Book Review: THE CROW TRAP by Ann Cleeves

The Book

The Crow Trap is the first book in Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope series—which is now a major ITV detective drama starring Brenda Blethyn, VERA. 

Three very different women come together at isolated Baikie's Cottage on the North Pennines, to complete an environmental survey. Three women who each know the meaning of betrayal ...Rachael, the team leader, is still reeling after a double betrayal by her lover and boss, Peter Kemp. Anne, a botanist, sees the survey as a chance to indulge in a little deception of her own. And then there is Grace, a strange, uncommunicative young woman, hiding plenty of her own secrets. 

Rachael is the first to arrive at the cottage, where she discovers the body of her friend, Bella Furness. Bella, it appears, has committed suicide—a verdict Rachael refuses to accept. When another death occurs, a fourth woman enters the picture—the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope ...Also available in the Vera Stanhope series are Telling Tales, Hidden Depths, Silent Voices and The Glass Room. Ann Cleeves' Shetland series (BBC television drama SHETLAND) contains five titles, of which Dead Water is the most recent.

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A Reader's Opinion 

This is the first in the Vera Stanhope series by the very talented Ann Cleeves. It's now been made into a successful TV drama. I've never seen it, but my son live's next-door to the actress who plays Vera, so I got curious enough to buy the book. 

It's a very well written story about the murder of a young conservationist, Grace, and her father Edmund. The best thing about the book is the setting. The countryside and wildlife of the North Pennines are described beautifully.

Grace was living in an old farm house donated to the Wildlife Trust when the last owner, Constance Baikie, passed away, with two other women conservationists. Their purpose was to write an environmental impact report to help decide whether a proposed quarry could be dug into the area. There are many people against the idea, and many people that would gain financially from the quarry, but who would gain the most if the environmental impact report couldn't be finished, or the results were fake? The brilliantly written character Inspector Vera Stanhope and her sidekick, Ashworth, will be investigating. 

This was a great, all round, book with everything from murder scenes, family secrets and comedy. Highly recommended. I give it four stars out of five.

—Review by Yolanda

 

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A Reader's Opinion: PURSUIT by Gene Hackman

GENE HACKMAN brings his richly diverse literary voice to a gripping new thriller that pits a devoted police sergeant against a predator who may cost her everything that matters.

AMAZON

“I’ll say this for the last time. Take your hand off the shotgun.” In a tense standoff with a shopping mall shooter, Sergeant Juliette Worth has the suspect about to surrender—then in a few explosive seconds, she takes him down.

Usually a by-the-book cop, Julie has too much at stake, raising her daughter on her own, to break protocol—until the mall killer pushes her over the line. Instead of kudos for saving his hostage, the Missouri State Criminal Investigation Unit hands Julie cold case duty. Among the forgotten files, she uncovers a disturbing connection between disappearances from years ago—all pretty girls, all presumed runaways. Now Julie’s instincts have her hunting a predator still very much in the picture. Someone who pulls Julie into a harrowing chase—by abducting her own daughter. . . .

A Reader's Opinion

This was a surprise read for me, and I'll admit I picked it up because I'm a fan of Gene Hackman, the actor. I was curious what he could do as a writer. Pursuit is an edgy thriller that reads a little like some of Hackman's movies, and it was a great ride. Julie Worth is an interesting character. I'm not sure if she was supposed to be likable because that wasn't my initial reaction, but I liked her all the same. Charles Clegg—a veritable bad guy—gives a whole new meaning to evil. You don't often see serial killers written with such control, but this one does, and it's beyond creepy. There were some predictable moments, but even then, the suspense and pace didn't ease up. With an interesting cast of secondary characters, and a few surprises, this is one thrill ride that leaves a reader wanting more from this author. 

Content note: There is a lot more language than I prefer to read in a book, but otherwise it was a surprisingly clean read for the darker subject matter.

BAI TIDE: An Espionage Thriller by Erika Mitchell

While the rules of the genre require our hero to of course prevail in the end, Bai Tide supplies real suspense and real stakes along the way. You'll enjoy going along for the ride. —Karen Burns, Amazon Reviewer

 

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About the Book

Title: Bai Tide  

Author: Erika Mitchell  

Genre: Espionage Thriller 

After the events of Blood Money, CIA case officer Bai Hsu is assigned to a high-security private school for what he’s told is an easy assignment. Just a few months after he arrives, a hostile operative with ties to North Korea tries to break in to a school event, with motives unknown. As his investigation progresses, he unravels a plot that, if not stopped, will result in the untimely and murderous deaths of tens of millions of people. Bai Tide is Bai’s greatest challenge yet. A mission that will take him from the windswept beaches of San Diego to a whiteout blizzard in the foothills of Pyongyang, and make him question everything he thought he knew about working in the field…and about himself.   

