I have read books by Ann Cleeves earlier and thought they're well written mysteries. This first book in a series is a promising start but I'm not overly impressed. In my opinion the detectives in the story are developed and I feel I want to get to know them better, but the book was way too long. There are so many details in the story that I got bored.

So, great effort but I think book two will be better!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

First in series, Detective Matthew Venn investigates a body found on the beach nearby: a man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death. The story involves multiple people with overlapping histories and relationships.

This is my first Ann Cleeves novel, but it was so good that I'll be looking for her earlier books. I was also thrilled to learn that The Long Call is the first in a new series starring police detective Matthew Venn. When the book begins, we meet Venn as he stands at a distance watching the funeral of his estranged father. While there he gets a call about a murder in the area. This murder case brings Venn back into the religious community where he grew up and from which he was banished.

Venn is an intriguing character, well developed by Cleeves; he is compassionate and smart. We're also introduced to Venn's husband who runs a center (The Woodyard) dedicated to the arts and to helping disabled and the mentally impaired. The murdered man has an affiliation to The Woodyard, as well as to a missing girl with Down's Syndrome, who Venn is asked to find.

The Long Call is a complex and compelling mystery, which I highly recommend.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for providing me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read Raven Black by Ann Cleeves last year and did not enjoy it, but something about this first book in the new Two Rivers series called to me. I’m so glad I gave Cleeves another chance. This is a brilliant, small English village, police procedural. I loved DI Matthew Venn and DS Jen Rafferty, which I think made a big difference in my enjoyment of the book, compared to the first of the Shetland books. DC Ross was an obnoxious brat, but he does show some growth towards the end and I could come to like him if that growth continues in future books.

The mystery was nicely complex, with plenty of different trails for the police to follow, but it was never so convoluted that I lost interest. I felt invested in the outcome and in all of the characters, both good and bad. I will absolutely be picking up the next in the series when it comes out and I am seriously considering trying out the Vera Stanhope series. I highly recommend this one for fans of UK police procedurals in the same vein as Elizabeth George, Val McDermid, and Kate Atkinson.

This is a *solid* start to a new police procedural series by Ann Cleeves. She has introduced an engaging cast of characters who I’m excited to follow Matthew and Jonathan, Jenn and Ross were all believable and interesting. The plot was sufficiently twisty to keep me guessing, and the setting was one I look forward to returning to.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How exciting to be in at the beginning of a new series by this author! This book has a good mix of quirky characters who will be interesting to track in future books, with a murder mystery and some good old-fashioned detecting.

This was a great mystery. So very BBC and Masterpiece Mystery. It will be a an easy hand sell. An especially good fall read.

My mom was an avid reader of mystery novels. She enjoyed the puzzles and the suspense. I guess that because my mom loved these books, I automatically resisted them (ah, daughterly rebellion). But in recent years, I have finally come to understand their appeal.

This is the first Ann Cleeves novel I have read, but it certainly won't be the last. The Long Call has lots of what I love about any book: a small-town setting, an array of quirky characters, and a compelling story. But this is also a top-notch crime story that was very exciting.

What I Liked:

Setting:

I love books set in small towns. There is something about a place where everyone is known that makes me want to delve in more deeply. After all, everyone has their secrets. The setting is North Devon, England. I found the faded resort town to be charming.

Even though the place was charming, it was not a sugary sweet small town. The effects of a downward trending economy were evident, from the seedy streets (away from the tourist areas) and various social issues that accompanied them.

Characters:

I really liked Matthew, the lead detective. His smart appearance belies a very complicated backstory that is relevant to the action in the book. His husband, Jonathan, is the polar-opposite of Matthew with his laid-back attitude and casual attire. They couldn't be more different, or a more perfect fit for each other.

I also liked Jen, the other police officer (detective?) in the story. Her struggles are very different from her colleague, Ross. Jen is constantly juggling being a single parent with putting in the hours and dedication to her career. I like her running commentary, as she often wonders if the assignments she gets are because she is good at certain skills, or because she is being pidgin-holed into less important work because she is a woman. Since she is one of the only women in her department, these are not unreasonable concerns.

