Frozen: A Vera Stanhope Short Story by Ann Cleeves
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by LavenderFor once, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope is managing to have a good day off. Strolling around town, she ducks into a new bookshop in a renovated chapel. But just as she does, a skeleton is discovered in the old baptismal font. Soon, a decade old mystery is revived, and Vera must uncover secrets long buried before this case once again goes cold.
Frozen is a short and exciting introduction to a detective inspector (DI) series. Even as an intro, it is a self-contained story, complete, and entertaining.
Vera Stanhope is a DI having a normal day when she chances upon chapel being redone into a bookstore. Then, to her surprise, there is a skeleton there! One thing leads to another, and a mystery unfolds. This is a cold case. The victim had died many years before. The clothes alert Vera to an unsolved case about a missing girl.
Vera searches for answers and comes across as clever and intuitive.
She approaches relatives and acquaintances of the poor victim and digs deeper for answers. Who could have killed the girl? The details are just right, bringing readers along for the ride.
Even though this is a short story, it is told in such a manner and with a few twists to lead readers to a satisfying conclusion. Why not give this little mystery a try?
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