This first novel in the Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope series introduces us to the frowsy Northumberland sleuth and her forbearing assistant, Detective Sergeant Joe Ashworth.
*****
When businessman Godfrey Waugh proposes to excavate a large quarry in England's Northumberland region, an environmental assessment agency is commissioned to evaluate the project's ecological impact.
The assessment agency is run by Peter Kemp......
.....who hires three local women to do the appraisal: Rachael Lambert - the team leader, who analyzes bird life; Anne Preece - a botanist, who assesses plant life; and Grace Fulwell - a biologist, who counts otters. While doing the assessment the women live at Baikie Cottage, a bungalow owned by a charitable trust that promotes environmental research.
The first part of the book introduces us to the three female assessors, who are uneasy roommates at Baikie Cottage.
⦿ Rachel Lambert
The team leader and bird expert was raised by a single mother named Edie, who thinks of herself as an amateur psychologist.
Now Rachael works for Peter Kemp's environmental assessment agency, but she views Peter as a scoundrel who wronged her. When Rachael first met Peter, he romanced her and she fell for him. Peter then stole Rachael's research about counting birds and published it as his own, after which he married another woman. Rachael is a straight-laced, rule-follower who wants everything done right.
When Rachael arrives at Baikie Cottage to settle in she finds that her good friend Bella Furness, who lives on an adjacent farm, has hanged herself.
Bella was the sole caretaker for her disabled husband Dougie, whom she dearly loved, and Rachael can't understand the suicide. Thus Rachel and her mother Edie decide to dig into Bella's life, to figure out why she took her own life.
⦿ Anne Preece
The botanist is a Camilla Parker Bowles lookalike who's married but continually unfaithful. At the moment Anne is having an affair with married father Godfrey Waugh, who's pushing for the quarry.
This puts Anne in a tricky position vis a vis the environmental assessment, but it doesn't seem to bother her.
⦿ Grace Fulwell
The biologist was raised in foster homes but now has a relationship with her troubled alcoholic father, who's a cook in a popular eatery.
Many people are put off by Grace, who seems cold and reserved, but Grace has a real love for animals.
*****
Citizens who live in the neighborhood of the proposed quarry have conflicting opinions about the project. Landowners like Livvy and Robert and Fulwell - who stand to profit - are pro-quarry, and other residents have a 'not in my backyard' attitude, citing traffic and noise.
A murder occurs on the grounds of the planned quarry and DI Vera Stanhope leads the investigation.
We learn that Vera was raised by a single father named Hector who was obsessed with stealing birds' eggs from nests. Hector forced young Vera to help with this illegal endeavor, and - even as an adult - Vera felt bullied and exploited by her dad. On the day Hector died Vera burned his egg collection, and she still resides in the house they shared. Vera wears frumpy dresses and open toed sandals, and enjoys food, wine and whiskey.
Vera and her harried assistant DS Joe Ashworth set up camp in Baikie Cottage to investigate the homicide, and other police patrol the area in case the killer returns.
In essence there are two simultaneous investigations: Vera and Joe are after the killer, and Rachael and her mother Edie are looking into Bella's suicide. Numerous people are interviewed, and many secrets emerge.
When another homicide occurs Vera becomes desperate to find the murderer, who may be planning more deaths. At the book's climax a (figurative) lightbulb goes on over Vera's head, and she figures out who did what.
The novel has a large cast of characters and I had some trouble keeping everyone straight, Still, I enjoyed the book which is a good introduction to DI Vera Stanhope.
Rating: 3,5 stars
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