Vera Stanhope
The dark wives

When a body is found on the common outside Rosebank, an isolated care home for troubled teens, Dl Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who never showed up to work ; Vera's only clue is the disappearance of fourteen-year-old resident Chloe. Vera can't bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can't dismiss the possibility.
Then, in the isolated wilds of the Northumbrian countryside, near the Three Dark Wives standing stones that have provoked legends across the centuries, a second body is found. Folklore and fact begin to collide, and Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth. But it seems that there are dark secrets in their community - secrets that may be far more dangerous than Vera could ever have believed ...