Also, I quite liked the various characters in the book who had Down's Syndrome. I liked that the author showed different presentations of the same condition. I also really appreciated the families who took care of these characters. This book didn't sugar-coat the challenges families face, especially when the parents face old age.

Story:

The story begins with a body found on the beach. A seemingly random series of events that follow gives Matthew the idea that they are all connected. But he can't quite figure out how. That's the puzzle portion of the book, and it's fun to figure out how everything is, indeed, connected.

The ending was exciting, with lots of plot twists I didn't see coming. This seems to be the first book in a new series, and I will really look forward to the next book.

"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.

From Ann Cleeves, bestselling author of Vera and Shetland, beloved by readers and TV viewers alike, comes a spectacular new series, told with deep compassion and searing insight."

A new Ann Cleeves series, be still my heart! Also, how long until it's a TV series? My guess is REALLY SOON.

The Long Call is the first in a new series by Cleeves set in northern Devon. It has all the main elements that make her other series so strong - a group of well-realized characters dropped into an interesting setting and stirred into a very believable and intriguing plot. The main detectives are Matthew Venn, a gay married man formerly of a local religious group The Brethren, and Jen Rafferty, a single mother with 2 teenagers she is barely maintaining contact with. The investigations about a dead man and a missing girl revolve around The Woodyard, a community center designed for artists, the developmentally disabled and the local community, and managed by Matthew's husband Jonathan. The characters and relationships are as richly complex as the mystery, Character background is gradually introduced (no information dump), with plenty of blank areas for future books. Very enjoyable introduction to the characters. Fans will not be disappointed. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

My copy was an ARC from NetGalley

I have heard alot about Ann Cleves' books and have been wanting to read one for awhile now so needless to say I was very excited when I was pre-approved by Netgalley for this book!! And I wasn't disappointed!!This is an excellent mystery and lovers of British procedurals will love this book. It is an interesting, well plotted puzzle with well developed characters. A joy to read. I'm looking forward to more in this series.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Such a great start to a new police procedural mystery series by renowned author, Ann Cleeves.

Recently appointed Detective Inspector Matthew Venn stands circumspect outside the chapel where his estranged father is memorialized and his mother weeps. The family belonged to a strict Brethren order which Matthew could not follow. Doing so would be tantamount to denying his own nature. Upon that same day, a body is discovered at Crow Point where the Taw and Torridge rivers converge. Matthew is called to the scene where it is discovered that it wasn't just a body upon the sand but a murdered one. So begins the tale.

Cleeves is brilliant in her character development and her understanding of police procedural protocols. She has created fresh and incredibly believable characters for the story. Each has their outstanding qualities as well as a few idiosyncrasies and/or shortfalls. Suit-wearing DI Venn is certainly the leading character with strong supporting roles by brown-noser (to the DCI) DC Ross May, party girl and mother of teens Sergeant Jen Rafferty, Matthew's husband and community center administrator Johnathon Church as well as a cadre of unique and interesting tertiary characters. The writing is mature and exquisitely crafted. The interplay of characters is rich and complex displaying mental health issues, impaired cognitive skills or even some who suffer from excessive wealth with their delusions of superiority. Each has differing ideas as to what is good for all. Ann Cleeves is off to a great start on this new series and I eagerly await the next book featuring DI Matthew Venn and his grand cast of supporting characters.

I am grateful to author Ann Cleaves and publisher, St. Martin's Press, for having provided a free e-copy of this book. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Finished this one today while on a cross country airline flight. The description does a pretty good job of describing the tale but somewhere I must have missed part of what others were thinking, I didn’t really see much compassion nor searing insight. What I did see is a murder/kidnapping mystery told by the investigator, Matthew Venn, whom has an uncomfortable past in the area where these unfortunate events took place.
I found the multiple twists and turns rather interesting, but as a whole this book just did not deliver as I had expected. I could not connect with Matthew, my favorite character was Jen, I related as to how she was trying to find a balance between her work and homelife. Following the large cast of characters also got confusing. Not a bad book, but not a remarkable one either.
I’ll have to give this one 3 stars. I thank St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for allowing me the opportunity of reading this book for my honest review

A new series from Sleeves takes us to North Devon, and introduces us to police detective Matthew Venn. Venn, an ex member of the religious sect the Brethren has been booted out for non belief. He and his husband Jonathan live on the shore, where a body of a young man will be discovered.

