Anne Sleeves is a fantastic author whose books never disappoint. The Long Call has a great storyline and well developed characters. A must read for the year.

My first Ann Cleeves novel and I enjoyed all the characters. I hope to read more with Matthew and Jen. The story was real written and had a few twists. Thank you Netgalley for a copy.

A “cozy” police procedural set in a small British town, with characters that are just as fascinating as the murder mystery. Detective Matthew Venn is shunned by the religious community he grew up in, after his marriage to another man. A murder investigation brings him back in contact with the members of that community, and it also involves his husband Jonathan, who runs the community arts and social services center at the heart of the novel. The two women with Down’s Syndrome are compassionately written and well-developed characters in the novel, not just stereotypes. This is the first novel in a new series “Two Rivers” by Ann Cleeves, and I look forward to seeing more mysteries featuring Matthew Venn and his colleague Jen Rafferty.

Good story line idea with good twists. It slowed down at times. Thanks for making the book available.

Very intriguing from page 1. Kept my interest until the very end and made me sit on the edge of my seat biting my nails the whole time!!

This is my first time reading a book by Ann Cleeves; it probably won't be the last. I am a huge fan of British crime shows and have seen all the episodes of "Vera" and "Shetland" available for streaming. If the books upon which they are based are anything like this one, I could definitely binge read them all.

THE LONG CALL is a character driven story with very modern themes. It has all the atmosphere I have come to appreciate in the series made from her books. Locale is as important as character development. I was struck by her description of one small town as being too bland, modern, and featureless to have been used to make an episode of "Midsomer Murders." (Yes, I've watched all of them as well.)

This is a well written murder mystery with no extraneous characters to misdirect which makes it quite remarkable that the culprit isn't revealed until almost the very end. I had no clue. I think this makes for a great story. Rather than sending the reader down a primrose path, Cleeves follows the characters through their thought processes and frustrations until all the facts become available. Of course, there are some characters that you just know couldn't possibly be the killer because… well, just because.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this, even the parts that made me somewhat uncomfortable. What parts were those? That would be telling. I would say that given the modern tone of the book, there is probably something to give everyone pause but those things will be as varied as the reader. I recommend this book to any and all who read mysteries.

I don’t think this book was for me. The pace was too slow and I just didn’t connect early enough with the story and characters to keep my attention the whole way through.
This was the first novel I have read so far by Ann Cleeves. I’ve heard so many great things about her other mystery series (Vera and Shetland series) so I am going to give some of her backlist a try too.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read the book.

The Long Call is a wonderfully written British police procedural and the first in a new series by best selling author Ann Cleeves. Apparently Ms. Cleeves is a well known, award winning writer whom I have somehow been unaware of until recently. Thankfully, that situation has now been rectified and with this book she has a new fan.

This book is an engrossing mystery that slowly draws you in until you can’t stop thinking about the story. From the engrossing mystery to the locations that are vividly described and the intriguing cast of characters, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And, it was nice that the characters were so diverse without hitting you over the head with their diversity. They were simply people, first and foremost.

This was a great start to a new series and I cannot wait for the next installment.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

not my cup of tea. have enjoyed her other books, though. would try another selection of hers in the future..

This is the first book in a new series by the author. I had high hopes for the book as it is the first by the author that I have read, but I found it somewhat disappointing. Part of the reason is that I am not familiar with English slang nor the areas of England that were described in the book. The other disappointment was that the book seemed to slog along until the final quarter when it finally picke up the pace. That said, a great many other reviewers really liked the book, it just did not resonate with me.

I received a free Kindle ARC courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would provide an honest review and post it on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook and Twitter pages.

This was my first book by Ann Cleeves, and I had high hopes after hearing she authored long running BBC mystery series. But i don't think this was the book for me.
I read rave reviews in different book newsletters, at my library and on good reads & was very excited to be given the opportunity to read this ARC, but it just didn't work for me. But maybe it's just the style of writing.
I tend to not like long, sweeping descriptions of scenes & character costumes, too read the little details of a character's manner, and I felt like that was a large part of this book.
And, as im not a regular reader of this author, I'm not sure if having a main character be homosexual is usual, but with so many authors having their characters be "out & proud" recently, it felt a bit forced.

This wasn't the mystery for me, but I'm sure there are lots who will enjoy it. Again, I am grateful to the author & publisher for the chance to read this ARC, and to Netgalley.

This was a sleepy book for me at the start, I was leaning towards 2 stars. It took about a quarter of the story to capture me. But when it did, I found myself engulfed by the tale. What captured my heart was the beauty, grace, and tenacity of Lucy. A smartly written character with Down's Syndrome. This story covers so many topics for discussion. Although there are no real explicit details, a warning for those who might have a trigger response sensitivity to the subject of rape.

A tale of lost faith, lost innocence, family - normal and those you make, community, pride, greed, power, fanatical religion, murder, duty, frailty, strength, hope, redemption, and perseverance. Justice.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Long Call by Ann Cleeves. Police detective Matthew Venn becomes involved in the murder of Simon Walden, an apparent homeless man. As the story develops, there are three developmental delayed girls missing, all connected to a workshop. The story is filled with police procedure building to an unexpected climax. The book was good but not a page turner.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to.

None of the publicity materials mentioned that the hero of this book is gay, though that's clear very early on. Matthew is a great character, with an interesting back story, and Jonathan is a good match for him as husband. The work of the police department is clear and easy to follow, and the descriptions of Devon are terrific. Highly recommended.

A British murders mystery with what I felt were very well developed characters which made it an easy read for me. A conspiracy to cover up the abuse of a developmentally disabled young lady, lead to a murder of a volunteer at the day center the young lady attended. A good mystery as I did not guess whodunnit until all was revealed.

The Long Call, book one of Ann Cleeves new series, Two Rivers. I thought it was pretty good. AI give it five stars. Looking forward to the installment of the series.

This is a very intriguing and riveting novel. A smartly structured mystery of detective work and relationships.
Couldn't put it down!

Ann Cleeves' new detective series, Two Rivers, is another winner.  DCI Matthew Venn works and lives in North Devon with his husband, Jonathan.  Great story - can't wait to read more of the Two Rivers series.

The story was well written overall using a wide range of characters - all with flaws and vulnerabilities. Lucy was my favorite character, a strong woman with a heart of gold. The mystery was carefully woven, making it impossible to know whodunit until the very end. Was a bit disappointed in the ending because IRL, the killer wouldn't be able to commit the crime as written, and important issues surrounding a number of characters weren't written to satisfying conclusions. All of a sudden the mystery was solved, but without satisfactorily sewing up all the loose threads. Finally, while the grammar is pretty solid, there are two concerns. First the chapters begin with alternating lower and upper case sentences and occasionally a space between sentences, which is simply irritating and second, there are numerous wide spacing issues along with no space between periods and new sentences throughout. A good mystery that needs a bit of polish.