I really enjoyed this book. The ending was a bit of a let down - it was rushed and slightly far fetched. But overall I really liked the book, especially all of the characters and their different points of view. I felt invested in their lives. I will definitely go back and read the first in the series and future titles.

A great read. A thoroughly engaging book with enough twists and turns to keep me engaged to the very end. The plot development was excellent; the descriptions gathered you into the landscape and just enough red herrings to keep you off track even at the very end! This well written mystery stands head and shoulders above others in the genre. I highly recommend this title.

The second entry to the Venn series manages to lure you in even further with an intriguing cast of characters. Cleeves allows her characters to be human, and her compassionate but honest examination of their struggles is an enormous strength of all of her work. Add a fascinating plot to the rich characters, and you have yourself a 5-star novel.

Ann Cleeves, truly one of the best contemporary mystery writers, has done it again with her newest book The Heron's Cry. It is the second book in the Two Rivers series centered around Detective Matthew Venn and his team. The book is lushly written, the descriptions of the landscape and the characters and interactions of the characters so real. The murder itself was a bit convoluted and, for me, almost took a back seat to the story line of the characters. I look forward to more books in the series.

North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coastline. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists. What he finds is an elaborately staged murder--Dr Nigel Yeo has been fatally stabbed with a shard of one of his glassblower daughter's broken vases.
I love this new character...Detective Venn! This second in the series is even better than the first as we start to learn more about him. This was well plotted, and kept me guessing as to all the who's and why's of this mystery. Really looking forward to book 3! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

This is the second book in her new Two Rivers series. The main character is Matthew Venn who is an excellent detective with a back story he was raised in a group called “The Brotherhood” and when he could no longer live with their restrictions and came out, they shunned him. His upbringing imparted a certain reticence to his demeanor he is methodical and precise but very good with people, on the other hand his husband Jonathan is the antithesis he’s easy going and more open and freer. Together they make a great couple.
In this book Dr. Nigel Yeo attends a party and talks to a detective from Matthew’s team and tells her that he needs to talk with her. Before he can talk to her, he gets stabbed with a shard of glass from one of his glassblowing daughter’s hand-blown creations.
His daughter is unnerved by the killing of her father and Matthew’s husband is a good friend of hers. It isn’t long before another body is found staged in a similar matter.
There are suicides, are they real or faked and if real are the victims being led to kill themselves?
There are many twists and turns and a Gordian Knot of suspects. Can Matthew solve it in time to prevent more killings?
The reader is in for a wild ride with the latest Ann Cleeves book and it’s ultimate and surprising conclusion.
I have long been a fan of the TV shows “Vera” and “Shetland” they are excellent shows but pale in comparison to the actual books. Ann Cleeves is a brilliant writer. Her characters are so well described and well-drawn that they come alive in the reader’s mind.

This is the second book in the new series by Vera and Shetland writer Ann Cleeves, and soon to become as popular as the other two. This outing finds Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team trying to solve the murder of a respected doctor and the murder of a aging artist. It was enjoyable reading as the recurring characters are being fleshed out more. We come to learn more about each member of the team and their motivations. Cleeves is also a master at weaving the landscape into the fabric of the story. Can't wait for more additions to this series.

Ann Cleeves never disappoints and her latest, The Heron's Cry, is of course, great! This book had me hooked from the first page until the last and now I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

My thanks to the publisher, author Ann Cleeves, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This ‘newest’ series by Ann Cleeves highlights DI Matthew Venn and his team of detectives as they try to solve the murder of a man who seems to be investigating health care anomalies. The place where the murder happened has several links to people close to the investigative team, which adds a few wrinkles to how interviews are conducted. As an additional person is killed in the same manner, the team is pressured to find the perpetrator, which also puts the typical strain on the team’s domestic lives.

This story is very typical of British police procedurals, and the style is very similar to other Ann Cleeves detective stories, which I have always thoroughly enjoyed.

I have to start this review by saying that I love Ann Cleeves and her books and shows. I am so impressed that two great series of books have been turned into two great series on tv. I read the first book in the new series and was very taken with Matthew Venn and his husband, Johnathan. I was so excited to get The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves from #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review as it meant I got to read this book early and share how I feel with others. I also heard that this series is being released as a show too, and saw who they cast as Matthew, I am so excited!
Matthew Venn, Ross Mayo and Jenn Rafferty come to an artist commune. Eve, a glass blower, finds her dead father in her studio when she arrives in the morning. Questions are asked by the police and the area checked out by CSIs.
Wow, what an awesome story! I just love Ann Cleeves work. I cant wait to see what happens next.

