Vera Stanhope

When the body of Bella Furness is found at the isolated Baikie's Cottage on the North Pennines, it appears she has committed suicide - a verdict her friend Rachael finds impossible to accept. Only when the next death occurs does another woman enter the picture - the unconventional Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope...  Book 1 of series

There is some doubt about the guilty verdict of a murder that happened 10 years before in an East Yorkshire village, and now it would seem that the killer is still at large. Inspector Vera Stanhope builds up a picture of a community afraid of itself and of outsiders.  Book 2 of series.

On the Northumberland coast, Julie Armstrong arrives home from a night out to find her son murdered. Luke has been strangled, laid out in a bath of water, and covered with wild flowers. Vera Stanhope and her team must work quickly to find this dramatist, this killer who is making art out of death.  Book 3 of series

When DI Vera Stanhope finds the body of a woman in the sauna room of her local gym, she wonders briefly if, for once in her life, she's uncovered a simple death from natural causes. But a closer inspection reveals ligature marks around the victim's throat - death is never that simple...  Book 4 of series.

DI Vera Stanhope is not one to make friends easily, but her hippy neighbours keep her well-supplied in homebrew and conversation so she has more tolerance for them than most. When one of them goes missing she feels duty-bound to find out what happened. But her path leads her to more than a missing friend . . .  Book 5 of series

Margaret Krukowski is fatally stabbed. Why would anyone want to harm this reserved, elegant lady? Then, just days later, a second woman is murdered. Arriving at the scene, DI Vera Stanhope finds herself searching clues that keep revolving around one street. Why are the residents of Harbour Street so reluctant to speak?  Book 6 of series

This case was different from anything Vera had ever worked before. Two bodies, connected but not lying together. All the two victims have in common is a fascination with moths. As Vera is drawn into the claustrophobic world of this increasingly strange community, she realizes that there may be deadly secrets trapped here.  Book 7 of series.

When prison inmate and former police officer John Brace says he's willing to give up information about a long-dead wheeler dealer, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope knows that she has to look into his claims. But in opening up this cold case, Vera's past collides dangerously with the present. Is she ready for what it will reveal?  Book 8 of series.

The darkest nights can hide the deadliest secrets . . . Driving home during a swirling blizzard, Vera Stanhope's only thought is to get there quickly. But with the snow driving down heavily, she becomes disorientated and loses her way, eventually stumbling on another car abandoned on the road. With the driver's door open, Vera assumes the driver has sought shelter but is shocked to find a young toddler strapped in the back seat.

Afraid they will freeze, Vera takes the child and drives on, arriving at Brockburn, a run-down stately home she immediately recognizes as the house her father Hector grew up in. Inside Brockburn a party is in full swing, with music and laughter to herald the coming Christmas. But outside in the snow, a young woman lies dead and Vera has a new case. Could she be the child's mother and, if she is, what happened to her?  Book 9 of series