This is my first book by Ann Cleeves and I found myself drawn in immediately.
The story was different from a lot of books out there right now and I found that refreshing. The lead detective is a man who happens to be married to another man. Both men hold decent, respectable jobs. This immediately gives the story and updated, fresh feel.
The basic premise of the story revolves around the lead detective investigating a murder. The heart of the story though, involves the detective returning home to the community that shunned him to solve this murder. As this appears to be the beginning of a series, I see promising things for these characters.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for my review.

A new series by Ann Cleeves? Yay! I'm already a fan of Detective Matthew and I hope he gets his own television series, too!

Typical Scottish/Irish/English police mystery here, and I loved it. The scenery is almost a person, which I love, and the characters of these little towns just come to live with Cleeves writing them.

I was excited to read this book due to the description. However, I finished three books before I finished this one. I kept losing interest. I found this book a chore to read. I don't plan to read the next book in the series.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

A deliberately paced and atmospheric new series by talented author Ann Cleeves. Matthew Venn is an intense Detective Inspector in Devon, in charge of the investigation of a body that turned up near his home. Matthew prides himself on his detached demeanor but there are a lot of elements in this case that disturb him and make him question his ability to be impartial. Full of colorful and memorable characters, this book will not disappoint.

I'm always excited to start a new series and have been looking forward to finding the time to read The Long Call by Anne Cleeves for some time. I'm happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was a bit surprised by it as well.

I admire authors who are willing to take a chance and experiment with new ideas and I think Cleeves did both in this book. The reader is introduced to Detective Inspector Matthew Venn, a middle aged gay man who has been raised in a very conservative Brethren community. He's quiet and somewhat reserved and not a character one would expect in a typical police procedural. He works closely with Jen Rafferty. She's another character who is quite intriguing. Single mom to two teenagers, survivor of an abusive relationship, and out to prove that she's capable of anything she sets her mind to, Rafferty is a force to be reckoned with.

The book starts out with a bang. Matthew is watching his father's funeral processions from afar and receives a call about a dead body being discovered close to the home in which he now lives. Of course, this sets the stage for a ton of reader questions. Why isn't Matthew at his own father's funeral? What does it mean (if anything) that the death is so close to the detective's home? Is Matthew in the right state of mind to lead a homicide investigation, especially one that's going to have ties closer to home than he ever could have imagined?

There were so many things I liked about this book. I thought the characters were very well developed. The setting was also ideal. The story is dark and dreary and it seems to match the landscape of North Devon. The plot is unique. Several of the characters involved have Down's. The writing felt very authentic concerning how each of these characters would act and react to the ongoings around them. The mystery itself leads the reader to wonder how everything is connected and what a possible motive for murder could be. The ending is nicely done and entirely plausible. (I'm not a fan of rushed endings!)

If I had one complaint (although it's more of a comment) it would be about Jonathan, Matthew's husband. He felt off to me. He should be so likable. He commits himself to helping others and doing the right thing and yet there was just something bothersome about him. Maybe it was the way he acted towards Matthew? Maybe he seemed fake? Maybe he seemed too self-centered for what he does?
I'm honestly not sure. I suppose it could even be intentional in writing his character that way. Regardless, I have no doubt I'll read the second book of the Two Rivers duology.
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This is the first book I’ve read by Ann Cleeves. She is a veteran mystery writer so I was excited to read this first book in a series by her. It got great reviews by others, but I found it to be very slow moving. It had two stories running parallel: a story about detective Matthew Venn working on a crime of a man’s body found on a beach, and the detectives personal life. And a Down syndrome girl and her father and their life. The two stories merge together at the end. The book is well written and very detailed, but for me it was very slow. I like detective mysteries with a bit more action, so it took me over two months to get through. I recommend this book to people who like slow burning mysteries. It was an okay read for me.
A very special thank you to St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Long Call," is the first in a new series by Ann Cleeves. It features Matthew Venn, an inspector in the North Devon police force, who is married to Jonathan Church. Jonathan manages the Woodyard, a multipurpose community center that offers daytime activities for developmentally disabled adults. Venn looks into the murder of Simon Walden, an army veteran who was stabbed and his corpse left on a beach not far from Matthew and Jonathan's home. Simon, who had been carrying a heavy burden of guilt, was also an accomplished chef who volunteered at the Woodyard. Det Venn spends a lot of the book time in his head pondering his insecurities and anxieties that he makes some rookie mistakes.
The plot is dense and includes lots of characters and a description of the setting. By the end, I was skimming ahead to discover whodunnit. However, as this is a new series, the author could be introducing all the future main characters at once. hopeful that Inspector Venn will grow as a character and more confident inspector.

I really enjoyed this mystery with such interesting fully developed characters. I thought it was a little slow starting out, but as I read further I was really interested in the characters as much as the mystery. It was unusual in that the Detective Inspector, Matthew Venn, is a gay man. His husband is involved in a community center that a developmentally delayed woman who may be connected to the case attends. These types of connections, while taking some time to come to light, really kept the story moving. It is definitely worth reading. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc.

