First Vera Stanhope mystery I have read, but I will be reading more. I enjoyed it very much.

I’ve watched all the TV episodes but this is my first Vera book! Really enjoyed it and didn’t see the motive coming but wish it moved a little faster.

Wow. Really really good! Nothing to complain about here. I have to say though, the book was much better than the actual episode based on the book I thought. I loved all of the characters and the three couples who center on the investigation. I did like how everything came together in the end. And this one gave us more Holly (which I appreciated) who seems to be going through a crisis and wondering if she just wants to remain with the police force.

"The Moth Catcher" follows an investigation Vera and her team are put on when a young man is found dead in a ditch. At first it appears it can be a car accident (someone hitting and running) but when the police go back to a home that young man was staying at, they find another body and realize that someone murdered both of the men who at first glance appear to have nothing linking them.

Vera is a bit softer (for her) in this one. She still has some bite, but is doling out compliments to not only Holly, but also to Joe. She seemed to get off before on playing them off of each other, but in the last book and this one has knocked that off. There's still competition between Holly and Joe, but in this one, we have Holly wondering whether she is still a good fit for the police. She seems to realize she has no ties to anyone or anything in the area and wonders if she will ever be good at interviewing and getting into people's heads.

As I said above, I like the three couples we follow. The married late in life couple (he was a former security company owner, she's an artist) the former restaurant owners, and then the professor and his wife. They all at first glance seem happy until you see behind the masks they have on display. And of course you have Vera digging at them.

The ending I thought was really well done and I liked it.

Someone recently posted the theory that readers are interested either in plot, character, or writing quality, with one of them being the lead attraction and another in second place. Usually, I think I am interested in all three, depending on the attention the author pays to them. With mysteries, however, and especially with this series, it's clearly character, followed by writing, with plot a distant third.

I know, I know: how can I enjoy a genre that's so much about whodunnit and care least about plot? It does matter to me. It provides the structure for the story, and it makes me pay attention to small details in a way that enriches my understanding of who people are and why they act the way they do.

In this book, I was 93% of the way in and still had no idea who the murderer was. If I were a different kind of reader, I would have thought:

Spoiler

we know it's about secrets, and we know that some of these people have a history that relates to the prison system, and perhaps the other people (like Martin) are there because they've been entrusted with information that shouldn't go public.

And I would have had a chance at solving the mystery, because [a:Ann Cleeves|56067|Ann Cleeves|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1262915904p2/56067.jpg] is eminently fair about planting all the clues in plain sight.

Being me, though, I cared for the characters, and I will remember them even after all but the gestalt of the plot has faded from memory.

Anne Cleves is a fabulous author

I love the series on Netflix (BBC), so I knew I wanted to check out the books. It was a good read, especially if you love mysteries of the Agatha Christie variety. I did, however, find that the story plodded along slowly at times, and I felt (for me) there were too many characters to keep track of (I found myself mixing them up).

P

Another fantastic Ann Cleeves mystery! The story was, as always, well crafted and perfectly paced. One thing that I love about this series is the emphasis and insight into different characters. In this installment, we learn more about Holly and her internal struggle. This is unexpected, but welcome, as Holly is a somewhat unlivable character and learning about her challenges makes her far more relatable. All in all, another stellar Ann Cleeves novel!