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Julie Armstrong is only just beginning to rebuild a social life for herself following the breakdown of her marriage. She arrives home from an outing one night, buoyed by meeting an interesting man, but when she gets inside her flat, she goes into the bathroom and discovers the body of her son. Luke is in the bath, almost totally obscured by the flowers floating above him. Luke's 14-year-old sister, Laura, had been deeply asleep in the next room while her brother was dying. Inspector Vera Stanhope investigates the crime. Soon she is presented with a second corpse. A student teacher is discovered in a pool, her submerged body similarly covered with flowers. Academic Peter Calvert, his wife Felicity and his birdwatching friends are with Peter's son James, who discovers the dead girl. Felicity Calvert had been approached by the girl, Lily, who had enquired about the possibility of accommodation in the area, most especially in the Calverts' house. She was to have been working at James Calvert's school. Clumsy, overweight Vera (lending new meaning to the term The Plod) pursues her investigation. At first there is the possibility that the earlier death of Luke's best friend could have a bearing on Luke's own death. After all, when Thomas Sharp drowned, flowers were strewn in the water at the site of his death. Davy Sharp, Tom's father, is in prison so Vera must interview him. Somehow, though, the birdwatchers seem to be the main focus of the inspector's interest. Inspector Stanhope is a wonderfully-realised character. She is a lonely woman with something of an inferiority complex. Her appearance means she is very conscious of her own shortcomings and lack of attractiveness. She has developed, moreover, a dependence on alcohol, an addiction which sees her, during working hours fantasise about glasses of beer. The way the author depicts Vera's longing is enough to inspire a craving for alcohol in the reader. The mystery is very well plotted. Cleeves plays fair with the reader in setting out the clues but it is quite likely that the reader may not guess the identity of the murderer. The subplots are interestingly related and the characters believable. A kidnapping is thrown into the plot for good measure and the reader's concern for the safety – or otherwise – of the victim heightens the suspense and interest. Vera, complete with all her faults and self-deprecating thoughts, is a wonderful creation. The author has invented back stories for the characters that make them truly human. The police are not described as totally involved in the case to the exclusion of all else. They, too, have domestic worries that take up their attention. The thought of a murderer who goes to so much trouble to turn gruesome killings into works of art is a fanciful one but I felt that, in this case, the author gets away with the notion.
Reviewed by Denise Pickles, March 2007
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