Ann Cleeve’s new mystery series is set in a new location, Devon, with new characters. But the importance of place and engaging characters remain. The why of the mystery is more important than who. All in all a great new series that will appeal to Cleeve’s fans and attract new ones looking for a moody, intriguing mystery.

One morning in a quiet town in southern England, a woman walking her dog discovers a man's body on the beach. At first thought an accident, it is then discovered that the man was stabbed to death. DI Matthew Venn, recently returned to his hometown, is placed in charge of the case. As the investigation continues, it seems to revolve more and more around The Woodyard, an arts center for the community and a place for learning-disabled adults to receive care during the day. Unfortunately for Matthew, his husband Jonathan is one of the chief administrators there. When one of the adults with Downs syndrome goes missing, Matthew must put aside his personal attachments and rely on his team to solve the case before it's too late.

The Long Call is the start of a new series from acclaimed mystery writer Ann Cleeves. It is well-plotted and has interesting characters. At times it is very obvious that the book is setting up for a series, rather than focusing on the individual storyline of the novel, but that isn't too much of a detractor. It's a good read for fans of atmospheric mysteries.

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves is one of those novels that goes deep, divides the audience into just two categories perhaps? It seems to be one of those novels where people either really like it or can't stand it. I liked it, quite a bit! Do you like British detective stories??? Then this one is for you. The intersecting lives - past and present - of Detective Matthew Venn definitely clash in all the wrong ways. Paying attention to details is what Detective Venn and his team excel at as author Cleeves allows the story to unfold. Many plot twists, great ending, and fun mystery!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ann Cleeves, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy. As always, my opinion is my own. My review will be published September 2019 (Goodreads and Amazon.com)

Love Ann Cleeves and always enjoy her books. This one started off slow, but picked up and became a book I really enjoyed. I love her writing style and the way she develops the characters. Recommend this book and Ann Cleeves.

Thank you to Net Galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't a terrible book but I didn't really enjoy it much. Although I liked how the crime/mystery was solved (with multiple people being intertwined in the coverup and subsequent crime), I didn't find any of the characters too likeable which made it hard for me to enjoy.

The Long Call features detective Matthew Venn in a British crime procedural. A body is discovered on the beach near the home Matthew shares with his husband, the administrator at a facility that provides services for community members with special needs. The author does a fine job developing characters from the community, from local law enforcement and from Matthew’s past while steadily leading the story to a satisfactory resolution. I found it to be a fairly compelling read and look forward to the next title in the series.

This was just too hard to get into. I tried to read a bit...got frustrated...left it aside to come back to later. Still not flowing well. Never could finish.

The Long Call is a splendid mystery, full of twists and turns and events seemingly not connected but integral to wrapping up the case that bedevils Matthew, the inspector in charge, and his colleagues.

When a man is found murdered not far from the house Matthew shares with his husband, Jonathan, who runs a charitable organization called the Woodyard, a there appear to be no witnesses or motive. Simon Walden, the dead man, was new to the small British community, trying to get some semblance of his life back after accidentally killing a child with his car while intoxicated. As the story unfolds, we learn that there is more than meets the eye about every character. Watching the mystery unravel itself is mesmerizing. While I was pretty sure who was responsible and involved in what becomes a tangled web of intrigue, the resolution caught me totally by surprise.

All of the characters in this book have stories to tell and they tell them well. At the heart of the story, three young women with Downs’ syndrome are truly heroic. Ms. Cleeves has the gift of crafting intriguing and often frightening stories and she imbues each of her characters with something special that makes the reader either loathe or adore them. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

Fans of Ann Cleeves' Vera Stanhope and Shetland series will be excited to have something new. Readers will find all the things they've come to love in her work: suspense, characters they'll want to know better, and a fantastic mystery to solve.

It was an honor to be selected to read “The Long Call,” first in a new series by Ann Cleeves. I thank Ms. Cleves and her publisher for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest review. As a fan of the Shetland Series; books and TV series, I was more than ready.
The book takes place in North Devon and features Detective Matthew Venn, new to his position, estranged from his family and in the start of a new marriage. Detective Venn also has his own baggage and along with his introspection and self-doubt is someone I want to know more. Maybe there is just a wee bit of Jimmy Perez in his character? The supporting characters are unique and perfect for more development and back stories as the series progresses. The story focuses on a murder and subsequent abductions of two disabled women. The plot takes Detective Venn and his team on a complicated journey that at times, hits close to home. “The Long Call” is a mystery/suspense novel and more. The need for all of us to feel secure and competent in our family, successful in our employment and find the boundaries and confidence to make it all, somehow balance out in the end rang out to me. “The Long Call” is a page turner that kept my Kindle running low on battery. I highly recommend this book and please, Ms. Cleeves, keep them coming.

