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If The Crow Trap was the perfect teaser for Vera Stanhope, then Telling Tales cements her as one of Britain’s most popular modern detectives.

As new evidence comes to light that Jeanie Long had been wrongfully convicted with the murder of schoolgirl Abigail Mantel, DI Vera Stanhope travels to the East Yorkshire village of Elvet to uncover the truth as the real killer is still at large.

Vera’s presence is felt throughout the book, her no nonsense direct approach really fits with the Northern setting.
The Humberside location is vividly brought to life, the coldness of the North Sea was felt throughout.
The setting perfectly captures the essence of the book, a 15 year old girl murdered in a village of lies and deceit.
There’s certainly a dark but compelling tone to this series.

As this was Vera’s first full appearance, I found myself mainly focusing on her traits and mannerisms.
This meant the huge array of supporting characters started to blend together slight and it was easy to get some of the characters muddled.
Though I was completely surprised by who the real culprit was once they were revealed!

A few niggles aside, I enjoyed this even more than the first entry.
I get the impression that this is the type of series that gets better and better with each book.