The Crow Trap

A Vera Stanhope Mystery

By: Ann Cleeves

Narrated by: Anne Dover

Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

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.

©1999 Ann Cleeves (P)2017 Isis Publishing Ltd

Different but loved it

If this is your first Ann Cleeves novel I say skip it and come back to it after you've listened to a few others. It is different than her later works. I enjoyed it very much in spite of the different style. The character development was more extensive and it took longer for Vera to step in. I find these novels quite relaxing to listen too.

Worth the Wait

I love this series. I'm pretty skeptical of a female detective novels because I feel like they all fill the same formula. But Vera has always been different. I enjoyed this story in particular because it allowed the main players in the narrative to be fully developed. I liked that we didn't get to hear Vera's voice until the climax. We've heard Vera's background story at nauseum in the earlier books so allowing her character to be a side player rather than the central figure was a refreshing way to progress the story. The plot was slightly unbelievable, but over all it was well worth the credit and kept me guessing until the end.

Great Vera!

I'm a big Vera fan but had never listened to this one. It's amazing. Well developed characters, proper number of red herrings, and intriguing plot. Loved it!

Terrible writing and

Fat shaming. Endless alcohol. Too confusing Few characters are are much likable. Especially Vera who is a bit sadistic.

The Beginning of Vera

I'm an enthusiastic fan of British mysteries. My local PBS television station airs many of these shows and I watch all of them. That's where I discovered Vera Stanhope. She's a complex character. It took me some time to understand and appreciate her. Now I wouldn't want to miss any of the books in this series.

This book was published in 1999, and I believe was the first of the Vera Stanhope stories. The characters are complex and well developed. The setting is unique. I didn't find the characters quite as compelling as characters in later books, and that's why I gave a 4 rating rather than a 5.

Anne Dover's narration is excellent.

If you enjoy Ann Cleeves writing don't hesitate to get this book.

unexpected

Any additional comments?

I've read/listened to a few of the books in this series (not in any order). This one was not what I expected. Vera - the eponymous detective - didn't show up until the final third of the book.

I enjoyed the story quite a lot, but it wasn't what I expected given the other titles in the series.
Keep an open mind - this is a very good story - well worth the time. The various tales of the researchers are well told and fascinating in their own rights. And, there's a nice chuck of Vera musing on her youth (just be patient)

Love it

Kept my interest all throughout the book. Would recommend the book looking forward. To the next

Great mystery

Great mystery by Ann, she's one of my favorite mystery writers.
Narration was a bit quick at first ... so had to slow up , to get into story then able to click to normal pace and enjoy the twists!

Not a proper mystery

I dislike books where the writer holds back clues to the case and reveals them secretly to the detective only at the end. No reader could possibly figure out the killer because there are no clues in the story. All is revealed by a surprise witness to the detective 20 minutes from the end of the book and then revealed to the reader after the killer is caught 4 minutes prior to the end. Cleeves pulled the same trick in another recent novel that took place in a hotel on Harbour street. Vera' life is always interesting but as far as a mystery goes forget this one. Mike Dunn

Not what I expected

I am a big fan of Cleeve's Shetland Island series. Jimmy Peres is a presence from beginning to end. I like that.

Maybe my mistake was watching the Vera series on TV first. I was expecting the format and the personalities to be similar. Not at all. Besides which, Vera doesn't make an appearance until over halfway through the book. The one appearance Joe makes during that time, makes him seem like a real dullard.

Now that I am about an hour away from the end, Vera, Joe and her team actually become a real part of the story.

This Vera is not very likable, nor is Joe. In fact I find no characters at all that I care much about much less what happens to them. That removes what little suspense there is in Cleeves' work.

I'm willing to try book #2 but if there is no improvement, I am returning them both, and will re-read Shetland Island series.