The Moth Catcher - (Vera Stanhope) by Ann Cleeves (Paperback)

About the Book

In a valley in Northumberland, a shocking discovery shatters the peace in a quiet farming community. The owners of a big country house have employed a house-sitter, a young ecologist, to look after the place while they're visiting family in Australia. Then Percy, a retired farm labourer who lives with his divorced daughter in a development on the farmland, finds Patrick, the house-sitter, dead by the side of the lane on the way into the valley. Vera Stanhope arrives on the scene, with her detectives Holly and Joe. When Vera looks round the attic of the big house - where Patrick has a flat - she finds the body of a second man. He's middle-aged, grey. What could the two victims have in common? Why were they killed on the same day, but their bodies found in separate locations?

Book Synopsis

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 The Moth Catcher.

"Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers."--Louise Penny

Life seems perfect in the quiet community of Valley Farm. Then a shocking discovery shatters the silence. The owners of a big country house have employed a house-sitter, a young ecologist, to look after the place while they're away. But his dead body is found by the side of the lane--a lonely place to die.

When DI Vera Stanhope arrives on the scene, she finds the body of a second man. What the two victims seem to have in common is a fascination with studying moths--and with catching these beautiful, intriguing creatures.

The others who live in Valley Farm have secrets too: Lorraine's calm demeanor belies a more complex personality; Annie and Sam's daughter, Lizzie, is due to be released from prison; and Nigel watches, silently, every day, from his window. As Vera is drawn into the claustrophobic world of this increasingly strange community, she realizes that there may be many deadly secrets trapped there . . .

Review Quotes

"Atmospheric and well-wrought." --Publishers Weekly

"It's easy to admire Vera's brainpower. . . her adventures have been a hit on British television, and readers devoted to Cleeves' tales of Jimmy Perez will want to give Vera a try." --Kirkus Reviews

"A nice mixture, in the British tradition, of social comedy and detective work. More Vera, please." --Booklist (starred review)

"Excellent . . . Intricate plotting makes for a compulsive read." --The Independent (UK)

"Detective Vera Stanhope is a remarkable creation." --Bookseller (UK)

"Cleeves has hit the big time . . . This is going to be a winner!" --BBC Front Row (UK)

"The Moth Catcher is set in the picturesque part of Vera's bailiwick. The great strengths of Cleeves' writing are the beautiful and convincing characterization and the storming story line." --Crime Squad

"Ann Cleeves is a skillful technician, keeping our interest alive and building slowly up to the denouement. Her easy use of language and clever story construction make her one of the best natural writers of detective fiction." --Sunday Express (UK)

"If you're a fan of Frances Fyfield, Minette Walters, or Val McDermid, get to know Cleeves." --The Globe and Mail (Canada)

About the Author

ANN CLEEVES is the multi-million copy bestselling author behind three hit television series--Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall, Vera, starring Academy Award Nominee Brenda Blethyn, and The Long Call, starring Ben Aldridge--all of which are watched and loved in the United States. All three are available on BritBox.

The first Shetland novel, Raven Black, won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for best crime novel, and Ann was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger in 2017. She was awarded the OBE in 2022 for services to reading and libraries. Ann lives in the United Kingdom.