- Paperback: 549 pages
- Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK (Oct 22 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 033038998X
- ISBN-13: 978-0330389983
- Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 10.9 x 3.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #340,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
An ingenious psychological suspense novel.At the isolated Baikie`s Cottage on the North Pennines, three very different women come together. Three women who each know the meaning of betrayal... For team leader Rachael the project is the perfect opportunity to rebuild her confidence after a double-betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Botanist Anne, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And then there is Grace, 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...
About the Author
Ann Cleeves lives in West Yorkshire with her husband and their two daughters. As a member of the ‘Murder Squad’, Ann works with other Northern writers to promote crime fiction. She has published four novels of psychological suspense and her stunning new novel, Raven Black , will be out in hardback in February 2006. Ann is also the author of the Inspector Ramsay novels.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ann Cleeves does it again!, Oct 16 2009
By Cathy G. Cole - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Crow Trap (Paperback)
In the North Pennines on Black Law Farm is an isolated cottage, Baikie's Cottage. Businessmen want to open a quarry nearby, and three young women are using Baikie's as a base for the environmental study they must conduct. When Rachael, the team leader, arrives at Baikie's, she discovers the body of her friend, Black Law Farm owner Bella Furness. Apparently Bella has committed suicide, and Rachael finds that impossible to accept. And when the next death occurs, a fourth woman arrives at Baikie's Cottage: Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope.
Sometimes a writer branches out into different series with varying degrees of success. Ann Cleeves is one of those writers whose books I enjoy regardless of the series of which they're a part. Cleeves' Shetland Quartet is how I first became acquainted with her talent, and once I discovered that she'd written other series, I had to try those as well.
The Crow Trap starts out at a very deliberate pace. All three young women are introduced and their back stories are given while the plot advances. The area around Baikie's Cottage feels closed off, overcast and claustrophobic, as do the young women themselves. The atmosphere itself is rank with secrecy. It's not until page 230 of The Crow Trap that Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope makes her formal appearance:
"She was a large woman-- big bones amply covered, a bulbous nose, man-sized feet. Her legs were bare and she wore leather sandals. Her square toes were covered in mud. Her face was blotched and pitted so Rachael thought she must suffer from some skin complaint or allergy. Over her clothes she wore a transparent mac and she stood there, the rain dripping from it onto the floor, grey hair sleeked dark to her forehead, like a middle-aged tripper caught in a sudden storm on Blackpool prom."
Not your usual inspector, is our Vera. Her mother died while Vera was still quite young, and she grew up with her bird-obsessed father, living with him until his death. Vera still lives in the family home close to the railway. From her many treks across the moors with her father in search of birds and other wildlife, Vera has learned the value of patience, of standing still and quiet, of observing, of listening. These skills are all put to good use during an investigation in which everyone has something they want to remain hidden.
I was in the perfect mood for this book. I wanted something with atmosphere and detail, something that unfolded slowly and steadily, something that had marvelous characterizations. Once again, Cleeves has exceeded my expectations, since I not only read a marvelous book but gained a new inspector to follow.
If you're in the mood for English mysteries with plenty of plot and personality, it would be difficult to find an author better at delivering the goods than Ann Cleeves.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive Shetland Mystery, July 30 2009
By Lisa Marie - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Crow Trap (Paperback)
Author Ann Cleeves has created a completely original and engaging character with police detective Vera Stanhope. (For those familiar with the late RD Wingfield's wonderful police series, she is a female version of Det. Insp. Jack Frost!) Vera is loud, uncouth, and overweight. She is also keenly intelligent, shoots from the hip and does not suffer fools gladly. While Vera doesn't make her entrance until nearly midway through the story, there is enough psychological drama and tension to keep the most critical reader hooked. The characters are well-drawn and intriguing, and Cleeves does a remarkable job of providing insight into each of them, all the while maintaining suspense and mystery. I've read all the Vera books and have been impressed with each one. I only hope Ms. Cleeves will pen another sometime soon!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, Nov 6 2010
By Jasmina11 - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Crow Trap (Paperback)
I also first came upon Ann Cleeves through the wonderful Shetland mysteries and immediately sought out her earlier works. Happily the Vera Stanhope books have just been re-issued (due to a new TV series starring Brenda Blethen as Vera). This is a suspenseful novel with interesting, varied and beautifully drawn characters, all of whom come alive on the page, with a strong sense of place. I couldn't put it down. Such a treat to read a well-written mystery where you're absorbed by the characters as well as compelling plot developments. Ann Cleeves is among the best, can't wait to begin Telling Tales (the next Vera book).
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