Kindle British Mystery Book Club discussion

So, I was just at the murderer reveal when my train got to the station last night. I'm not entirely surprised, but it wasn't obvious, either. We were just getting to the why - what is Barbara's obsession, and how did it lead her to kill three people?

I've enjoyed the book - all of the characters are interesting and I feel as if we kept peeling layers off them as the book went on. Anne is a bit less obnoxious than I originally pinned her to be. I'm liking Rachael more, especially through the filter of her relationship with Edie. (In a way, Rachael's a bit of a trope for my generation.)

I still don't feel as if I have enough of Vera, but I think I'll read another in the series. The first book was an introduction, and as she doesn't even come into it until later in the book, and then mostly through the eyes of other characters, I still feel like she's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle.

I was quite disappointed with the whole reasoning behind her killing everyone and also felt there just wasn't enough police focus. with the odd exception, it felt more like Rachel and Anne investigates. I think I will try the next in the series to see if there is more focus on Vera and her team, but probably not for a while.

Erunyauve wrote: "So, I was just at the murderer reveal when my train got to the station last night. I'm not entirely surprised, but it wasn't obvious, either. We were just getting to the why - what is Barbara's obs..."

You find out a lot more about Vera in the next few books. But I actually liked not knowing too much about her.

Finished - I'm not sure Barbara Waugh hung together well enough to pull off her story. The explanation that makes sense is that she didn't want the child's body disturbed, that it was something of a shrine to her, but you would think that someone so obsessive would have a different relationship with her daughter.

I do think I'll read another in the series, however - Vera has caught my interest.

I’m finished and I liked the book quite a bit. In the beginning I wasn’t loving Anne but after reading her backstory I liked her more. Each woman’s perspective was obviously off the mark as they didn’t know about the others background.

It surprised me that Vera was introduced so late in the story and also how much info she shared with civilians.

Didn’t see it coming that Barbara was the killer and I agree with Erunyauve regarding the relationship with her daughter Felicity. You’d think she be overprotective with her and spend every moment with her.

Wish the author had included an aftermath chapter telling us what became of the other characters. Did Ann end up with Godfrey, what became of research and quarry plans and what happened with Charlie’s wife, deceiving Bella as she did about money?

My review is on the blog here:
https://novelmeals.wordpress.com/2020...

Tina wrote: "I’m finished and I liked the book quite a bit. In the beginning I wasn’t loving Anne but after reading her backstory I liked her more. Each woman’s perspective was obviously off the mark as they di..."

Yes, I was wondering what happened with Anne. I rather think that one was off - I can't see Godfrey carrying on with her while Barbara was up on a murder charge. For one thing, he'd be most concerned about Felicity. That was a disaster in any event, given that Anne didn't like children.

My first foray into the Vera Stanhope series was quite a surprise to say the least, but a very enjoyable one. Astonishingly, the only other book I have read by Ann Cleeves is The Long Call, at the end of last year. This is particularly odd as I have lived in the Northumberland area for nearly all of my life!

In The Crow Trap, neither Rachael, Anne nor Grace were really my cup of tea, though if asked to state a preference, I would have chosen Anne. I thought the way Ann Cleeves chose to kick off the story was different, but I was pleased when Grace was found murdered as I was on the verge of beginning to worry about boredom setting in. Perhaps I did drift off, because I didn't immediately click that the bag lady was Vera, until later! It picked up momentum after Vera came on the scene, and I liked the second half of the book a lot better than the first. I really appreciated Vera with her acerbic wit and strange investigative style, and her long-suffering sidekick, Sergeant Joe Ashworth.

In the end, I felt satisfied with the approach Ann Cleeves took. Even though I wasn't keen on the three environmentalists, Rachael, Anne and Grace, any of them might have been murdered or in fact, murderers.

I had absolutely no idea as to the killer's identity before the big reveal and stopped trying to figure it out. I certainly didn't ever have Barbara Waugh's card marked, though the theory worked for me.

I have sorted out a copy of book 2 - Telling Tales.

SPOILER: What was the murder's motivation? It doesn't make sense to me.

The Crow Trap is the first book in the series and at the time, Ann Cleves hadn’t decided if the book was a one-off or if it was going to be a series. We learn much more about Vera as we go through the next few books. The books do get better as you go along.