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Praise for Bai Tide

“BAI TIDE is a classic spy tale with blisteringly original characters set against the up-tempo backdrop of North Korean-American relations. Erika Mitchell turns the Asian theater of operations into her personal literary playground for fashioning a no-holds-barred thriller that reads like a post-modern combination of Frederick Forsyth and John Le Carre with just enough Len Deighton sprinkled in for good measure. A thinking man’s, or woman’s, page turner that revs in the red from artful beginning to crafty climax.”

–Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author of Strong Darkness

“Bai Tide starts with a bang, then escalates. An intriguing espionage thriller with a protagonist who’s a cross between Bruce Lee and James Bond, it was pure entertainment from the beaches of San Diego to the snow covered North Korea countryside. Devoured it in a sitting. I’m looking forward to more sleepless nights from Erika Mitchell.”

–Robert Dugoni, NY Times and #1 Amazon Bestselling Author of My Sister’s Grave

“High octane action combined with the slow burn of great, unforgettable characters. The kind of book that demands to be read in a single long burst. Almost impossible to put down. This one will be on your mind long after you’ve finished it.”

–Ted Kosmatka, 2010 Asimov’s Readers’ Choice Award-winning author of Prophet of Bones.

Enjoy an Excerpt from Bai Tide

Agnes’s office at the end of the hall was largest of all and afforded a stunning view of the dormitory, classrooms, and most of the thirty acres of property the school owned. I sat in one of the frigid-from-the-air-conditioning leather armchairs in the corner and pressed the blinking yellow light on the secure teleconference device that sat on the table to my left.

The projected image of a man I’d never met lit up the wall in front of me. He was seated behind a desk, typing on a keyboard off-screen. He kept typing for a few seconds after I picked up the call, then clicked his mouse before looking into the camera.

He cleared his throat. “Mr. Broccoli, I presume?” He sounded American, appeared to be in his late fifties, and had the lean look of a man who’s stayed active his whole life.

“It depends. Who are you?” Maybe my reply seems rude, but you learn quickly in the intelligence community that a stranger is a potential enemy until proven otherwise.

“Nice James Bond reference. I like your sense of humor.” He smiled, revealing even white teeth and crinkling blue eyes. He had a good haircut and a nice tie, so I distrusted him out of hand. Government work doesn’t generally pay well enough to afford ties like that.

“Glad to hear it.”

“My name’s Arthur Peters. I work with the State Department.”

I resisted the urge to gulp. Mr. Nice Tie Nice Eyes didn’t just work with the State Department. He was the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs. He was one of those behind-the-scenes guy who knew the secrets’ secrets, and it made me very, very nervous that all my poking around had attracted his attention. This meant something big was burbling in the watchdog section of the State Department and it had something to do with the jackhole who’d tried to blow me up.

 

About the Author

A Reader's Opinion: IDENTITY THIEF by JP Bloch

The Book
"Once you step inside the door called "Crime," anything can happen to you."

Out of work, down on your luck, desperate for cash. What if you could get rich with a few strokes of the keyboard? All you have to do is become someone else.

But nothing’s that simple in this fast-paced, psychological thriller. As the story dangerously snowballs downhill, the characters discover how losing themselves can lead to duplicity, blackmail, and sometimes murder.

JP Bloch’s darkly comic, edgy exploration of the mystery of the self will keep you guessing until the last word. You’ll come away agreeing with the identity thief that “the biggest mistake you can make is thinking you know who you are.”

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A Reader's Opinion

You know the old saying, don't judge a book by its cover? Well I certainly learnt that lesson from this title. I would never have picked it up in a book shop just because the cover didn't appeal to me, but I'm so pleased I was asked to review it for Books & Benches.

It begins with an average guy leading an average life. His wife is cheating on him with his best friend and he loses his job. Without his paycheque, Betsy, the wife, decides to kick him out and move in with her rich lover. There's no way he's going to leave his beloved son with them so they leave in the middle of the night. With no job or real home, he doesn't know how he'll keep on going, but then living by the book has never gotten him far before. 

Whilst staying at his mother's, some mail arrives for the previous owner, and the idea to steal an identity becomes a reality within a few clicks of a computer. He becomes the very successful Dr. Jesse Falcon and lives very comfortably off his money. Unfortunately, the real Jesse Falcon isn't a very nice guy, the cops are looking for him, and it gets very messy indeed. The end is a twist I didn't see coming at all.

3 1/2 stars

-Reviewed by Yolanda 

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