#The HeronsCry #NetGalley and thanks to Minotaur and Netgalley for this thriller. 5 Stars.
"DI Matthew Venn returns in The Heron's Cry, in Ann Cleeves powerful next novel, proving once again that she is a master of her craft."

What a gripping story, bringing back regulars from the first Two Rivers book, as well as some local friends and acquaintances. Matthew Venn and his husband Jonathon, Officer Jenn and Ross are plunged into a succession of murders in this outing.

Dr.Nigel Yeo starts it off by being found in his daughter glass studio and a quick succession follows.

Is a serial killer loose and does it have to do with Yeo investigating young suicides for a granted oversight program?

The ending will surprise!

This is the second book in the Two Rivers series. Don't ask me how it happened, but The Long Call was my first read by this author and I loved it. The main character is Detective Matthew Venn, a man who carries some heavy personal baggage. Matthew and his husband Jonathan live in North Devon, and while the setting sounds lovely, even beautiful locales don't seem immune to murder.
When a local man, Dr. Nigel Yeo is found dead, there is no apparent motive and no clues left behind. Nigel had just spoken to DS Jenn Rafferty at a party the night before his death. She has no idea why he wanted to speak with her professionally, but she wishes she had pushed him for an explanation.
While Matthew tries to piece this baffling puzzle together, there is another murder. The clock is ticking and the investigating team finds some odd connections, and perhaps a link to a young man who committed suicide. There were numerous red herrings and I think that I changed my mind about whodunnit at least a half dozen times.
The main characters all have intriguing backstories and the plot moved forward at a steady pace. Mental health, depression, and suicide are frequently discussed and might be triggering to some readers. I hope this series continues since I am really enjoying getting to know these characters.

So glad to get to read this Cleeves book. Love all of her books, including this newer series. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

The pacing on this book was a little slow for me, but the great writing and the distinctive and complex police officers made up for that. The author does a nice job of reminding the reader of who all of the characters are, so although there are many people involved in this mystery, I rarely felt confused. I hope that in the next book in this series, we’ll get more about the officers’ lives; that’s really where my interest was while reading.

I am always so happy when there is a new Vera or Venn novel, and the latest, as always is a fully realized, terrific whodunnit. Part of the joy for me is the well-drawn human characters, and the psychological aspects of their make-up as well. The excitement of human frailty. This is another exciting installment, and a book I’m thrill to talk up and push.

Cleeves' second in the Matthew Venn series is just as twisty and slick as her first, featuring skillful character development as well as engaging description and dialog. Cleeves is by far one of the best mystery writers practicing today, including intricate plots with lots of little off-shoot stories meant to deceive the reader until the final reveal.

The peek into the relationships that have shaped Matthew, Jen and Ross lead to emotional investment in the story and characters while the detective work keeps you turning pages.

Recommended.

This was an entertaining read, and it kept me guessing, but it truly went off the rails in the last quarter. There was so much going on, and everyone had a wild secret, and it was just a little too much.

Ann Cleeves is the hands down master of the British police procedural. In The Heron’s Cry, the second in the Two Rivers series, Matthew Venn, the complicated, tightly wrapped Detective Inspector, is faced with a baffling case and a possible serial killer.

Nigel Yeo, a doctor and head of a group representing patients’ interests, is found gruesomely murdered in his daughter’s glassblowing studio. He was stabbed in the neck with a shard of glass broken from a vase made by his daughter Eve. Coincidentally, at a party the night before, he had approached D.S. Jen Rafferty and asked to meet with her about a concern. Venn and Rafferty learn that he was investigating the suicide of the young son of the owners of the Sandpiper, the local beach bar. Then another man, also connected to Eve, is found murdered in the same way. As the pressure to solve the case increases, dangerous secrets are uncovered.

All the elements of a great mystery are here. The pacing of the story is deliberate, building suspense slowly. The main characters are complicated and we see how their private lives affect their behavior in the investigation. For Instance, Jen learns that Nigel Yeo had planned to talk to her at the party. Had she been sober and able to listen to him, he might still be alive. And Matthew, who has a conservative, formal protective shell, tries to be more relaxed with his delightful, artistic partner Jonathan. The descriptions of the North Devon cliff area are captivating as are the artists’ communes. But The Heron’s Cry also has dark themes: depression, addiction, suicide and mental illness. This is an impressive series. 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Ann Cleeves for this ARC.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley on Kindle for review. Written by a popular author, the story moves slowly. Some
Of the characters are intriguing...others not so much. Try this one.

My first book by this author, an enjoyable mystery read that I found very atmospheric. Would recommend if you are looking for a new mystery book. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the characters in this one.