The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

 

First Line: The man blew into Greystone at the height of a September gale.

 

Scully Cove is a place of superstition and legend, so when local celebrity Jem Rosco-- only recently returned to the village of Greystone-- is found dead in a small boat anchored off the cove, those legends resurface.

 

Detective Inspector Matthew Venn is in charge of the investigation, and he finds himself back in a community he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Rumors grow when another body is found, and even the careful, guarded inspector finds his judgment clouded which could be very dangerous for both him and his team. Scully Cove's dark secrets do not want to be uncovered.

 

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From gale-force winds, rising tides, and going out on stormy seas on a lifeboat search and rescue, Ann Cleeves' The Raging Storm kept me drenched in salt water and glued to the page. This talented woman knows how to blend mystery with setting and characterization to make a compelling read. 

 

Venn's own history and his upbringing within a religious cult have made him a loner, someone who's introspective and prefers observation instead of interaction. Through word and deed, his methods have begun taking root in Jen and Ross, the two members of his team. These two tend to be competitive, and it can be entertaining to watch them try to one-up each other. 

 

The fictional village of Greystone is one that I would want to avoid since it is very insular and wary of anyone who doesn't live there. As Matthew, Jen, and Ross interview villagers, readers watch the three form opinions of each one. The problem is... are these opinions valid? Even the "all-seeing" Matthew Venn finds out that he can be led astray.

 

The Raging Storm is another masterful outing for Ann Cleeves. Long may she write, and long may I read every one of her books. 

The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

eISBN: 9781250836786

Minotaur Books © 2023

eBook, 392 pages

 

Police Procedural, #3 Matthew Venn mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves

 

First Line: Jen had drunk too much.

 

Dr. Nigel Yeo is a good man, a public servant, and beloved by his daughter. Who in the world would want to kill him and stage his body in his daughter's glassblowing studio in Westacombe in North Devon? That's up to Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team to find out.

 

It's a rare hot summer in North Devon, and tourists are flocking to the area to spend money and enjoy themselves. The last thing the locals need is a killer on the loose. When a second body turns up murdered in a similar way, there's no time to delay. Venn and his team need to hurry to wade through all the lies they're uncovering before the killer strikes again.

 

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The Heron's Cry, the second book in the Two Rivers series, shines a spotlight on what Ann Cleeves does best: describe a landscape so well that we readers can place ourselves in it, create multi-faceted characters that feel like people we all know, and wrap it all up in a mystery that keeps us armchair sleuths guessing.

 

The mystery is centered on a group of craft workshops on the grounds of a big house called Westacombe which is owned by Frank Ley, a millionaire who likes to use his money to regenerate ailing villages and small businesses. Dr. Yeo, whose body was found in his daughter's workshop, was investigating allegations that the NHS was failing in its duty of care-- especially in regards to those suffering some form of mental illness. Cleeves shows us this heartbreaking situation through her characters. When budgets are cut, what can the NHS do? Should they continue to focus on those who are ill yet have family members who can support them? Or should they focus instead on those who have no support group at all? The money will only go so far. 

 

The mystery keeps readers moving between the people in the Westacombe craft shops, Frank Ley, and the Woodyard, a collection of shops, a restaurant, and an adult care center overseen by Matthew Venn's husband, Jonathan. This keeps us armchair sleuths hopping, but it also made me want to go there and spend money in all those places. Cleeves has to be doing more than her fair share to promote a UK tourism boom.

 

As good as the mystery is and as palpable as the setting is, The Heron's Cry wouldn't be a winner without its cast. Matthew Venn is not your typical detective inspector. He listens a lot more than he talks, having found that silence is both ally and weapon. He also likes to show up early to get the room ready for a meeting and to get the coffee machine ready. With his dark suits, grey hair, and quiet demeanor, he reminds his husband Jonathan of a heron. Jonathan himself is very much a people person, and one of the delights of this series is watching how the relationship between the two men matures. I haven't even mentioned Jen and Ross, the prime movers on Venn's team. They're like chalk and cheese, and I like watching how each of them approaches an investigation.

 

Any Ann Cleeves fan is going to need very little (if any) prodding to read these Two Rivers mysteries. The author has already shown what she can do with her Shetland and Vera series. Matthew Venn is proving to be every bit as interesting as Jimmy Perez and Vera Stanhope, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does next. As for those of you who have yet to read a mystery written by Ann Cleeves, all I can say is that if you love atmospheric, character-driven mysteries, you have a feast ready and waiting for you. Dive right in.  

The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves

eISBN: 9781250204493

Minotaur Books © 2021

eBook, 384 pages

 

Police Procedural, #2 Two Rivers mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves

First Line: The day they found the body on the shore, Matthew Venn was already haunted by thoughts of death and dying.

In North Devon in a place where two rivers meet for their final run to the sea, Matthew Venn stands outside the church where his estranged father's funeral is taking place. Then his phone rings. A body has been found on a nearby beach, a man, stabbed to death, with the tattoo of an albatross on his neck.

This investigation will prove to Venn that the past often refuses to be left behind. As he and his team hunt for a killer, Matthew is taken back to the people and places of his youth, and deadly secrets are slowly revealed.

For those of you still in mourning for the ending of Ann Cleeves' Shetland series, you have cause to rejoice. This new Two Rivers series featuring Matthew Venn has a powerhouse beginning in The Long Call, and I'm looking forward to more.

Cleeves has chosen another atmospheric setting for her new series, the coastal area of North Devon. This land of water and sky and "...the cry of the herring gull, the sound naturalists named the long call, the cry which always sounded to him like an inarticulate howl of pain" is woven through every inch of the story until it is a character in and of itself.

Matthew Venn is the sort of insightful, compassionate main character that readers should love. Raised by strict evangelical Christians, Venn is a quiet man. Buttoned down. Very self-contained. He's also more than brave enough to stand up for himself and his beliefs, leaving that religious sect and eventually becoming a policeman and marrying Jonathan, an outgoing, caring man who manages the Woodyard, a vital part of the community of Barnstaple. Their chalk-and-cheese personality traits are just what each of them needs to keep themselves on an even keel. One more thing about Matthew Venn? He's so good at listening that he reminds me a bit of Jimmy Perez, you Shetland fans.

Venn also has an interesting team to work with. Constable Ross May is the Detective Chief Inspector's golden boy, and everyone knows that they have to be careful of what they say around him. May is also young and impetuous and has a lot to learn. On the other hand, Venn believes Sergeant Jen Rafferty is probably the best detective he's ever worked with. Rafferty is the single mother of two who escaped an abusive husband. She has guts, spirit, loves to laugh, and can be a lot of fun... when she's not investigating a murder.

Although I didn't find either the crimes or those who committed them to be very surprising, I didn't care. As an introduction to a new series, The Long Call is superb. Ann Cleeves weaves spells when she tells a story. Now all I have to do is wait to be trapped willingly in the web of the next one.

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves

eISBN: 9781250204462

Minotaur Books © 2019

eBook, 382 pages

Police Procedural, #1 Two Rivers mystery

Rating: A+

Source: Net Galley