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Summary
Summary
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
NOW A BRITBOX SERIES STARRING BEN ALDRIDGE AND PEARL MACKIE
The Long Call from Ann Cleeves--bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows--introduces the first in the stunning Matthew Venn series.
"In Matthew Venn, Ann has created a complex, daring, subtle character." --Louise Penny
"Matthew Venn is a keeper. A stunning debut for Cleeves' latest crimefighter."--David Baldacci
In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his estranged father's funeral takes place. On 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 to the people and places of his past, as deadly secrets hidden at their hearts are revealed, and his new life is forced into a collision course with the world he thought he'd left behind.
Author Notes
ANN CLEEVES is the multi-million copy bestselling author behind three hit television series-- Shetland , starring Douglas Henshall, Vera , starring Academy Award Nominee Brenda Blethyn, and The Long Call , starring Ben Aldridge--all of which are watched and loved in the United States. All three are available on BritBox.
The first Shetland novel, Raven Black , won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for best crime novel, and Ann was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger in 2017. She was awarded the OBE in 2022 for services to reading and libraries. Ann lives in the United Kingdom.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Set in Devon, England, this thoughtful series launch from bestseller Cleeves (the Vera Stanhope series) introduces Det. Insp. Matthew Venn, who spent his childhood among the Barum Brethren, a strict evangelical community led by the charismatic Dennis Salter. As a teenager, Matthew rejected the teachings of the community and was banished. Now in his late 30s, the tightly wound and reserved Matthew works in nearby Barnstable and is married to Jon, who runs a multi-use community arts center called Woodward. When a local man turns up stabbed to death on a beach near Matthew and Jon's house, the resulting investigation draws a few too many connections to Woodward--including that the victim volunteered there--and soon Matthew's past and present lives begin to collide. Cleeves makes good use of Devon local color and populates this subtle, expertly paced mystery with distinctive supporting characters. Hopefully, future installments will delve even further into the intriguing Barum Brethren. Agent: Sarah Menguc, Sarah Menguc Literary Agent (U.K.) (Sept.)
Library Journal Review
Cleeves's new series stars Matthew Venn, a British detective living near the sea in North Devon with his new husband and facing emotional demons from the past as well as physical ones in the present. When a dead man is found on the beach and two women with Down syndrome are kidnapped, Matthew is convinced there is a connection between the crimes and fears that it may come too close to home. He grew up in the area as part of a strict evangelical community, the Brethren, which he abandoned, and was disenfranchised when he married. His husband is the director of a newly opened community center with links to both the leader of the Brethren and the victims. In Matthew, Cleeves gives us a flawed character rife with insecurities. The events in the book begin the process of his healing, as broken family ties appear to be mending. Matthew's team is introduced, with tensions and backstories developed. The plotting is complex and intriguing, the location comes alive, and the resolution satisfies. VERDICT Fans of Cleeves lamenting the end of the "Shetland" series will find much to love in her new characters and setting. [See Prepub Alert, 3/4/19.]--Sharon Mensing, Phoenix, AZ