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Written with her customary finesse, this is an author that always proves impeccable. With this, a typically densely-plotted, engrossing mystery, and #11 in the Vera series, we are back with all our favorite characters, and a new one to size up, at the same time. As DI Vera Stanhope and her sidekick, the trusty Sergeant Joe Ashworth, battle a new and disturbing case, they must make room for a new member to the team, the gorgeous and brash DC Rosie Bell, who has come to replace the much-missed DC Holly Lawson.

Rosie’s presence, of course, represents a new opportunity for crusty, guilt-ridden Vera, – one that will have her struggle to grow into the image of a more inclusive, communicative leader, with (as the reader must surely expect) only mixed results.

Tackling some heady issues, (including the ethics and challenges of cruelly disadvantaged youth and where (and how) to house them), a death concurrent with a missing teenage girl sends our heroes down a path which is basically a frantic race against time. Can the team unravel the mystery, and find the young teen – be she suspect, victim, or witness – before the body count grows?

Atmospheric and intense, the plot, as usual, centers on the rural Northumberland windswept coast, including the hamlet of Gilstead, with its three standing stones bathed in folklore, a creepy hunt-the-witch ceremonial festival, and memories of Hector Stanhope – birder, naturalist and father (for Vera, all of which remain drenched in unrest).

A terrific addition to a much-loved series, Vera, Joe, and now Rosie are back, and for this reader, not a moment too soon.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.