The author, who has brought many landscapes to life, moves to a new part of the UK, North Devon, The mystery is well done, here, but the main character is a bit of a cold fish. That may be understandable given his situation - a gay man coming to terms with his upbringing in a fundamentist cult by a woman who hasn't forgiven him for leaving the fold - but he's, frankly, not the best company.

In this introduction to a new series, Ann Cleeves gives us a complex mystery and well-developed characters. Matthew Venn is a police officer investigating the murder of a man found on the beach near his home. It’s a complex story but I do like stories that when rules are broken they are done for a good reason and you will see this in Cleeves. Even though the story was based across the pond I enjoyed it immensely. I do look forward to following this series since it has all they things I like. A must read filled with the unexpected.

Oh, finally! A compelling set of characters in a complicated (yet simple) mystery. I won’t recap the plot or give any spoilers, but I will tell you what I enjoyed here. The lead detective Matthew is a complicated man. He grew up in a bizarre cult sort of community with which he fell out with years before. He returns as an adult as the head of a small police department with his husband who runs a local community center. As the head of the police/detective unit Matthew commands, we meet one of the women, Jen, who has the makings of an excellent detective but with a difficult family life to balance — single mom with two teenagers at home who she seems to neglect for the most part. There is also the alcoholic higher -up who pops in to wield some power, and the one suck-up officer who tries very hard to do his job and impress Matthew, but to little avail.

As the story slowly unwraps (some might feel it was too slow—I didn’t mind the pace), we learn about the complexities of this old “cult” community and get a small impression of Matthew’s difficult relationship with his mother and leaders in the community. The crime and the resulting ending is not full of surprises, but does twist a little at the end.

In all this character driven mystery was a great read and I look forward to more of this main character and especially the development of the other police officers and Matthew’s husband.

I thank St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very slow start for me but the great reviews kept me reading and I'm so glad I did. I hadn't read Ann Cleeves before but she's totally on my list now. I can't pinpoint what exactly about this one resonated so well with me - the characters are well developed but not so individually compelling that they stood out for that alone. The plot was intricate and well paced but again not anything so specifically unique that it would do it on its own. The writing was very crisp and tight - which in itself is always worth remarking upon - and that was probably the single most significant contribution.

Frankly, I think it was the combination of all of them - this was, quite simply, a well-written, well-rounded story prepared by someone who is clearly in mastery of her writing. It kept my attention, engaged me, made me feel for the characters, and kept me curious and guessing right up until the end. I'm certainly going to keep this series on my watch list!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a very interesting British crime novel. Senior Detective Matthew is a very complex character and it will be great to see more from him. I'm this bpok, he has a murder and a missing girl on his hands. How are they connected? The author did a wonderful job unfolding the story.

This is the start of a new series by an established author. I found the book really well written if a little slow in places. The cast of characters were well developed but there was a lot of them so it took a bit of concentration to keep up with them all. The mystery was good but didn't really draw me in as much as other mysteries have.

We are introduced to a new DI Matthew Venn a well dressed, well groomed man a pleasant opposite to Vera. The new location for the series is North Devon. A map would have been useful for the readers unfamiliar with the area as numerous locations are involved in the mystery. The mystery revolves around a man found dead on the beach. Is there a connection to the Woodyard Day Center where Matthew's husband works? We get to know numerous people who were involved with the victim until the author comes to a very satisfying resolution to the crime. A great new addition joining Shetland and Vera. Looking forward to more with DI Venn. Could not review on Amazon as the book hasn't been released.