I haven't read any Ann Cleeves previously, but I definitely want to check out some of her series now. This was a good mystery - a man is found murdered on the beach, and Matthew Venn is assigned to investigate. The murdered man may have connections to Matthew's husband, and he also seems to be connected to a philanthropist, an artist, and a girl with Down's syndrome (who is probably the most trustworthy witness). The setting is interesting and I feel like there is a lot more to discover with Matthew's past, and just with the area in general - so I'll be looking for future books in THIS series as well.

This book is the quintessential slow burn for me: took a little bit to get into but once I was in boy it was a bonfire. Starting off I had a more difficult time than usual connecting with the characters but it turns out that I was just being impatient. Cleaves' slowly reveals the characters in a way that you might get to know someone in real life rather than the upfront "here they are" that thrillers can be bad about in order to get to the tasty plot twists.

This plot though I thought started off strong. A nice mystery, a set of odd secondary characters who are all suspicious, a little town with a strong cult that our main character Matthew grew up in. I warmed up to Matthew first, once you get beneath his shell he's a fascinating man, then I started to like Jen and Ross last, but I think that's how the author wanted it.

It's not the sort of thrilled I lost sleep over to read but I felt the pull to it throughout. I think this kind of more methodical thriller is great to see in a genre that's trending towards more shock-and-awe than anything. I really liked the ending. It's satisfying and believable with all the pieces placed perfectly.

Though I was on the fence on whether or not I'd want to read book two for a good portion of it, by the end I was sold. I can't wait to read book two now and see what happens with this cast of characters. This kind of thoughtful, slow burn thriller is perfect for those readers who like to mull over their stories rather than read flashes in the pan.


Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin's Press, and the author Ann Cleaves for the opportunity to do so.

Book source ~ NetGalley

Detective Matthew Venn left his roots behind when he went to college and discovered the strict evangelical community he grew up in was crap. It’s while he’s lurking outside his father’s funeral many years later that he gets a call that there’s a body on the beach. He has no clue that this case will crash land him right back into the community he walked away from.

This is a solid but slow moving mystery that connects several things together. I like Matthew Venn and his team as well as his husband Jonathan and the place he manages, the Woodyard. In other words, I really like the world and the characters. It’s not an exciting heart-racing page-turner, but the mystery is compelling and Matthew’s flaws, strengths, intuition, and sound detective work are what drives it forward. I’d read more in this series.

Darkly evocative and smartly written!
My first Ann Cleeves did not disappoint. I consider myself already anxiously anticipating the next installment to this all new, Two Rivers, series.
I was so pleasantly impressed with this. By far the best traditional mystery I have read this year. It is obvious from the first pages that Cleeves is a skilled, veteran mystery writer.
Following Detective Matthew Venn and two of his junior colleagues, Jen and Ross, was an absolute delight. I felt like I was there with them, learning the evidence as they were. Matthew was just a lovely protagonist. Thoughtful and introverted, extremely smart and dedicated to the idea of truth and justice for all.
At the beginning of our tale, Matthew is attending his estranged Father's funeral. Standing in the back he observes neighbors, and other locals, he might once have considered friends.
But he has left that part of his life far behind after the strict evangelical community his parents were a part of could not accept that he is gay. Basically excommunicated from the community, he hasn't spoken with either of his parents in many years.
Upon quietly making his exit from the church, he receives a phone call from one of his colleagues. The body of a murdered man has just been found on a beach not far from his current location. He of course rushes to the scene and thus begins an investigation into the community of which he was once a part.
I loved the tone of this novel. From start to finish the writing was so intelligent and gripping. It gave me strong Broadchurch vibes whilst also reminding me of the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith. I would say if you enjoy the Cormoran books, you should DEFINITELY pick this one up.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books, for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. I am in love with it and cannot wait to continue on with the series!!! Well done, Ms. Cleeves!!

Good story line. Then characters were developed nicely so the reader connects. It isn’t my typical read but it was good enough.

Ann Cleeves has been on my TBR list forever it seems, but I never manage to get around to reading her.  I think that part of this is because my online book club is already really far into both the Shetland and Vera series and I hate starting in the middle of something.  So, when I saw that The Long Call was the beginning of a new series, I knew it was the perfect time to jump in and see what all the fuss was about.

I didn't know what to expect going into this book.  From what I'd heard, it'd be a great mystery that was well-written, but that was about it.  I hadn't known I was going to find such engaging characters with differing backgrounds and personalities.  Matthew Venn endeared himself to me from the very beginning.  He's thoughtful, determined, and very intelligent.  There are moments where he falls into old patterns from his youth and then beats himself up over them, but I'm hoping that he's using them as learning moments for later.  His husband, Jonathan, is Matthew's total opposite, but they fit together well.  I was afraid they'd be very Mitch and Cam a la Modern Family, but they aren't quite that disparate in personality.  (Although, I love Mitch and Cam.)

