The Long Call

Rather than start Shetland and Vera series (I will eventually) I decided to come closer to Home and North Devon. A fine book, with obvious craft. Maybe driven through on automatic rather than manual gear shift as the pacing is consistent never really picking up but not allowing itself a slow down either.

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.

A well-written mystery! Had my suspicions but enjoyed the ride of finding out who it was at the end, as the characters all felt like they had real personalities and remained separated in my mind (even though there were quite a few to keep track of!). 1/2 star off as one side story seemed a little unnecessary as it wasn't quite fleshed out enough for me - perhaps it will be in the next books. It was nice to read about Devon and the narrator did a good job with accents without them seeming too ridiculous (to my ears, at least!). I'll carry on with this series, and might try out some of her other series now too.