I enjoyed this book and seeing how all the different characters interacted with one another. Mathew is a detective who is trying to find out who killed a man and left him on the beach. His search leads him to long buried secrets and what some are willing to do to keep those buried.

https://www.cleasimon.com/ready-for-summer-reading/Ready for summer reading?
May 23, 2019
What are you looking forward to reading this summer? There are so many great books coming out. Here in the Boston area alone, we’ll be celebrating Hallie Ephron’s Careful What You Wish For, (Aug. 6), Hank Phillippi Ryan’s The Murder List(Aug. 20), Julia Henry‘s Tilling the Truth and Edwin Hill‘s The Missing Ones (both Aug. 27). On the cozy side, former Sisters in Crime president Leslie Budewitz has her Chai Another Day coming out June 11, and many others are due soon too. But recently I was asked by an editor to compile a list of summer mysteries and in my desperate attempt to pull together books that weren’t by friends or that haven’t been recently profiled on my own blog, I came up with the following. (Then I found out I had misread the assignment – he wanted books that were already out! Oops!). Anyway, here’s a small sampling of what I’m looking forward to, with an eye to every taste. Please let me know what you’re looking forward to – we’ve got time, at last, to indulge!
1. “One Small Sacrifice,” Hilary Davidson (out June 1)
Author of the Anthony award-winning Lily Moore series launches a new police procedural series with NYPD detective Sheryn Sterling unraveling a complicated possible murder.
2. “Conviction,” Denise Mina, (June 18)
Newly single Anna McDonald tunes into a true-crime podcast for distraction only to realize that she knows what really happened – and she’s involved – in the latest grim psychological suspense from a Scottish master of the genre.
3. “Big Sky, ” Kate Atkinson (June 25)

After an eight-year hiatus, Yorkshire ex-cop turned private investigator Jackson Brodie (with dog) surfaces in a quiet seaside village where a routine domestic case turns into something darker.
4. “Paranoid,” Lisa Jackson, (June 25)
Decades after Rachel Gatson accidentally killed her half-brother, her high school reunion – and a string of new murders – make her doubt her sanity in this bestseller’s latest psychological suspense.

5. “A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder,” Dianne Freeman (June 26) The follow-up to the series’ multiple award-winning debut, this frothy, fun historical cozy once again has the American-born Countess of Harleigh solving a murder in Victorian London’s high society.
6. “The Paper Bark Tree Mystery,” Ovidia Yu (June 27)
The steamy Singaporean summer of 1937 smolders when private detective Su Lin’s ex-boss is murdered in a case involving diamonds, race, and political unrest in this third evocative Crown Colony mystery.
7. “The Whisper Man,” Alex North (June 27)
A widowed father and his young son move into a strange house in a town haunted by the memory of a serial killer in this truly creepy debut thriller.
8. “The Chain,” Adrian McKinty (July 9)
To ransom her kidnapped daughter, a mother must kidnap another child, whose parents must then do the same, in this fast-paced, nightmarish thriller from the award-winning suspense author.
9. “Lady in the Lake,” Laura Lippman (July 23)
Having bolted from a stale marriage in 1966 Baltimore, Maddie Schwarz has transitioned from housewife to crusading journalist, heedlessly seeking the truth about a missing woman in this New York Times-bestselling author’s latest standalone.
10. “The Hounds of Justice,” Claire O’Dell (July 30)
In O’Dell’s second strikingly engaging dystopian Sherlock Holmes pastiche, Dr. Janet Watson once again joins covert agent (and fellow queer black woman) Sara Holmes in infiltrating an extremist group.
11. “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead,” Olga Tokarczuk, (Aug. 13)
This Man Booker International Award finalist veers from straight mystery into fantasy as Janina, the local crank in a Polish resort town, takes a break from astrology to investigate a murder.
12. “The Swallows,” Lisa Lutz, (Aug. 13)
Best known for the humorous Spellman Files books, Lutz follows up her thriller “The Passenger” by going very dark with this tale of revenge and secrets at a New England prep school.
13. “Play With Fire,” William Shaw (Aug. 13)
In his fourth series outing, Detective Sergeant Cathal Breen can’t get into the swing of 1969 London, but with his pregnant partner Helen Tozer’s help he tackles the murder of a high-society call girl.
14. “Thirteen,” Steve Cavanaugh (Aug. 13)
Conman-turned-defense attorney Eddie Flynn uses the crooked system against itself, but he’s out manipulated when he’s brought into a Hollywood star’s murder trial in this legal thriller.
15. “The Long Call, ” Anne Cleeves (Sept. 3) With her usual stunningly deft prose, Scottish master Cleeves (“Vera” and “Shetland”) debuts Detective Matthew Venn, who returns to the North Devon evangelical community he once fled when a body washes up on the beach.

This was my first novel ever written by Ms. Cleeves and I'm super excited to devour some more of her work. This is a well-written novel which takes place in Devon, England. I believe this is book one of a new series and I can't wait to see what Detective M Venn gets into next! I huge thank you to NetGalley and Ms. Cleeves for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. A must for your TBR pile :)