A difficult murder to solve. Vera and team had to delve into the past of a group of people who met every five years in a reunion of sorts from their Grammar school days. A death from their first reunion ended in the death of one of their companions. After an argument, she went off in a huff and drowned when she tried to cross a causeway under high tide. Now, many years later, the person she was arguing with is smothered to death at the latest reunion. Then a few days later, his ex-wife is killed in the same fashion. Quite a suspenseful read. The murderer is determined, but not until he hits Holly, one of the investigators on Vera?s team, on the head and puts her in her car and puts her on the same causeway when the tide is still high. She is able to escape from the car and climb to safety. She is found barely alive, but dies from the head wound. Kirkus: ndomitable Inspector Vera Stanhope, whose lonely youth with a lawless father has given her a unique approach to crime and punishment, returns in a heartbreaking case.On the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, off the northeast coast of England, the past drives the present. A small group of old school friends have been meeting there, at Pilgrims? House, every five years for half a century. They first came to the island on a school trip organized by a young teacher hoping to "challenge their preconceptions" on "a kind of secular retreat." They bonded on that first trip, but what may have really brought them together was the death of Isobel, one of their number, at their first reunion five years later. At that time, Annie and Daniel were married and mourning the loss of a baby. Since then, Lou and Ken have also married, and now Ken has dementia. Rick has become a famous television personality, and Philip, a priest. Now, after a night of drinking and reliving the past, Annie, long divorced from Daniel, finds Rick?s body hanging in his room. The fact that Rick was recently fired from his job over allegations of sexual impropriety does not convince Annie that her notably vain friend would commit suicide and leave himself to be found naked. Soon after Vera and her crew are called in, she confirms that Rick was smothered and hanged. The Holy Island is an island only when the tide covers the causeway; indeed, trying to drive through the water caused Isobel?s death all those years ago. Although there are certainly present-day reasons why someone might have killed Rick, Vera and her team do a deep dive into the past and find an unexpected motive.A character-driven puzzler that ends in a painful denouement.

Atmospheric murder-mystery set on Lindisfarne. A middle-aged group of friends have been meeting up on the island every 5-years since they were teenagers. When one is found murdered, Vera investigates, delving back into their younger lives. Had me googling for footage of the causeway leading to the island. ( )

A group of grammar school friends meet every five years on the anniversary of an encounter type weekend. The event occurs at a retreat house on Lindisfarne Island, accessible by land only at low tide. When one of the members is found dead Vera's team focusses on events of the past, including a death at the first anniversary. With a minor celebrity involved the pressure is on for a quick solution, but Vera insists on following up every background clue. Sad conclusion.

A very good police procedural and my first Vera Stanhope novel. Loved the scenery and characters. The ending? Wow! Not expected. ( )

Well, not all police detectives fall into the category of handsome or beautiful. Vera Stanhope does not fit the perfect mold. Vera loves to eat, and her body reveals this love affair with food. But, Vera, like Hercule Poirot utilizes her “little gray cells.” Individuals who met during a school event recreate the meeting every five years on an island. One of the girls meets disaster when she attempts to leave as the tide rises. Isobel’s car swerves and she drowns. This is the 50th year reunion as these senior citizens meet to relive the past. Annie finds a hanging Rich the morning after a drunken night. First, all feel that Rich has committed suicide, but Annie feels differently and the police arrive to investigate. Enter Vera Stanhope and her team of detectives and the problem of the rising tide. Ann Cleeves delves into the history of each of her suspects. Due to the tide and the island shutting down, the list of suspects dwindles, but time elapses and no killer has been found, yet. Vera must pull the rabbit out of the hat. ( )