I admit that I am so deeply invested in the characters in both the Shetland and Vera series by Ann Cleeves that I can't imagine ever reading a bad book in either series. I, in fact, finished the Shetland series quite a while ago without ever being disappointed by one of those. I am always happy if the books continue to further develop the characters and age them, more-or-less, in real time between story lines. Plots are somewhat secondary. So all of my comments on either series come with that warning.
The Rising Tide is no exception. This one from 2022 finds Vera rather foolishly putting herself in near-fatal personal danger during an investigation when she runs off half-cocked without waiting for any of her team to accompany her. That's not something I thought Vera - who's not exactly in fighting condition anymore - capable of. But then, Vera does expose many of her personal weaknesses and emotional flaws in this one, also, and that all just serves to make her more vulnerable and real to readers who have watched her change over the years.
The basic premise of this one is that a now-elderly small group of high school friends gathers every five years on what becomes an island when the tide comes in each day. This time one of them appears to have been murdered, and because the murder happened on an island the number of suspects is limited. But is it really? Or did someone time access to the island perfectly enough to get onto the island, commit a murder, and get back off again just in the nick of time? It's all up to Vera, Joe, and the rest of the team to figure it all out.
But really, it's this relatively new self-reflective Vera who makes The Rising Tide a special book to me. Vera realizes now that she sees Joe as the son she never had, and that by keeping him tethered to her the way she does will only limit his longterm career with the police, not enhance it. But in the end, she just can't turn loose. It will be interesting to see where Cleeves is going to take their relationship next.
You guessed it...I have to give this one a full five-star rating.
I have actually not read any of the books which seems mad considering how much I love the TV series and have seen every single episode! What I didn't realise is that Brenda Blethyn is now *77* years old. I gather the actor playing DS Aiden Healey has decided not to do any more so DS Joe Ashworth is back after a long absence. So that will be interesting.
ReplyDeleteSorry that was me, 'Cath', I have a new pc with W10 and it makes me sign in with Google every time I want to comment on a blog. Sometimes I forget. Don'tcha just 'love' technology 'progress'.
ReplyDeleteI don't have access to the last three seasons right now because I generally rotate through the services that offer things like Vera (usually Brit Box and Acorn). If I don't do that, I sometimes wake up and realize I'm paying for a lot of service I'm not using because I've "caught up" with their programming at the moment. I plan to go back and binge/catch up again at some point. My favorite series of hers was Shetland, and I wish that one were still going.
DeleteI love when favorite characters continue to surprise and to grow and change. It's what makes me keep reading a series over time. I've always been a very character-driven reader. :D
ReplyDeleteMe, too. That's what draws me so strongly toward good series reading. I've read some of them almost from the beginning over a couple - or three - decades; others I discover and binge-read in just a few months. Good writing is all about the characters; plots are two similar among otherwise excellent writers to keep me interested for very long.
DeleteI certainly enjoyed the story, but the icing on the cake for me was the fact that I'd actually driven over the causeway and had a wander around Holy (Lindisfarne) Island. I could "see" everything.
ReplyDelete"Anonymous" my great-aunt Fanny!
DeleteThat must have been quite an experience, Cathy. I can imagine how different it would be to read The Rising Tide after having that experience. I did take a look at the location via Google Earth, but that's not nearly the same thing.
DeleteHi Sam, Ann Cleeves is very talented and, for me, the Vera offerings are a favorite. I enjoyed this one. Nice to see you post.
ReplyDeleteHi, Diane. Thanks for stopping by. I actually prefer the Shetland series, but love the Vera ones, too. Probably because I stumbled upon the Shetland TV series a while before I actually picked up a book by Cleeves. I was really into the Jimmy Pérez character before I read anything.
DeleteI am glad to see you doing more posts here lately. I haven't been well in the last week and did not see these posts until today.
ReplyDeleteI have read 4 books from the Shetland series and 3 from the Vera series. I liked them all but I haven't keep up with reading them. I do have the next Vera in the house, but none of the Shetland series. I will be checking for some of those at the September book sale.
Hi, Tracy. Hope you are feeling well now. I'm hoping that I will be able to post fairly regularly for the longterm this time around. I've gotten my hopes up a couple of times but didn't make it. Last time I tried, I came down with Covid (guess it had to happen sooner or later) and found myself battling that thing for almost two months.
DeleteCleeves has a special talent for developing very believable characters, I think, but for me the real beauty of her characters is that they are never static...they change over time just like the rest of us. I don't think their plots are that much better than those of a number of other writers, but once one of her lead characters "clicks" for you, it's hard not to keep returning to them. It may take a little longer for that to happen when you "spot read" through the series over a long time...wondering.
I am still experiencing fatigue and stomach problems, but I am hoping it will be resolved soon. I am sorry to hear that you had Covid and that it hung on for so long. In that area my husband and I have been very lucky but we don't socialize a lot so have less opportunity for exposure.
DeleteI think I would do better with some series if I read them more regularly, and sometimes think I should narrow down the authors I am am reading and not read so many new ones (new to me, I don't read a lot of current authors). I had a 3-4 year gap between book 6 in the Slow Horses series by Mick Herron, and that made it a bit harder to get into book 7, but now I have read all the novels in that series. Still have a couple of novellas to read.
But I am getting so much out of reading more different genres, that I hate to limit myself.
Sorry to see that your illness continues to cause you some problems. That gets old really quick. Good luck. By the way, I caught Covid at my 57th high school reunion...first one I had gone back to attend since the 20th.
DeleteMick Herron's Slow Horses series is one I found myself burning right through, and now I'm looking forward to new novels or novellas. I'd even settle for more short stories at this point.
A few other leads in the series I've read for decades have become better known to me than some of my own cousins, sad as that is to admit. The only one that has gone stale on me that I can think of is James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series. I think that a combination of Burke's age and his boredom with the characters shows badly nowadays. He's turned what used to be one of the grittiest detective series imaginable into some combination of horror and ghost story in the last book or so. I find that sad.
Sam, I had to come back and comment on your 57th high school reunion. That sounded like a lot of years, but I realized that I graduated from high school in 1966, so my high school reunion would be this year, which would be the 57th reunion. I have never been to one of my reunions. By the time of my 10th reunion, I had moved to California. My husband, who is two years younger than I am, recently got the announcement for his 55th reunion, back in Dayton, Ohio. He had also moved to California before his 10 year reunion. Amazing.
DeleteScary, isn't it? I graduated at a small Southeast Texas high school in May 1966 - and I had to check my calculation twice before I believed it :-)
DeleteI think this is my next Vera Stanhope (I like how the audiobook narrator pronounces it "Stan-up"). I did not care for her at first but now have become a big fan.
ReplyDeleteI love that pronunciation, too. It has a certain flair and character that adds to the character a little bit. I have to admit that deep down inside, I still prefer the Shetland series, but Vera is such a unique character that she never fails to entertain me. Cleeves has definitely become one of my go-to writers.
DeleteHey, thanks for stopping by.