Library Journal Review

Brenda Blethyn reprises her role as Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope in this addictive British mystery series set in northeast England and based on the stories of author Ann Cleeves. In these four feature-length episodes, there is a common thread: each murder is the end result of complicated relationships, some going back years. Vera is a bulldog when it comes to her investigations and often doesn't spare the feelings of her long-suffering sergeant, Joe Ashworth (David Leon), or those of the other members of the team (a superb supporting cast). As with the cases she probes, Vera herself is complex, with a sad and somewhat messy past. She drinks too much, she eats all the wrong things-in short, she's as flawed as the rest of us. She is also lonely-her cases (and her colleagues) are her life. -Verdict A first-rate mystery series, suitable for public libraries. Sets one and two are still available-buy them all.-Joan Greenberg, -Warminster, PA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.