Oakville Reads discussion

Ann Cleeves spotlights Vera’s patient, ruminative approach. Vera is an excellent observer: she deliberately slows down the pace of investigation so that she can absorb every detail. Her colleague Joe Ashworth rails a little at her approach, wishing they could just get on with it.

What did you think about the relationship between Vera and Joe? Were any of their scenes together particularly memorable?

Vera was such a complex character, so utterly absorbed by her work and yet clueless about her inner life. It seemed to me that she showed an almost motherly interest in Joe, but a difficult mother with high expectations, whilst Joe was somewhat mutinous about Vera's many demands.