An interesting case that unravels many different threads, uncovering multiple layers that will drag others into its net. Really, Cleve has the enviable knack of conjuring atmospheric reads and characters with fascinating back stories. In fact, I read today that this new series has already been optioned for a TV series. I have a feeling Matthew will grow on me in subsequent reads as the series progresses. That said, I will still miss Shetland and Jimmy Perez.

ARC from Netgalley.

One of the things that sets a great book apart from a good read is when the reader feels the characters are real. That is the case with "The Long Call". This new series by Anne Cleeves is destined to be a hit with her readers. I barely closed the cover and I was speculating about what was going to happen with the characters in the next book. So yes, not only are the characters real, but I also care about them, another point that sets "the Long Call" apart as a great book. I don't want to give a rehash of the plot and put any spoilers in readers' minds, but I will say: The mystery is well plotted with pitch perfect timing; the characters believable; the North Devon setting perfect. The publisher's description of the North Devon location as a place"where two rivers converge and run into the sea" immediately made me want to jump in the pages and spend time in the region's landscapes. As Ann Cleeves closes the Jimmy Perez series, I think readers will find time with her new protagonist Detective Matthew Venn time well spent. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

How long must I wait for book 2? The Long Call by Ann Cleeves was such a thrill to read. I’ve never heard of this author before, but now I want to read more of her works. If you are a fan of thrillers, then I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this book.

I love a good mystery and this one has so much more than just a murder to solve. Set in North Devon, England the descriptions of the area transported me across the pond, to marshes, sands and churning seas. Quaint villages are the setting and the community is strong.

The victim is a bit unusual in that he has purported mental issues in the form of alcohol and survivor guilt. Being a tenant in his therapist's home was a bit unusual and a cause for raised eyebrows. There's also a connection to Woodyard a community center with a variety of activities including a Day center for the learning disabled. He volunteers there in the Café and has also befriended a young woman who has Down's Syndrome.

The investigator in charge Matthew Venn is hands on and looking into every nook and cranny to find clues to the murderer. He's afraid at some point he may have to step away since his husband runs the Woodyard Center.

Matthew's team is an interesting pair, Jen a single mother with a lot of experience and Ross who is the DCI's 'pet' often sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. Ross doesn't even realize he rubs everyone the wrong way.

A very intricate tale, with many twists and turns as Matthew and his team travel through the last days of the victim. I couldn't put this book down in spite of the fact it has no romance.

I can't wait to see where Ann takes us in the next book.

Having been raised on a steady diet of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes, I have a nostalgic fondness of mysteries and am easily convinced to check out a new mystery that comes highly praised.

Ann Cleeves begins a new series with The Long Call, introducing readers to detective Matthew Venn. Matthew is estranged from his family after leaving the faith (and marrying another man doesn't earn him any goodwill either), but his life is relatively happy and stable aside from that separation. When a body is found on the beach near his home, too many clues keep circling back to his husband's daytime community center as well as individuals from Venn's past.

The story is presented thoughtfully and the reveal isn't predictable. I found the character development done in such a way to draw me in so as to become invested in the various individuals. The Long Call is an enjoyable, well-written read, such that I won't hesitate to pick up other books by Ann Cleeves or look into the shows based on her books.

(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

Ann Cleeves has done it again! Just when I thought she couldn't top her Vera and Shetland series she has gone and done it straight out of the gate with the first installment of her Two Rivers series. Well done!
This author always writes a wonderful, hard to figure out mystery, in every book she's written, but her other great skill is to develop characters that are interesting, flawed and constantly evolving.
I can't wait to read what she has in store for them all in the next installment!

This wasn’t bad but I also didn’t find it very compelling. I had a hard time feeling the pull of the main characters. Perhaps it’s all the jumping around, to different third person perspectives. They felt a little one dimension. It took a while for it to really hold my attention.

One thing I noticed though, was there was a bit of repetition. Backstory repeated. It happened more than once, enough for me to really take note.