After 10 years in prison, new evidence came to light that Jeanie was a victim herself and was innocent of the crime. However, watch closely and you will see that very should never be underestimated and is as shrewd as they come. Ann Cleeves is manna from heaven for nosy readers everywhere and Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope is a pleasure to watch in action as she blusters onto a crime scene with her brusque line in questioning, scruffy attire and curious ability to make herself comfortable, even when she is an unwilling intruder. Ten years ago fifteen-year-old Abigail Mantel was murdered, her cold body discovered lying in a ditch. Demonstrating singular adeptness with mood and pacing, narrator Julia Franklin shines in this character-rich mystery set in northern England.

I just love this crime/thriller story featuring Inspector Vera Stanhope (one of my favourite police characters EVER).And there were elements that were different in the book than in the show [which helped with my confusion and I was totally okay with that] and when I finally *thought* I DID remember, I was close but ultimately wrong. He and Vera end up making an unlikely friendship I thought with him doing what he could to help her out on the case, and Vera trying to not get too irritated with him. But Jeanie commits suicide in her prison cell, unable to face the people who had believed her capable of killing a child. As this was Vera’s first full appearance, I found myself mainly focusing on her traits and mannerisms. If a person's not heavily into birds - and Ann isn't - there's not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing.

Telling Tales is the second book in Ann Cleeves’ Vera Stanhope series – which is now a major ITV detective drama starring Brenda Blethyn as Vera . She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award - once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award. Vera and her sergeant, Joe Ashworth, come into the picture earlier in this book than the first, which I appreciated, but I would like a clearer vision of just who Vera is.

We also follow up with the original investigator and another officer on the case and we find out how their lives changed too.