The Rising Tide

The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves
9/6/22; 384 pages
Minotaur Books
Vera Stanhope Series #10

The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves is a highly recommended murder mystery and procedural.

For fifty year a group of friends have been meeting every five years for reunions at Pilgrims’ House on Holy Island. They all first met on a school trip when they were sixteen and have remained friends since. From the original group, Phillip, Annie, Lou, Ken, and Rick are present. When Annie finds Rick is dead, apparently by hanging himself, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope and her Northumbria Police colleagues are called in to investigate. When an autopsy reveals someone smothered Rick before faking the hanging, Vera and her team must uncover the hidden truth behind the crime.

In this excellent, complex procedural expect to find a plethora of suspects and motives. Although this is the tenth book in the series, it most certainly can be read as a stand alone.  It is vastly entertaining to follow the investigation while fine tuning your own list of suspects based on the information and background uncovered. There is a real sense of danger as the fast paced plot moves forward.

This is a character driven drama, so the most important thing to do is pay attention to the descriptions of the many characters while suspecting everyone as you follow Vera's investigation. Even the setting provides plenty of opportunities for problems with the tides and the fog. As each character is introduced and more information is revealed about them, keep track of everything. Vera does and details are going to matter. Cleeves provides all the information you need on each character and then proceeds to surprise you with where that information is going.

If you enjoy well-written procedurals, The Rising Tide will be a great choice. It will keep you guessing and considering suspects right up to the end.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Macmillian via NetGalley.