Vera (TV series) Vera (TV series) Vera is a British crime drama series based on novels of the same name, written by crime writer Ann Cleeves. It was first broadcast on ITV on 1 May 2011, and to date, eight series have aired. The series stars Brenda Blethyn as the principal character, Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope. Vera is a middle-aged employee of the fictional Northumberland & City Police, who is obsessive about her work and driven by her own demons. She plods along in a constantly dishevelled state, but has a calculating mind and, despite her irascible personality, she cares deeply about
Margaret Murphy (writer) Margaret Murphy (writer) Margaret Murphy (born 14 April 1959) is a British crime writer. Murphy was born and brought up in Liverpool, Lancashire where she gained a degree in Environmental Biology at the University of Liverpool and later an MA with Distinction in Writing at Liverpool JMU, a course on which she now lectures. She has been a countryside ranger, science teacher, dyslexia specialist and psychology student. After a string of successful stand-alone novels, Murphy began her first series with "The Dispossessed" which was followed by "Now You See Me", featuring fictional Merseyside detectives Jeff Rickman, Lee Foster and Naomi