This is my third or fourth book from the talented Ann Cleeves, and I finally put my finger on why I adore her work so much. Her work keeps me guessing, but not in a non-stop twists and turns way. It really does feel like a puzzle that you're sorting out along with the investigators, and you have to think outside the box to understand the suspects and their motives.

This story introduces readers to a new investigator, Detective Matthew Venn. I loved where the author took this character. First, he is nothing like Vera Stanhope or Jimmy Perez. Matthew Venn has a quietness about him, and he seems to follow the rule that it is better to listen than to talk. But while Matthew has found some peace in his life, his past is not without strife. When our story starts, he's lingering outside the funeral of his father. He wasn't invited by his mother and he stays removed from the funeral due to the family's strict religious beliefs that cast him out in the past. But Matthew has moved on, and been successful in both is professional and personal life. He's found love with his husband, Jonathan, and his introduction to the reader is partially brought by the job transfer that allowed him to move back to North Devon.

This story starts with the murder of a man down on his luck. When one woman goes missing, the detectives are puzzled. But then another woman disappears in a crowded shopping area. All have a connection to a local community center, The Woodyard. So many secrets and so many suspects send investigators on a wild chase.

This story is a slow burn but does have a good amount of action throughout, and it never veers into feeling outlandish or unbelievable.

If you already enjoy Ann Cleeves, you'll like this book. But if you also enjoy a well-developed cast of characters trying to solve crimes in a small village by the sea, you'll love "The Long Call".

I am currently reading a bunch of Ann Cleeves works. “The Long Call” being the first mystery in “Two Rivers” series interesting to me but didn’t grab me like her Vera series. Perhaps the fault is mine…I sat on the book for a few years after NetGalley was gracious enough to provide an advance copy. Therefore I will give it 3 stars but only because I wasn’t in the proper frame of mind after reading approximately 300 mysteries since this book was first published.
So shame on me: however, I will continue to focus on Ann Cleeves the remainder of 2024.

Amazing Matthew Venn sequel. The mystery is engaging and the returning characters all have strong development. I can't wait for the next.book and audio.

My first Ann Cleeves and first in her new Two Rivers series. A dead body is found and Inspector Matthew Venn and his two detectives are on the case; one who tries his patience daily and the other the best he's ever worked with. The murder mystery is a good one, multi-layered with quite the cast of diverse characters, but none of them really stood out to steal the show or retain my interest enough to continue on with the series.A bit slow-moving for my taste but the last quarter everything was non stop!

After thoroughly enjoying Vera Stanhope, I decided to give Anne Cleeves' new protagonist a whirl. As expected, I wasn't disappointed. I don't know if I will like Matthew Venn as much as Vera, but the author's writing still shines through and makes for a delightful series that I will continue reading.

I enjoyed this for what it was. This was my first time reading anything by this author so I am not sure if this is how most of her books are written. But as the first in a series it was a bit slow for me. I want to be gutted, thrown off, completely shocked when I read thriller (ish) books and this one kind of left me wanting more

This first in a series book was too slow for me and felt like work to get through. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with any of the characters, which was unfortunate as I felt the plot was a good premise.
I have liked other books by the author, but this series won't be for me.

This is the first in the Two Rivers series. I have wanted to read this book for almost two years…ever since I read the second in the series. Unfortunately, I got to read the third one before finally going back and reading this one. However, I think all three of them work well as stand alones.

The Long Call introduces Detective Matthew Venn and his associates, Constable Ross May and DS Jen Rafferty. When a dead body is discovered on the beach, Matthew finds that the case is associated with the community center run by his husband, Jonathan and also may be tied to the religious group his family belonged to but from whom he has been ostracized.

I enjoyed this introduction to the characters I know well from the other two books in the series. All three of these books are well written, with strong character development. Cleeves will have you guessing throughout. Stressing characters and plot rather than action, this is another engrossing read that I didn’t want to put down.

If you are not familiar with this series, you might recognize Cleeves’ name from her very successful Vera and Shetland books and TV series. If you like methodical, introspective, well plotted and characterized police procedurals, seek her out.

Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress #minotaurbooks for the ARC, even if I did read it long after it was published!

A true detective story with a compelling narrator. With shades of being a thriller, without bordering on too much to handle. I really liked this story. I was given The Long Call by Ann Cleeves in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley.

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves is the first book in the Matthew Venn mystery series. This was my first book I have read by Ms Cleeves, I know she’s very popular with popular tv shows made of her other 2 book series so I was intrigued to read this via NetGalley. I liked it. The setting and characters are very fleshed out with interesting personalities. I will continue with this series and will look for her other books. I liked that I did not guess the murderer, at all.

I’d recommend this if you like police detective stories like Louise Penny’s Three Pines or Susan Hill’s Simon Serrailler mystery series.

*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.*

The Long Call by Ann Cleves

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.

I enjoyed the start to this series and might pick up another when in the right mood. I liked the story. However, it didn't hold a tight grip on my attention. There is a large cast of characters, and I found myself only partially keeping track of everyone. That didn't hinder me from following the fairly predictable plot, but it also means I wasn't compelled to keep coming back. I did find the main character and his background interesting and would be curious to see if that gets fleshed out more in subsequent books.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for a free copy of The Long Call. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own. #NetGalley

A very solid start to a new series. If you like the Shetland books, this will fit right in. They mystery is great, and the cast of characters is wonderful. This book had a little bit more cozy of a feel, though the main character has a slightly less conventional background than Jimmy Perez. The setting is a character unto itself, and we're kept guessing whodunit towards the end. My only critique is that it's not quite as action-packed as I prefer - plenty going on, just no one really hurrying around.

