Ann Cleeves Ann Cleeves Ann Cleeves (born 1954) is an English crime-writer. In 2006 she won the inaugural Duncan Lawrie Dagger, the richest crime-writing prize in the world, for her novel "Raven Black". Cleeves studied English at Sussex University but dropped out. She then took up various jobs including cook, auxiliary coastguard, probation officer, library outreach worker and child care officer. She lives in Whitley Bay, and is widowed with two daughters. The Vera Stanhope novels have been dramatized as the TV detective series "Vera" and the Jimmy Perez novels as the series "Shetland". In 2014 Cleeves was awarded an Honorary Doctorate
Louisa Stanhope, Countess Stanhope Louisa Stanhope, Countess Stanhope Louisa Stanhope, Countess Stanhope (28 July 1758 – 7 March 1829), formerly Louisa Grenville, was the second wife of Charles Stanhope, 3rd Earl Stanhope. Some sources have suggested her to be the same person as the contemporary novelist Louisa Sidney Stanhope, but there is no evidence for this other than the fact that the countess is known to have been a great reader. Louisa was the daughter and sole heiress of Henry Grenville, a diplomat and politician, and his wife, the former Margaret Eleanor Banks. Grenville was a younger brother of Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple,