The Long Call

The Long Call (The Two River Series, book 1) by Ann Cleeves. New YorK; Minotaur Books, 2019. 384 pages. **** Publication Date September 3, 2019.

Set in North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn returns to his roots and stands outside the church as his estranged father’s funeral takes place. Matthew is not welcome since the day he  stood up in his family's strict evangelical service and announced that "none of this is true. I'm sorry, but I don't believe any of it. You must be mad if you think it's true." When he left the university, took a job and fled the community he grew up in, he lost his family too. Returning and buying a house does not redeem him in the eyes of the community especially since he is now married to a man. He gets a call from his team that a body has been found on the beach close to his house. Discovering the identity and the kiler of the victim, leads Matthew into a world he thought he had left behind--- a world of greed, religious fervor, and intolerance. When two special needs girls go missing, community secrets are exposed!

I am a huge fan of Vera, the television series, so I am already a Cleeves fan. Her writing transports me to whatever village or town  the story is set in and her characters come to life there. Cleeve has a unique writing style and reading her work is like listening to a friend tell a story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to read Book 2. Well-done!

Ann Cleeves is the multi-million copy bestselling author behind two hit television series―the BBC’s Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall, and ITV’s Vera, starring Academy Award Nominee Brenda Blethyn―both of which are watched and loved in the US. 

The first Shetland novel, Raven Black, won the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel, and Ann was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger in 2017. She lives in the UK.

To learn more about Ann, visit here

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