The Seagull

Ann Cleeves’ eighth novel about DI Vera Stanhope delves a little deeper into the past of the detective’s errant, egg-stealing father Hector and his cronies, the self-titled “Gang Of Four”. It all starts when former Detective Superintendent John Brace points her in the direction of the long-dead remains of another member of this shady group. From there, Vera uncovers a conspiracy of silence and illicit past relationships, all of which comes to a climax that is uncomfortably close to home. Unlike other long-running detective series, the main protagonist is not incredibly brilliant or even heroic, just human. That insistence on her ordinariness makes her a believable and compelling character.