My first dive into Ann Cleeves and it will not be my last. I enjoyed this mystery set in a small English village. More than a cozy mystery but not quite anything more gruesome.

This story felt very convoluted and ultimately predictable to me, unfortuantely. The premise was intriguing and the characters well developed, but the plot just didn't hook me. That being said, I'll always be curious what Ann Cleeves comes up with next.

My very first read of Ann Cleeves and and sorry to say that I just was not able to get into it. Somehow the narration and the premise was just not for me, and seemed too preachy and tedious.

I have greatly enjoyed another series by this author, so I'm glad to read a new series start by Cleeves. However, I have missed emotions. Matthew Venn, he's "left/been kicked out" of the church, his family, and community. I thought that was so sad, but the why got even harder, and it made no sense to me. That's not how a real church is supposed to act for starters.

The past is never the past. Matthew is now married to Johnathan and so the rest of you know, this book wasn't listed as an LGB type book. So, now there is a murder, and back "home" if you would. Not at all over the rejection he caused, Issues compound when a victim has ties to Johnathan, and also ties to a church member from Matthew's not so past, past. So we have that, and then we have these two adult women with Downs Syndrome. That happens to be near to my heart, and they were really nice characters.

This story is character driven, with the mystery being a bit in the background to the lives and actions, ties and connections of the MC's. The story still stood reasonably strong, even with the things that might have made me skip it. I have really liked this author's prior books, so I guess I will just have to see if I stick with this series, or not.

Thanks to Net Galley for my copy of this book. This review is my own. This is my opinion of this book. A positive review is not required,

The Long Call is the first book in a new series by Ann Cleeves. We are introduced to Detective Matthew Venn who is at home to attend his father's funeral and gets involved with a case when a dead body is found on the beach. Venn was raised in a very strict religious group and he left that and his family behind. Loved the characters and can't wait for the next book in the series!

Thank you Netgallley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the arc of this book!I am not sure why it was so hard for me to get into this book. Maybe it was just not for me. I liked Matthew and his relationship with Jonathan as well as how he interacted with the other characters. I think he is a good main character. The story felt really slow and I actually lost the thread of the story at a few times, maybe because new characters and stories kept being introduced. There were flashes of brilliance in the writing and then there would be a long period of description of what Matthew was thinking about. If you love descriptions, you will love this book. Unfortunately, I do not love descriptions.

A body is found on the beach with no ID. Not only does the police need to find the ID but they need to figure out the mystery of who exactly the victim really was. Matthew grew up in a strict religious sect in this small village, but left when he was a teenager. His parents refused to speak to him again as he was gay. He is now married and moved back to the area. His husband works at a community centre that trains adults with intellectual challenges along with having a cafe and art centre. As we get deeper into the story we learn that there are connections with the centre and that many of the characters are interconnected.

The characters are flawed, which makes them realistic. The victim had so many secrets, as do many of the main characters. I couldn’t put this intriguing story down and I didn’t figure out all of the connections until the author revealed them. I now want to read more books by this author. Thank you to St Martin’s Press for the chance to read this intriguing book.

Matthew Venn investigates the stabbing death of a recovering drunk and then the disappearance of young woman with Down’s. As the investigation continues another young woman with Down’s disappears and it seems that the cases may be intertwined with both the dead man and the charity with which Matthew’s husband works.

The plot moves steadily, but slowly, to a satisfying conclusion that left me waiting eagerly to learn more of all the characters. Matthew has many internal doubts about himself due to his upbringing. His two assistants are quite different from each other and not the chummy buddies of most police procedurals. Jonathan, Matthew’s husband, is an integral part of Matthew’s life without interfering in his work. This is the beginning of a new series for Ann Cleeves who already writes the popular Vera and Shetland series that are both books and popular British TV series. This series has also been made into a TV series which I intend to look up while I track down book two in the series.

Another excellent character driven novel by Ann Cleeves introducing a Ilfracombe based detective. Good storyline, well written characters and a few twists to keep you thinking. Worth a read. TV adaptation due.

The Long Call is riveting and engrossing!

We are taken to North Devon where we find Detective Matthew Venn standing outside a church as his estranged father's funeral is taking place. Returning home he receives a call from a fellow detective telling him a body has been found on the beach nearby stabbed to death.

A must-read.

This story follows Detective Mathew Venn and his team when a body is found on the beach. A story that draws you in from the first page which well fleshed out characters. You are shown the complicated home lives as well as the mystery who done it element. Mathew Venn is a complex character who holds your interest from the first scene. A well paced mystery that you will want to read well into the night. These are characters who you will want to revisit again in future books.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A truly absorbing mystery. Matthew Venn is a new favourite. Held my attention all the way through, and I genuinely didn’t guess the big reveal, which is rare. Would most heartily recommend!

I’m sorry to say I just couldn’t get in to this story. I tried two or three times, but nothing held my interest. I haven’t read any other Ann Cleeves books but had watched the tv series so that’s why I wanted to give this a go. I didn’t finish the book.

