The Long Call
Ratings20
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings20
Average rating3.9
The Long Call is the captivating first novel in a brand new series from Sunday Times bestseller and creator of Vera and Shetland, Ann Cleeves. In North Devon, where the rivers Taw and Torridge converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father's funeral takes place. The day Matthew turned his back on the strict evangelical community in which he grew up, he lost his family too. Now he's back, not just to mourn his father at a distance, but to take charge of his first major case in the Two Rivers region; a complex place not quite as idyllic as tourists suppose. A body has been found on the beach near to Matthew's new home: a man with the tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death. Finding the killer is Venn's only focus, and his team's investigation will take him straight back into the community he left behind, and the deadly secrets that lurk there.The Long Call, the first book in a stellar new series by the UK's Queen of Crime, has been optioned for TV by Silverprint, the production company behind Vera and Shetland.
Featured Series
3 primary booksTwo Rivers is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2019 with contributions by Ann Cleeves.
Reviews with the most likes.
Solid British Police Procedural. This was an excellent book for fans of any combination of mystery, British fiction, or police procedurals. And generally, I'm a fan of all three. But for some reason this book was a bit slower of a read than most books of its size, and I'm struggling to figure out why. MAYBE because it used several more British terms that I'm less familiar with, despite reading more and more British fiction these days? (Full disclosure: I'm an American who has lived nearly all of my days in its southeastern corner.) Regardless, truly a solid book and very much recommended, despite my personal difficulties with reading it.
Although I am a huge fan of Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope and Shetland stories, I couldn't get drawn into this one. I can't put my finger on it. It could be the reader of the audiobook, it could be that I just wasn't in the mood, but somehow the main characters didn't strike a chord. Halfway through the book, I abandoned it.
One morning in a quiet town in southern England, a woman walking her dog discovers a man's body on the beach. At first thought an accident, it is then discovered that the man was stabbed to death. DI Matthew Venn, recently returned to his hometown, is placed in charge of the case. As the investigation continues, it seems to revolve more and more around The Woodyard, an arts center for the community and a place for learning-disabled adults to receive care during the day. Unfortunately for Matthew, his husband Jonathan is one of the chief administrators there. When one of the adults with Downs syndrome goes missing, Matthew must put aside his personal attachments and rely on his team to solve the case before it's too late.
The Long Call is the start of a new series from acclaimed mystery writer Ann Cleeves. It is well-plotted and has interesting characters. At times it is very obvious that the book is setting up for a series, rather than focusing on the individual storyline of the novel, but that isn't too much of a detractor. It's a good read for fans of atmospheric mysteries.
