Ann Cleeves has thrilled readers everywhere with her critically acclaimed mystery series set in the Shetland Islands which began with the award-winning Raven Black Now Cleeves is back with another compelling mystery series set in Northumberland England This one features detective Vera Stanhope the lead character played by Brenda Blethyn on the hit television series Vera Destined for the same kind of fame achieved by Colin Dexters Inspector Morse the show is a favorite of millions of viewers in the UK and is available here on Netflix PBS and Amazon When Vera finds the body of a woman in the sauna of her local gym she wonders briefly if for once in her life shes uncovered a simple death of natural causes But when a closer inspection reveals bruises around the victims throat Veras team start their investigation Vera and her colleagues soon uncover details in the victims past that may explain her untimely death But Vera knows from experience that theres no such thing as a simple case and this one gets more baffling by the minute With pitch-perfect writing a finely tuned mystery and a protagonist with a complex past of her own Silent Voices is a stand out penned by one of Britains most successful mystery writers.