years ago Jeanie Long was charged with the murder of 15-year old Abigail Mantel. Now new evidence has proved Jeanie's innocence. But now it seems that the story had its dark beginnings not in Lindon but in the islands. If you missed anything, watch the series to date now on the BBC iPlayer. Episode 5 follows at the same time on Wednesday 29th November.

Ten-years-ago when Emma Winter moved to the village of Elvet, East Yorkshire and her early days were filled by her sole friendship, with the vibrant and ethereal beauty of best friend, fifteen-year-old Abigail Mantel. Both misfits in their own way, Emma longed for escape to the Old Chalet and Abigail’s glamorous lifestyle with her widowed and charismatic father, Keith. Within six-months of moving to Elvet, Emma’s life was blighted by the discovery of her friends body, strangled to death. The much younger girlfriend of Keith, Jeanie Long, was sentenced to life imprisonment, unable to offer a corroborated alibi and given her fractious relationship with Abigail and Keith asking her to move out of the home she had spent three-months living at. However, ten years later and turned down for parole, Jeanie Long’s suicide prior to a new witness coming forward sees DI Vera Stanhope casting fresh eyes over an investigation that the neighbouring force of Yorkshire originally presided over. It doesn’t take Vera too long to unsettle villagers and enthuse Elvet with her mischievous energy and get to grips with the very ferocity of human emotions and the lengths that it can drive people to. In the first book, "The Crow Trap," I just wanted her to stop calling everyone "pet" and get on with finding the killer. Ann Cleeves weaves her magic spell again in this story set on a brooding and windswept peninsula. Even the wind and weather are characters. As always, all of her characters are rich and vibrant, the writing is smooth and seductive. She pulls you into the story and doesn't let you go; you will want to stay up late to finish this book. Or better yet, put aside an entire day and read it through in one sitting. The author also writes the Inspector Ramsey series, as well as other novels of psychological suspense. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about reading this one since I've watched the episode on TV (twice) but it was fascinating to see the differences. I enjoyed them both and I'm glad I read both. The differences were enlightening. I could see the reasons for the changes when adapting the story for television and they made sense. All the same, I loved the original. The plot was more powerful but the pacing for television better (at least for tv--who wants to wait for half the story before Vera appears?).

Telling Tales

An original 6-part drama DVD now available in the UK (Region 2) and in the USA (Region 1). Series 6 If you haven't been keeping up with Shetland - or just want to binge - all past episodes are still available to watch on the BBC iPlayer. And for people who like to have their own drama library, all previous series are also available on DVD in the UK. US viewers can also watch it on BritBox or with Prime Video. Details below. We also follow Jeanie's father who is a broken man after realizing that his daughter was innocent and he didn't see her or defend her. 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. Emma's husband and brother are both harboring secrets, though Emma's brother Chris has an obsession with Abigail and can't seem to move on from her murder. This book and the TV series are so remarkably in sync it's a delight for the reader. Excellently written and thought out in each detail with the characters playing their parts on the surface and uncovering their darker sides beneath.

From Ann Cleeves— New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—comes Telling Tales. It's a long way from Shetland - but Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez is on the spot. His ex-wife, Sarah, has asked him to look into the case. The local gossips are saying that her new husband, Tom, was having an affair with Anna. Could Tom have been involved with her death? Sarah refuses to believe it - but needs proof ... Emma's parents, who moved Emma and her young brother to Elvet from York ten years earlier, are a little strange too. Why did Robert get religion so suddenly and change professions? And what about Jeanie's father, Michael Long, who believed his daughter capable of murder?As time went by, I was totally frustrated by the fact that once a book was released in England, we here in the USA would have to sit around tapping our toes and watching reruns of the series while waiting for the book to be released in the United States. Now Inspector Vera Stanhope is making fresh enquiries amongst the residents of Elvet, the small East Yorkshire village where Emma and Abigail grew up. Everyone is feeling vulnerable and uneasy, even guilty.

Other returning regulars include Steven Robertson (who plays Sandy), Lewis Howden (Billy) and Anne Kidd (Cora). The series is written by Paul Logue, who also contributed to the script of series 7. Joanne Butcher (8 July 2014). "Vera writer Ann Cleeves gains honour from University of Sunderland - The Journal". journallive. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019 . Retrieved 24 May 2016. Exciting, right? That is not even the best news yet! The spectacular news is that Seagull, the eighth book in the series, will be on shelves this September, and it is the first of the series to be released in the USA and the UK simultaneously. So I get to read it at exactly the same time as my friends in Belfast!

We also follow up with the original investigator and another officer on the case and we find out how their lives changed too. I have to say that for a murder that happened ten years in the past, there were more zigs and zags than I could have imagined. Vera not only has to resolve the killing of Abigail Mantel but she also takes up the cause of discovering why the original investigation went so very wrong. Vera’s presence is felt throughout the book, her no nonsense direct approach really fits with the Northern setting.