In this blog post, I will be reviewing both The Long Call and The Heron's Cry, books one and two in the Two Rivers series.
Author: Ann Cleeves
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery/Thrillers
Format: Print and Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 376
Date of Publication: September 3, 2019
My Rating: 4 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
For the first time in 20 years, Ann Cleeves --international bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows-- embarks on a gripping new series.
In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father’s funeral takes place. Once loved and cherished, the day Matthew left the strict evangelical community he grew up in, he lost his family too.
Now, as he turns and walks away again, he receives a call from one of his team. A body has been found on the beach nearby: a man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.
The case calls Matthew back into the community he thought he had left behind, as deadly secrets hidden at its heart are revealed, and his past and present collide.
An astonishing new novel told with compassion and searing insight, The Long Call will captivate fans of Vera and Shetland, as well as new readers.
MY THOUGHTS:
Bestselling author Ann Cleeves introduces DI Matthew Venn in a new series. Matthew returns to North Devon to attend his father's funeral, a place he would rather not have gone back to. When he receives a phone call from a dead body on the beach, he immediately shifts his attention to the case, focusing on the calling card the killer left. Will Matthew stay in North Devon and work on solving the case, or will he go back home, a place that he does not have so much baggage?
Matthew is a complex character, and I am glad that I read this book before reading book two, The Heron's Cry. Matthew has a lot going against him, and as a result of his strict religious past, is a man wrought with anger and sadness. After leaving the church, he became estranged from his parents. Even when attending the funeral, Matthew kept his distance.
Matthew's personal and professional life begin to clash in this story. His focus is on the murder, interviewing many possible subjects. At some point, Matthew does begin to wonder if perhaps his husband Jonathan could be involved. If so, that would be utterly devastating for Matthew. This engaging read proved to be an excellent start to a new series. After reading this I read the next book immediately after, as I was quite drawn to Matthew, the case he was working on, all while hoping his life wouldn't be so overwhelming.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
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Author: Ann Cleeves
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery/Thrillers
Format: Print and Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 400
Date of Publication: September 7, 2021
My Rating: 4 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
Ann Cleeves--New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows--returns with the extraordinary follow-up to The Long Call, in the Two Rivers series, soon to be a major TV series too.
North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coastline. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists. What he finds is an elaborately staged murder--Dr Nigel Yeo has been fatally stabbed with a shard of one of his glassblower daughter's broken vases.
Dr Yeo seems an unlikely murder victim. He's a good man, a public servant, beloved by his daughter. Matthew is unnerved, though, to find that she is a close friend of Jonathan, his husband.
Then another body is found--killed in a similar way. Matthew soon finds himself treading carefully through the lies that fester at the heart of his community and a case that is dangerously close to home.
DI Matthew Venn returns in The Heron's Cry, in Ann Cleeves powerful next novel, proving once again that she is a master of her craft.
MY THOUGHTS:
Having just read The Long Call, I have become familiar with DI Matthew Venn, and this includes his difficult and painful past, his marriage to Jonathan, and his dedication to his job. In this entry in the riveting Two Rivers series, Matthew is investigating the aopparant murder of Dr. Nigel Yeo. Dr. Yeo was a man who seemingly led a good and quiet life, making Matthew wonder why Dr. Yeo was murdered and who he crossed paths with.
Just as in the previous story where the case Matthew had came rather close to home, things are much the same in this book. The victim's daughter is a rather close friend to Matthew's husband Jonathan. When a second body is found, with the exact MO, Matthew turns over every stone before there is a third victim.
I found both of the books in this series to be very well-written, character driven stories.
Many thanks to Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs - child care officer, women's refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard - before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.
Ann's books have been translated into sixteen languages. She's a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
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