A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.
Where to Watch
Streaming, rent and purchase options
Episodes
1. Hidden Depths
After two young people are killed in the same way - placed in water and surrounded by flowers - DCI Vera Stanhope knows that she must catch the murderer before they strike again. Aided by her team, especially her trusted right-hand man Sgt Joe Ashworth, she unpicks the complex and dysfunctional relationships amongst a group of bird-watching friends. As the friends' loyalty turns to betrayal, Vera finds that a small act of teenage blackmail and an illicit affair may have driven someone to kill.
2. Telling Tales
After Jeanie Long commits suicide, evidence comes to light exonerating her for the murder of teenager Abigail Mantel 11 years earlier. DCI Vera Stanhope and her team set out to retrospectively solve the killing, delving into the secrets and lies of a small community which still feels the repercussions of Abigail's death. Then the case takes an violent and unexpected turn - can Vera use her skill and instinct to find the truth and lay ghosts to rest?
3. The Crow Trap
When a woman is murdered in the remote Northumbrian countryside, DCI Vera Stanhope is led back to a place from her past. As she and her team investigate, they uncover shadowy liaisons, conflicting sympathies and hidden injustices.
4. Little Lazarus
Last in the series of the detective drama based on the novels by Ann Cleeves. DI Vera Stanhope rescues a young boy from a freezing pond after he escapes from a violent attack which left his mother dead. As Vera and her team investigate what happened to the child, they unravel a web of deadly secrets and discover a murderous sequence of events set in motion by power, money and a mother's love. Although she is usually awkward and uninterested around children, Vera finds a kindred spirit in the boy, and begins to realise that the key to the investigation may lie hidden in his memory.
Cast & Crew
Brenda Blethyn
DCI Vera Stanhope
Jon Morrison
DC Kenny Lockhart
Riley Jones
DC Mark Edwards
Sarah Kameela Impey
Dr Paula Bennett
Rhiannon Clements
DC Stephanie 'Steph' Duncan
Story & Production Details
Reviews & Thoughts
This series would have been a lot more likeable were it not for a thread of, at times, waspish, establishment political correctness. Dear old working class bobby Vera isn't quite what she seems. In spite of her salt of the earth pretensions, she's a vehicle for some often pretty blatant establishment rhetoric. In one instance she scolds two hard up young boys for illegally sub letting their flat. Vera opines about the the "poor tax man" not getting his cut. All of which, ignores the abject poverty in the UK and the incredible waste of public money, on things like military spending. On the upside this series is competently produced and capably acted. Stories are your standard Brit crime fare. Nothing special but moderately watchable. In summary, "Vera" would have worked a lot better without the establishment pandering but still has enough on offer to represent a reasonable watch.