As an avid mystery fan, I’m not sure why I had never read anything by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera series (neither of which I ever got into). But then I received a review copy of her 2021 book The Heron’s Cry from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, and realized it was the SECOND in a series. It came in audiobook format, which I have tried a few times but never been able to enjoy…I decided the time had come to actually “read” an entire audiobook, but first I wanted to go back and read (in print format) the first book in the new series: 2019’s The Long Call.

What a great feeling, to discover a new favorite author! The Long Call is the first in a new series features Detective Matthew Venn, who is working in the seaside community where he grew up. Matthew’s parents were members of a strict evangelical community known as The Brethren, all of whom have essentially banished him since he very publicly left their group, making it very clear he was not a believer. Sadly, Matthew’s parents chose their cult—opps, sorry, did I say that out loud? His parents chose their religious group over their son. The thought occurred to me that his rejection of their group might have allowed them to dissolve the family ostensibly due to Matthew’s lack of faith, while part of their doing so might actually have been that Matthew married Jonathan (an interesting man and a great character). Refreshingly, the whole same-sex marriage issue was never an issue throughout the book, but rather it is just one facet of who Matthew Venn is.

Growing up in North Devon, the coastal area in Southwest England, Matthew had been “…anonymous, one of those kids easily forgotten by teachers and the other pupils.” He seems at first to be a loner. “Nobody cared that his family were religious bigots who’d disowned him because he could no longer believe in their God, or that he’d dropped out of university, because the academic pressure had stressed him almost to madness.”

As the story opens, Matthew is lurking in the back of a church, where his father’s funeral is taking place. As he looks in, he realizes the finality of being ”…cast out. This was his father’s funeral but he wasn’t welcome.” He had become an effective police officer, but a somewhat stoic individual, “more scared of embarrassment than breaking up a fight in a bar or facing an addict with a knife.”

Matthew works with people who are fully developed characters, including Jen Rafferty, “...the best detective he’d ever worked with.” who “…knew that she tried too hard with the men she met, was too desperate and she scared them off.” There is also the overeager Ross, an ambitious young member of the squad. Together, they respond to investigate the mystery: a body has been found on the beach nearby, stabbed to death. As the case is investigated, Matthew finds that the people and places of his past have not been left behind–rather, they are still deeply part of who he is.

The characters are REAL people, and Cleeves’ writing is exceptional (I love books where I need to use the dictionary feature on my Kindle to look up words like “staithes”). I could hardly wait to go on to the next book in the series. Five stars.

I adore Ann Cleeves and devour everything she writes. The Long Call did not disappoint. The main character is a man's man, a hardened detective with emotional scars and a loving significant other. Matthew must return to his childhood home, one he thought he left behind when he walked away from the church and his family. Searing, riveting and relevant

A little slow at time, but a well written mystery. I enjoyed the characters here— both Matthew and the secondary characters. Ready to get my hand on book 2.

This is book 1 of the Two Rivers Series. As Detective Matthew Venn walks away from his father's funeral, he gets a call about a body on the beach. This case has Matthew pulled in 2 directions, his old life and his new one. This was a great mystery to get lost in.

Police procedural books are one of my favorite plot lines but add in set in England and I am obsessed. The Long Call was brilliantly done and Cleeves delivered a character driven mystery that will keep you up till the crime is solved! I loved getting to meet Senior Detective Venn and I can't wait for his next story! I am excited to see the TV show that this book is being made into as well.

Typically I find myself drifting to books of authors I read before or were suggested to me. This one was a little out of the blue as the title and overview of what the story was about intrigued me. In addition, I am one of those people that sometimes it takes me a little bit to get into the story even if the story is captivating from the get-go as this one was. However, after I got into the book I couldn't put it down as I kept trying to figure out how the character's backstories fit into the bigger picture of what was going on. Needless to say, it kept me guessing along the way till the end.

I hope there are more books in the series to come as I am one of those people that once I like a series I tend to get drawn back into it to see how the main character (Matthew) as well as other supporting characters show up and tackle the next mystery.

If you too are like me and like to find series of books to stick with that are well written and keep you guessing each page along the way, I would suggest checking this book out as I know there is another book that was published in 2021 that I am now looking forward to.

I have come to realize that I am definitely an Anne Cleeves fan. The Long Call is the second Cleeves mystery that I have read. It is the first novel in a new mystery series. I suspect this series will be a big success. I enjoyed this book even more than the first Cleeves novel that I read. Cleeves creates characters who are human, who struggle, and who deserve to be saved. She creates characters I would like to meet. The plot worked very well, and the ending held my attention. In fact, I hated to put this novel down and head to bed with less than 10% left to read. I can honestly recommend The Long Call and author Anne Cleeves. Thank you to Cleeves, St Matin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC. The comments above are my own honest thoughts about this novel.