THE RISING TIDE

5 stars out of 5

Vera Stanhope isn't the most glamorous of police detectives anywhere, let alone in Northumberland, England, but she's a woman after my own heart. More than a little overweight and far from a fashion icon, her investigative skills are more than sufficient to lead a competent team of detectives as she deals with the toughest of cases. For the record, this is the 10th book in the series; I've read only one other as well as a couple of other books by this prolific, and very talented, author - and as the happy recipient of a pre-release copy of this one, I was looking forward to starting it.

As well I should have been; it certainly didn't disappoint. Holy Island has been the setting for every-five-year reunions of a tightly knit group of school friends who bonded some 50 years earlier on a sort of Outward Bound experience here organized by a former teacher. They come from varied backgrounds and professions - Annie, Daniel, Lou, Ken, Rich and Philip - and a couple have been married, divorced and married to another in the original group. They commune with nature, each other and try to avoid discussing the death that happened on their very first five-year-reunion many years earlier. One member, it seems, drove off in a huff and was caught in the incoming tide that makes the causeway to the island impassible during specified times. 

This year's meeting is much like all the others, with blustery Rick - who just lost his TV journalist job amid allegations of inappropriate behavior (how timely is that??) but is touting the book he plans to write. Annie's husband Ken is in the throes of dementia, and Annie - part owner of a deli on the mainland - oversees the food. All is well, in fact, until it isn't; Annie finds Rick in his room - the most pretentious and well-appointed one in the place, of course - quite dead.

Enter Vera and her team of investigators, Joe Ashworth and Holly Clarke, who conclude early on that the murderer - and yes, Rick's death was murder - most likely is a member of the reunion group. But who? And why? The rest of the book focuses on the deliciously involved backgrounds of and interactions among the characters and their significant others (both former and current). There's plenty of description of the island and its background as well, plus detailed outlines of the progress of Vera's investigation. The ending? Well, I wasn't terribly surprised at the identity of the murderer, but something else that happened blew my mind (and not in a good way).

If this is a series you're following, I think you'll like this entry; if not, it stands well on its own (but I always advise starting at the beginning if possible - these books really are worth it). As for me, I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for once again allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. 

The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves (Minotaur Books, September 2022); 384 pp.