Another police procedural where the location is an added character. A dynamic story that fell a little flat for me. I wanted more. I appreciated the characters but was longing to know more and to have more details. Hopeful for a better start to the series. Thank you to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for my review copy.

HERE'S THE SUMMARY: A man's tattooed body is found on the beach, and it's up to DCI Matthew Venn to find the killer. Things get complicated when the charity Matthew's husband runs begins to look like the center of the mystery, and his estranged, very religious family might actually be involved, too.

HERE'S THE REVIEW: Ann Cleeves is the writer of the books that inspired the Vera and Shetland TV shows. In The Long Call, she introduces a new cast of amazing, flawed characters and a perfectly crafted mystery. I especially enjoyed DCI Venn's background and really look forward to seeing how it affects his policing going forward.

This mystery has lots of shifting parts, including the dead body by the sea, a man with a tragic past, two kidnappings, missing money, corporate corruption and a cover-up. I don't want to get into too many details, so I don't ruin it! But, it's twisty and interesting.

Do you enjoy the slower-moving British detective shows? Shows like Vera, Midsomer Murders and DCI Banks? If so, this is a perfect new series for you and you should definitely read it.

After I watched the British version of Broadchurch, and read the book, I have been interested in watching the series, Shetland, written by Ann Cleeves. I haven't gotten around to it yet but I did just read her book The Long Call, the first of two books that deal with the career and homelife of  Detective Matthew Venn. Venn is an angry, troubled, sad man, having been brought up in a very strict religious community.  In his late teens, when he stood up in church and stated he didn't believe what he had been taught, he was kicked out of the church and disowned by his parents. Venn has never gotten over his parents rejection and had to recently watch his father's funeral from afar.

Another black mark for Venn, with the church and his parents, is that he is gay and married to Jonathan.  Matthew and Jonathan couldn't be more different but they complete each other and his marriage is a bright spot in his life. Now his job and home life are mixing, with the murder of a man who volunteered at the Woodyard, a community where Jonathan is the administrator.  This story unfolds slowly, with the tediousness of a crime with many potential suspects but no hard evidence. Matthew and his colleagues must dig deep, canvas the streets and the area for witnesses. Not only is there a tie to Matthew's husband to this crime, there is also a tie to a prominent member of Matthew's former church. Too many memories, too close to home, are stirring up Matthew's anger and sadness concerning his past and he considers recusing himself from the case.

Involved in the case are two adult Down Syndrome women and they were favorites of mine, in this book. Sweet, trusting, women, with love for their routine, TV shows, clothes, food, and friends. One of the woman has an 80 year old father who despairs of how he can be sure his daughter is able to live after he is gone. What I liked about Matthew is his deep compassion for the good people he meets. He cares about this aged father, for both girls, for their families and friends and wants to do right by them and that is one of the reasons he stays on the case.

I enjoyed this story very much and look forward to the next one. Things move slowly, which worked well for me. I could feel the climate, the atmosphere, the claustrophobia of the community and look forward to returning to Matthew's story.

Thank you to St Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. A well written plot with many angles, all connected which keeps the reader engaged right until the end. Set in a quiet Devon town, the local police force tries to solve the murder of a man found on the beach. It covers religious sects, Down syndrome, gay marriage, single parenting and mental health. A great whodunit.

This was an entertaining read. I liked the main character, Matthew Venn but had mixed feelings about some of the other characters. I am curious how they will develop in future books and if I will like them more. The story takes place in North Devon and begins with a body found on the beach. This story ends up being closer to Matthew and his family and his history than he expects and I found that aspect of the story very interesting. The mystery had a few twists that I didn't expect and I found the ending surprising. I will definitely be reading the next book in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was my first book by Ann Cleeves, but it won't be my last. It's a well-written mystery novel that follows two stories before merging them together. I was hooked from the very beginning.

Loved how the author can pull you into the world she builds. Mystery was interesting and the characters are compelling but what I truly love is the world she describes. Looking forward to more with these characters and in this place.

This is my first book by Ann Cleeves and I am already looking forward to the next book in this series. I love a good police procedural that is character driven, atmospheric, and doesn't give it away too soon. This ticks all of the boxes...

ARC from Netgalley.

This is good read. A mystery about a murder victim...who has a past. A small village. Very interesting characters.
And it all ties together in the end. I enjoyed it very much.

I received this ARC from NetGalley some time ago, and did not end up reading it prior to publication. I was unfamiliar with the author, and didn't end up feeling that interested in the book. Now, I regret waiting to read this as I really liked it.

This is a murder mystery/police procedural set in England, intended to be first in a series. The lead detective on the case, Matthew Venn, is a gay man, which was a refreshing surprise. He's also a former member of a strict Christian sect that is essentially a cult. His marriage to a man and his past are not a major part of the story, but serve to set him up as a complex character with some personal demons that are different from the usual alcoholic/loner detective trope. The story, as a whole, is heavy on character studies. Sometimes this is interesting whereas sometimes it felt pointless. Some reviews accuse the book of being too slow due to the characterization. I didn't feel it was slow, but I do believe that some characters (Gaby) didn't really need that much development as I can't see them being a continuation in the series.