Jenn was a hot mess and a half, but I really did love how dedicated she was to both her job and her kids.  I'd like to know more about her backstory as well in the future.  She has an important story that I think should be put a little bit forward.  Ross was a jerk, but by the end you begin to understand why.  I'm hoping that he starts to mellow out a bit in the next before Matthew pops him one.

I also hope that, in the upcoming sequels that they delve into the world of the Brethren a bit more.  For some reason, I have this weird obsession with crazy religious factions and I think it'd be fascinating to learn more about Matthew's upbringing.

The Long Call was an intense, engaging story that kept me reading from the first page.  I wanted to know more about Matthew, the Brethren, his team, the murder... everything!  Although this was my first novel by this author, it definitely will not be my last.  Her writing style is smooth and flowing, making for an easy read although the story isn't fluffy in any way.

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves
For me this book seems a little slow, maybe a little boring, I had a really hard time getting involved and drawn into this book and I really can't say why as the characters were fleshed out and the writing was not horrible. Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this book and letting me leave my opinion.

I received a copy of this quite awhile ago from netgalley, sorry that it took me so long to get to it. The story was good, it dealt with learning disabilities, and the abuse of those with learning disabilities, male/make relationship, which I typically don't read, but will continue with this series. Overall this was good, just a bit too get into.

A police procedural that has the most interesting and well-developed characters. The main character, Matthew, is a police detective--and a kind, intelligent, vulnerable person. He grew up in a veritable cult, leaving those beliefs and people behind as he grew up, but is now having to investigate a crime involving the group. I also really liked the diversity and development of the secondary characters. I think this is the first book I've read where a character with Down Syndrome is an actual character and not just mentioned in passing. The setting, Devon, was new to me and is now somewhere I'd like to visit. While I was most impressed with the character development, the plot was also intriguing. I will be looking for the second one in this new series and for other works by this author.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

The Long Call has a strong sense of place with detailed descriptions of the setting, as well as substantial characterization of the main characters. The characters throughout were fallible; although I often did not like them they were realistic and drew me into the story. The author did a good job demonstrating the clash of love and control that can occur when trying to both protect someone you care for and give them the opportunity to spread their wings and enjoy life.

I recommend The Long Call for fans of Louise Penny and anyone who enjoys character-focused mysteries. I look forward to reading another Matthew Venn mystery.

Content Warnings: <spoiler> sexual assault </spoiler>

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own. #TheLongCall #mystery

Ever since watching Vera and Shetland on Acorn TV I have always been curious about this authors novels. I hoped to really enjoy this one but there was just some things in it that I didn’t care for making not so great of a read for me though I am sure others will enjoy it just fine. I may try one of her other series though.

It starts out with Detective Matthew Venn standing in the distance watching as his father is buried. He is not allowed as noone wants him there. He left the strict community that his parents where a part of when he was younger and was not welcome back and his parents pretty much shunned him. His mother actually accuses him of killing his father because of his leaving.

Then he gets a call about a dead body that takes him into the heart of the community he left. Looking in to what happened to this man brings things close to home as Matthews spouse works at the Woodyard a center for special needs people. Lucy is one that we meet in the story because she new the man who had been killed, he gave her sweets. Things lead Matthew to the community he left and a lot of secrets and lies that he has to shift through.

We also get another story woven through about an elderly man and his daughter with down syndrome which of course will soon a connection between both stories start to come to light.

Then there’s also another down syndrome girl who goes missing whom detective Matthew has to try and find which puts him deeper into the community as his mother actually ask him to help. Matthew does a great job of taking it all in and figuring out what happened.

Detective Matthew is an okay character, he had to do his job while worrying what might be going on at the place his husband worked at and wondering if he had anything to do with it, but I think my favorite character is his coworker Jenn as she is a pretty spunky woman. She left an abusive relationship, took her kids and got out of it.

I did think the overall story wasn’t bad but it was a bit slow and drawn out and it had a decent mystery.

https://www.booksmoviesreviewsohmy.com/double-audiobook-review-of-the-long-call-and-the-monster-of-elendhaven/

This book started off a bit slow to the point that I actually considered DNF-ing. However, by that point, I think I was too far in that I thought it would make more sense to strive on than give up.

That being said, I did find it really intriguing in terms of the whodunit aspect. There were just so many layers and plots that to figure out who was actually behind the murder was fascinating. It was interesting to see how everything intersected and connected with one another.

I did like how the ending picked up a lot and made it far more interesting but as stated earlier, the book started off way too slow for me. And it definitely took some time for the book to really pick up the pace.

One of the more interesting elements were definitely the characters and the town that the book took place in. There were a plethora of diverse characters with various backgrounds and somehow as the book continued, their paths all intersected in a very unique way. I enjoyed the small town vibe and the fact that this book centered around this community centre.

Overall, I still enjoyed the mystery element as it ended in a way that was definitely unexpected but it was still a bit too slow for me. However, if you enjoy investigation stories, small town vibes and a more slower paced book then check this one out.