The Crow Trap (Vera Stanhope) Book 1 - Ann Cleeves

Three very different women come together to complete an environmental survey on the Northumberland countryside. Three women who, in some way or another, know the meaning of betrayal... For team leader Rachael Lambert the project is the project opportunity to rebuild her confidence after a double-betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Botanist Ann Preece, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And there is Grace Fulwell, a strange, uncommunicative young women 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 women enter the picture - the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope, who must piece together the truth from these women's tangled lives in The Crow Trap.

Written in a completely different style to that of the Shetland series Ann Cleeves introduces to one of  her other well known characters Vera Stanhope. The Crow Trap is the first in the series of books and is written in 3 parts over 537 pages.

Part one introduces you to the three main characters Rachael Lambert, Ann Preece and Grace Fulwell.  You get to know each of these women and the trials and tribulations of their lives and their perception of their other house mates.  For some they may find that becoming so involved in the lives of these women is not necessarily relevant to the crux of the story but I actually preferred getting to know each of the characters as individuals before the introducing DI Stanhope. At the end of Part one a crime has been committed and a body found.

Part two brings in DI Vera Stanhope to investigate the crime, who comes across as a female version of Columbo.  Now he came across as the bumbling detective but we all know  behind that persona was a very intuitive man. In part two Ann Cleeves introduces the wider characters, each has something to gain from the demise and be responsible for the murder of not one but two.


Part three we start and get to know more about Vera and her background from her turbulent relationship with her father to Vera herself.  She continues to investigate the murders that have taken place and gradually puts together pieces of the jigsaw. By this stage in the book I think you will probably have your own suspects and its more about finding out whether you are right or whether a curve ball  has been thrown right at the end....

I have watched some of the tv series Vera but don't remember seeing this one which was better in away as it meant I didn't have preconceived ideas on how the book would go.  I really enjoyed reading The Crow Trap and will definitely be reading further books in this and the Shetland series of novels, for now though I will move onto one or two other authors for a while.

Mx