Big News from Ann Cleeves + British Book Bargains

May 20, 2025

This week, Vera and Shetland author Ann Cleeves spoke to an audience at the Bath Literature Festival, telling them “There will only be one more Vera novel” and shocking audience members (many of whom were likely still reeling from the conclusion of the TV series).

She confirmed that she “probably won’t kill her off,” which isn’t quite as reassuring as we might like, but we respect her right to keep a bit of mystery about the final book. The series began in 1999 with the publication of The Crow Trap, and the latest (book 11) is The Dark Wives, published in August 2024. There are also a couple short stories, and at time of writing, both are free in ebook format:

  • Frozen - In which Vera’s pleasant day off is disrupted by the discovery of a skeleton in an old baptismal font.

  • The Woman on the Island - In which Vera heads to Holy Island for crab sandwiches, only to find herself confronted by echoes of her father’s past.

Over the course of the series, Cleeves and Vera star Brenda Blethyn developed a friendship, with Cleeves sending advance proofs to Blethyn with each new book. That enabled Blethyn to give feedback to the TV writers when she felt they’d written things Vera wouldn’t actually say or do. Hopefully, the two will keep in touch, even with no new Vera books on the way. They’re two fine ladies who spent quite a few years bringing joy to many, and we wish them all the best!

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British eBooks on Sale: May 20th

As always, a short disclaimer on the sale listings - the overwhelming majority of our readers are US-based, so sale availability may vary outside of the US (it’s up to the publisher/author if they wish to coordinate sales internationally). Deals can disappear at any time, but all e-books were $2.99 or less at time of writing.

  • A Mystery on Tyneside by Eileen Thornton - When a man is found dead in a seaside hotel’s ladies’ room, amateur sleuth Agnes Lockwood teams up with her partner and a close friend to catch the killer—before one of them becomes the next target.

  • The Psychopath Next Door by Mark Edwards - When Ethan and his family move to a quiet new neighborhood, their seemingly perfect neighbor offers to help with their daughter—only to reveal a chilling plan for revenge that pulls the entire family into danger.

  • (FREE at time of writing) The Watchmaker’s Daughter by CJ Archer - In Victorian London, a desperate watchmaker’s daughter takes a job with a mysterious American whose miraculous watch—and hidden past—may link him to a dangerous fugitive.

  • Death at Horsey Mere by Ross Greenwood - When a body is found near a Suffolk lighthouse and two girls vanish, DI Ashley Knight and data analyst Hector Fade uncover a deadly link to a people-smuggling ring—and a rogue killer who’s begun choosing victims for sport.

  • (FREE at time of writing) The Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies - After a career scandal, Maddie flees London for a crumbling countryside farm, where a brooding owner, a hidden painting, and a long-buried secret lead her toward a second chance at love and purpose.

  • Litany of Lies by Sarah Hawkswood - In 1145, when a steward is found dead at Evesham Abbey, Undersheriff Hugh Bradecote and his team uncover a web of secrets and rising tensions that threaten to erupt into further bloodshed.

  • Against a Dark Background by Iain M. Banks - In a distant galaxy, former combat leader Sharrow must outrun a fanatical cult by tracking down a legendary weapon—uncovering dark truths about her past and her world along the way.

  • The New World: A History of the English-Speaking Peoples by Winston S. Churchill - Winston Churchill’s sweeping second volume of British history traces the rise of monarchy, religious upheaval, and global exploration across the tumultuous 16th and 17th centuries. This sale applies to Volume 2, but Volume 4 is also similarly discounted at time of writing.

  • The Secret World: A History of Intelligence by Christopher Andrew - This global history of espionage uncovers thousands of years of forgotten spycraft, revealing how intelligence failures and successes from ancient times to today continue to shape world events.

  • (FREE at time of writing) Dial P for Poison by Sara Keane - When a woman is poisoned at a movie night on Whisper Island, ex-cop Maggie Doyle must clear her aunt’s name with the help of a nun, a UFO enthusiast, and a very unruly puppy.

A Few Print Book Deals…

Print books aren’t sold as cheaply as ebooks (and Amazon has recently announced plans to take larger fees on books priced under $9.99, causing publishers/authors to increase prices), so for these we look for books priced at $10-12 or less at time of writing.

  • The Secret Detective Agency by Helena Dixon - In wartime Devon, secretive government worker Jane Treen and a shy codebreaker must solve the murder of a woman found in a lake—before the killer silences them next.

  • The Little Cottage on the Hill by Emma Davies - After a career scandal, Maddie flees London for a crumbling countryside farm, where a brooding owner, a hidden painting, and a long-buried secret lead her toward a second chance at love and purpose.

  • The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley - In 1613, a royal messenger with Second Sight is sent to Scotland on a secret mission to frame a nobleman for murder—but as court intrigue deepens, he and a wary young woman must decide where their loyalties truly lie.

  • The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen - Decades after her father's death, a woman travels to Tuscany to uncover the truth about his wartime past—and the secrets he left behind.

“I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had the courage to go forth into its expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst its perils.

Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

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