(3.5) I adore Brenda Blethyn's portrayal of Vera on tv, so after finishing the latest season, I wanted to give the books a try before rewatching the series from the beginning. If I hadn't seen a GR review that said that Vera doesn't appear until the last third of the book, I would've been VERY disappointed with this. However, going in knowing that allowed me to immerse myself in the story of these characters whose heads we're in for most of the book. The mystery was interesting and the characters were pretty well developed, and once Vera is on the scene, I was a happy camper. I'll keep reading this for know, though Vera is portrayed as ugly, awkward, bare-legged despite the weather and not nearly as charmingly grumpy as Blethyn's depiction.