Loved this. Been meaning to dive into Ann Cleeves works. Now I will hit the rest of them. The characters make the book. Recommend highly.

This mystery was just ok for me. The story outline and characters are interesting but the story dragged on too much for me.

This was a very well-written novel about a murder investigation of what is believed to be a down on his luck cook on the coast. There are quite a few characters to keep track of but its easy enough. Matthew is the investigating officer and a wonderful story unfolds.

One of the best written novels I have read in a long time. The story line was was interesting and the narrative flowed seamlessly. This is the first book I have read by this author, and it will not be the last. I enjoy police procedural genre very much, and this was excellent. The characters were very well developed and the plot was captivating.

I was given an ARC by Net Galley for an honest review. Thank you!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have never read Ann Cleeves before, although I do watch Vera. This is the first in a new series. Matthew Veen comes back to his childhood hometown as a police officer. He is married to Jonathan and hasn’t spoken to his parents for years. His father has just passed away and his mother and father had disowned him because he didn’t go along with their religious beliefs. Now a man has been found dead near Matthew’s house. He worked where Matthew’s husband works. Matthew seems like a great boss. He tries to get his staff to do their best. He’s got a temper underneath. This promises to be a great series.

Detective Matthew Venn is called to the scene of a man stabbed to death at the shore. He investigates, meeting many characters associated with the victim. A gay man, Matthew is happily married, but is estranged from his religious family. This is the first book in a new series by the popular novelist, Ann Cleeves.

Secrets are revealed in this well plotted page turner. An interesting and introspective detective, Matthew soon flushes out what is happening in this complex story. The characters are also complex and well-fleshed out. An excellent beginning to this new series.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this fascinating tale.

I have read, and loved, several books by Ann Cleeves. This book was a pleasure to read. This story drew me in right away with an interesting setting, an engaging cast of characters, a religious sect, and, of course, a murder. We were quickly filled in about each of their backstories. This book introduces Matthew Venn, homicide investigator. Jonathan is his husband, who runs a work center for developmentally disabled adults, around which this story is based. Jen and Ross, detectives with whom Matthew works, are also interesting main characters in this compelling story. I enjoy that the writer is very adept at depicting the setting and atmosphere in a few simple words. I am very excited to follow this new series by the wonderful Ann Cleeves.

I found this new title hugely disappointing. Although I liked the characters, and the plot, there were places it seemed to drag. I really had to work to get through the first third of the book, but I thought perhaps that was due to the need to create a new fictional environment and introduce the new characters. I read Ann Cleeves' books before they became popular television series, so I don't think I was overly biased due to this being something different (although, I do ❤ the Vera and Shetlands series!).

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the wonderful opportunity to read and review this title.

In this most recent offering, Ann Cleeves introduces a new main character, police detective Matthew Venn, and a new location, the southwest coast of England near the Cornwall region. As has been the case with earlier series, Cleeves has created characters that are real and interesting folks with lives that reflect our contemporary society. The story is compelling and holds the readers interest while also providing the reader with an opportunity to "visit" a new region and learn more about the English way of life in all its variety.

Fans of the earlier works will be delighted to meet new characters and enjoy new stories. This book doesn't disappoint.

This is a really good book. The characters are very interesting and the story line holds your interest. It also keeps you guessing. Very enjoyable.

Ann Cleeves is known for her two previous series, Shetland and Vera, both of which have been made into TV series. Now she's added a third series to her canon. The Long Call is the first novel in her Two Rivers series. In the opening scene, we meet Detective Matthew Venn standing outside the church at his funeral's father. Detective Venn was raised by a fundamentalist Christian family, and he fell out of their favor when he lost his faith and fell in love with a man. He's now married to his long-term partner, Jonathan, and has had little contact with his parents.

Now Detective Venn is called back to his home community to deal with the fatal stabbing of a man whose body was found on the beach. Soon Venn connects the dead body to a center for developmentally handicapped people, which happens to be where his husband Jonathan works.

I'm curious to see how this series progresses. Matthew Venn is one of the more interesting detective protagonists to hit the scene in recent years. He's a three-dimensional character who never feels like a stereotype.