I thought the mystery itself was well done. I didn't figure out all the intricacies of it, although there are certainly signs of the direction it will take. Another aspect of the story that I found very refreshing was the inclusion of several characters with Down's syndrome. They become an integral part of the story and this sheds some light on public perception of adults with disabilities, but in a non-preachy way.

Cleeves focuses most of her attention on developing the characters of two of the detectives (somewhat for a third detective), who I assume we will continue to follow as the series continues. Most of the rest of the attention was given to unraveling the crimes that occur. I thought the inclusion of different types of characters was skillfully done without an annoying agenda or detraction from the meat and potatoes of the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and felt it was a nice change of pace for a murder mystery/police procedural. Venn's character is a bit frustrating, but if you are setting up a series, you have to allow for growth of your characters. I will definitely look for more in this series.

Ultimately, a forgettable novel. The plot is too slow, and the characters aren't easy to connect with. Nothing makes The Long Call stand out from other police procedurals.

I had read & heard good things about Ann Cleeves so was looking forward to a new series to try.

It's not bad, but I'm not sure if I'll try future installments. The plot wasn't too bad, but characters just didn't jump out at me. I found it hard to keep focus---reading & rereading passages. Perhaps it was my timing when I read it....not overly memorable for me

This is my first Ann Cleeves book and I have not heard from her before. I understand that this book, The long Call is the first book of her new "'River" series. I really enjoyed her style of writing and the plot. I did find that the plot moved a little bit slow but she kept my curiosity throughout. I would have liked a more precise conclusion to the story, I swiped to the next page on my kindle only to realize that there was none.

I would like to thank the publisher, Minotaur Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. A full review will be posted on Amazon and Goodreads

I loved this book. It’s the first in a new series and I look forward to more. Ann Cleeves has done a great job of weaving together a story that will most definitely keep you turning the pages to the very end.

The characters in this story are very likable and realistic. The storyline is done so good you’ll feel like you are there. The scenery is beautifully written. There was a couple of places where I thought the story was going to drag but it immediately picked up and held my interest. I truly enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next in this series.

A great read for a cold winter day.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #St Martin’s Press for this ARC. This is my own true review.

I give it a 4 star and highly recommend this book.

This is my first intro to this author and the writing style made it immediately clear that she's a veteran mystery writer. The pace was a little slow, but the description of the settings and characters were very evocative drawing you slowly but surely into the motives and relationships between all the players in this show. Through the book, you get shown multiple sides to each person, as they slowly become real flesh & blood human beings each with their own quirks, mysteries and shortcomings as well as see them through the eyes of the others, giving a real sense of place and movement through time. The mystery itself slows unfolds with many interlocking connections and the dogged policework that finally reveals the solution. Very good read, when you're in the mood to get sucked into some character-driven solid mystery drama.

I always enjoy Ann Cleeves work and this one does not disappoint. It's the first in a series and I'm already looking forward to the next. The Long Call kept me turning pages late into the night; it was engaging and entertaining. I highly recommend it.

I LOVED everything about this novel. Matthew is exactly what I wanted in a detective. He's intelligent, in a loving committed relationship, and surprisingly humble. I didn't realize at first that this was the first in a new series but I'm here for it! The writing style was phenomenal and I was hooked from the start with the funeral scene.

*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.***

The Long Call is the first book in Ann Cleeves’s new mystery series set in North Devon. It features Matthew Venn, a detective who differs from Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez in that he is gay, married, and immaculately dressed, also unsure of himself.

The body of a man is discovered out on Crow Point near Matthew’s house. He has been stabbed, and he has no identification, so it takes a while for Matthew’s team to figure out who he is.

He turns out to be Simon Walden, a recently homeless man with alcohol abuse issues who volunteered at the Woodyard, a warehouse that was converted to a center offering studios for local artists, classes to the community, and a day center for mentally disabled adults. Matthew’s husband is the director of that center, so he wonders if he should take himself off the job.

In investigating Simon, the police find more connections to the Woodyard. One of his roommates was Gaby, an artist who teaches there and disliked him. Also, a Downs Syndrome woman named Lucy who uses the center reports that he was her friend, he rode the bus with her out to Lovacott every day in the past few weeks. The police can’t figure out what he was doing there. Soon, the connections become even stronger when a Downs Syndrome woman named Chrissie goes missing from the Woodyard. Something tells Matthew that the events are related.

As usual, Cleeves presents us with a difficult mystery. I found Matthew somewhat unknowable with less of a persona than her other detectives, Vera and Jimmy, but that may be because I discovered both of those series through the television programs. I am more than willing to read another Matthew Venn book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review the book.

This was my first Ann Cleese’s title. It was an excellent start to a new series and i look forward to reading the next. I will also go through her backlist titles to see what I have been missing!