I can see this making an excellent BBC movie. I look forward to the next installment in the series.

Ann Cleeves books are the kind of books you don't want to stop reading. I find myself always hanging on every word. She doesn't use big words, doesn't write long silly sentences just to convey one idea; but she has a way of writing a sentence and you can instantly close your eyes and get a picture in your head. She writes great character-driven books that easily translate to tv series.

I didn't expect the who, what or why of the storyline, so it knocked my socks off. I've managed to escape watching the tv series, and I'm glad I did. I really liked Matthew. I'm hoping the second book finds him feeling better about things, like his relationship with his mother and his husband, Jonathan.

The book keeps you guessing and throws in some good distractions while you're trying to figure out who did what and why. I can't wait for the next one.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are mine and freely expressed.

For the first time in 20 years, Ann Cleeves --international bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows-- embarks on a gripping new series.
In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father’s funeral takes place. Once loved and cherished, 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.

This was my first book by Ann Cleeves but will not be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed this character driven mystery. The plot and characters were wonderful.

My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

While Ann Cleeves does a great job introducing characters and I enjoy her writing overall, I found "The Long Call" to be a bit too predictable and just couldn't keep my attention.

I'm not surprised to learn, after the fact, that this story was written by the creator of Vera. Many of the same problems I had connecting with her, I had connecting with this one.

The storylines are fine. Ann Cleeves does a wonderful job introducing enough people and elements to the story that it's a challenge to figure out "whodunit" before the story is over. Yet, I don't connect with the angst of her main characters. They aren't relatable to me at all and to a certain extent, I don't like them. So, while I enjoy the intellectual puzzles of her stories, I don't enjoy reading them because I miss connecting with the people the stories are about.

Anyway, although this wasn't my cup of tea, I do thank Ann Cleeves, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a review copy.

A man is found stabbed to death on the beach. Detective Matthew Venn and his team are investigating. However, as more facts are uncovered, not only does it turn out that the victim had a lot of problems and secrets, but also that further investigation may cause a conflict of interest for Matthew, whose husband runs a day centre for learning disabled adults. As the investigation goes, more and more people associated with the center begin to be involved in the whole case, also as suspects.

Matthew Venn is married to a man. I really liked how this fact was treated so naturally. And while this obviously causes some problems, especially in Matthew's relationship with his parents, his sexual orientation has little to do with the investigation he's conducting. The fact that Matthew is gay is irrelevant to the suspense part of the story. I really like that approach.

The plot is interesting and I liked how the different threads of the story come together at some point. The group of suspects is large enough to keep us guessing for longer. The explanation of the whole thing is pretty fine too.

Unfortunately, there was something about the story that made me have trouble connecting to it. And that didn't let me fully enjoy the story. Perhaps the writing style of this author is not quite to me.

As a fan of Ann Cleeves other series, Vera and Shetland, this new series did not disappoint. Detective Matthew Venn just lost his father, again. Several years ago when he left the strict evangelical church, his family disowned him as well. When his father dies, he is not allowed to attend the funeral or grieve with his mother. As he's dealing with this grief, an unidentified man is found on shore stabbed to death. As Matthew searches for the killer, he must also dive into the background of the man who mentored him in the church while growing up. Can he separate the facts of the case from his discernment of this man and his religion. I'm curious to see where the author takes Matthew in coming books. He definitely has room for development.

Intrigue from a favorite gifted author…dynamic characters who interact with each other in a way that the story comes to life. Red herrings…secrets…family and friends…mystery…mayhem…I like this author…curl up in a cozy chair with a warm blanket…enjoy an afternoon with the characters in this novel which is fiction but reads like nonfiction. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author for this great read.

A character-driven complex mystery with all the elements of a well-written book!

Matthew Venn, our protagonist, is a senior detective in North Devon who is attentive and thoughtful towards the needs of the people around him. He had a troubled childhood growing up in an orthodox religious community from which he was later excommunicated for speaking against their beliefs. We see this estrangement from his family shadowing his daily life and making him miserable, even though he handles his demons well, with support from his loving husband, Jonathan.

The story starts with a body washing ashore close to Matthew’s house. As Matthew and his team investigate the murder mystery, we are invited into the functioning of their town layer by layer. With their orthodox religious beliefs and class differentiation, the town has a diverse range of people who have their own demons and secrets. All the characters are well-developed and believable, even with their complexities. The book has several characters with Down’s Syndrome, and Cleeves is brilliant in dealing with their disability. I love how they had significant roles to play and were not projected as unreliable characters because of their disability.

This is a slow-burn mystery, that won’t give you any adrenaline rush. Although I’ve to admit that it is nevertheless gripping and as the mystery unfolds, I felt a sense of achievement in being part of the investigation and catching up on some clues early on. The best part about it is Cleeves’ atmospheric writing; this is my first book by her, and I’m certainly going to read more of her works from now on. The atmosphere she builds is enigmatic and fitting for cinematic adaptations.

Thanks to St.Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

3.75/5🌟 (rounding up).

TW: Sexual abuse, Domestic violence, Alcoholism, Religious dogmatism, Mental illness, and Estrangement from family/community.