening to a new Louise Penny novel.

Boring

I’ve heard great things about the series. I liked the first one. I’ll give the 3rd one a try before I give up

not a favorite

just couldn't get into this one. story was very slow and I got bored with it

Good not great

Some difficulty staying with it. Dragged until Vera came into the story. Vera is such a strong character, it feels like she can bully the story through to its conclusion.

First book in the series was better

Liked the first book, ‘The Crow Trap’, more. But this book was the same style, a gossipy small town tied to its geography. Like in ‘The Crow Trap’, a long back story then Police Inspector Vera Stanhope puts in an appearance in the middle of the novel. Ann Cleeves novels are written for women readers, full of gossipy neighbors and hidden family problems and very unpredictable conclusions.

Best Vera ever!

Superb reader, intriguing plot. One of the best of Ann Cleeves's Vera mysteries on Audible yet!