This is a book for fans of British procedurals. Like many of the best British mysteries, the story focuses more on the characters' psychology, less on violent actions.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great start to a new series with Inspector Michael Venn and his team. Quintessential British mystery with Solid characterization, detailed descriptions and a twisty plot. Enjoyed Ms. Cleeves mysteries with Vera and Jimmy Perez and am looking forward to more of the Two Rivers Series. Highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

I very much enjoyed this new series. Ann Cleeves is a wonderful writer. The story was intriguing and flowed effortlessly. I also applaud her for depicting a person with Downs Syndrome (Lucy) in a positive way as being independent, smart and a unique individual. I enjoyed the new introduced characters of Matthew Venn, Jen and Ross. I look forward to a new story in this series. I did not figure out the mystery of this story and that is always a plus. I like being surprised. I received a free copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Thank you!

This English mystery with lots of characters was a bit draggy in the beginning. I stayed with It and found myself much more interested about a third of the way into the story.

If I was ever in trouble I'd want Detective Matthew Venn to handle my case. He is compassionate with the victims and relentless in his pursuit to bring the criminals to justice. No one seems to know why Simon Walden was the victim of a homicide. He was found on the beach, stabbed in the back. What follows is surprising in the depth of disregard for the young women who were taken from their families. The conclusion was more complex and satisfying than I expected.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy from Minotaur Books through NetGalley.The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
#TheLongCall #NetGalley

I was so very pleased to see that Ann Cleeves was beginning a new series, and The Long Call certainly lived up to my expectations. Ms. Cleeves has a gift for making her characters real to me, skillfully giving details about them and their lives bit by bit, just as we learn about most new acquaintances. There also is a rich sense of place, the isolation of a small village on the Devon coast. If you loved the Shetland series, definitely read The Long Call.

I received a digital ARC of this title from NetGalley and Minotaur Books in return for an honest review.

Dullsville

The Long Call is yet another British based who-dunnit suspense novel. I read so many and perhaps I’m a little jaded but this one fell flat for me. It is filled with underwhelming characters who are anything but memorable. I believe this is the first book in a related series.

The story opens with Detective Matthew Venn standing on the outskirts of his father’s burial in North Devon, an unwelcome guest due to his renouncing his parent’s puritanical religion years ago and for being a gay man. Matthew has unresolved issues with his mother and as is the nature of these issues, follows him wherever he goes. While at his father’s funeral, he gets a call that a body has been found on the beach near where he lives. The victim is a seemingly homeless, alcoholic young man with a mysterious past. As Matthew and his team investigate this death by stabbing, they learn that this man was not at all who he appears to be.

Much of the small community, including the seemingly most upstanding citizens, are involved since the victim is associated with a day center serving the both the disabled and most of the surrounding area. Matthew’s husband runs the center and Matthew himself believes that he should be removed as lead detective due to conflict. However, when two young women with Down’s syndrome go missing, Matthew realizes that the abductions and the man’s death are somehow related. In order to find the women and the killer, Matthew must put his life on the line and confront his past.

The story is slow-moving and the suspense is never heightened enough to hold interest. Within a saturated genre, this one just measure up.

BRB Rating: Skip It.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC. I have been a long standing fan of Ann Cleves, especially the Shetland mysteries. This new series features a new detective named Mathew Venn who has had his own troubles with his hometown. When a body is found near the lake and several learning disabled girls go missing, Mathew and his partner find out a couple of secrets about his Devon home.

Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When the body of a man with a stab wound is found on a beach, An investigation is started and DI Matthew Venn must lead his team in finding out what happened. When the investigation leads them to the Woodyard, a neighborhood center for many types of activities, the team finds too many links that force them deeper into investigating the staff and what is happening behind the scenes. When more vulnerable adults are threatened, the team kicks in to high gear to find those responsible.

This is a new detective series by Ann Cleeves, who has written the Vera and Shetland series, some of my favorites. This was another of her outstanding police procedurals, with a detective and team that struggles balancing their personal lives while making every effort to solving the mystery.

I received an advance copy of this book from net galley in exchange for my opinion.

This is a mystery plot with a murder to solve, and it does try to keep the reader guessing until the end. Because of that I wanted to finish the book.
The author introduces so many characters that don’t seem to have anything to do with the storyline or don’t tie into what is happening in the book.
The idea of the storyline will draw the reader in, but then they might have a hard time wanting to finish this book.

Ann Cleeves has crafted a completing and complex suspense novel with a timely, contemporary theme. The reader can choose to read it as a psychological drama, a murder mystery, or a sophisticated British novel with a very strong sense of place.

I have not read this author before and very much enjoyed this first encounter with her work.