Yes! I enjoyed first book of Two Rivers series so much and I was looking forward the author’s bringing Matthew Venn and his team back sooner! My wishes came true!

Matthew with his lovely, artsy husband, resilient, exhausted single mother Jenn, ambitious, success oriented Ross are back again!

This time team searches of the murder of Dr.Yeo, public servant, the very same night at his murder tried to talk an important matter with Jenn at a party at Barnstable, her close friend Cynthia Prior’s house but Jenn was a little wasted to give her full attention. They ended up sharing their phone numbers to schedule a meeting. Now Jenn wonders if she drank less and listened to him that night, could she pretend the brutal murder?

Now Dr. Yeo is stabbed with a shard by vase made by her glassblower daughter Eve, lying on a blood pool at her studio at Westacombe Farm owned by Frank Ley, an economist who became more wealthy after his clear predictions about financial fallout and support the artist community of the farm with less charge of rent, promoting their work.

Eve expected to her father to come early at her studio, is the one who found him.

How an idealist public worker who recently lost his wife who were suffering from dementia can be a murder victim? What he got himself into to attract this kind brutality?

He was former doctor of North Devon Hospital who worked with a small organization represents patients’ views and experiences to the health trust, the governing body of the hospital.

Could his murder be connected with Mac Mackenzie’s suicide? It was the last case Dr. Yeo was searching if there is any misconduct or wrongly treatment to bring family closure?

When another murder occurs with someone connected with farm and the murder weapon related with Eve, it confuses the minds. What was the connection between those murders and why the killer insist using art works-glasses of Eve to take lives of the victims?

A vicious murderer is out there to haunt the peace of small town. Matthew and his team has long way to connect the dots and make sure bring the safety to his community.

I think I enjoyed to read the characters’ stories and their daily interactions more than learning more about the mystery.

I enjoyed see Matthew’s fight to separate his personal life with his job, trying to make peace with his past, tolerating her mother, learning to forgive her as Jenn struggle to form her personal life, friendships, paying more attention to her kids and ass-kisser Ross chasing the opportunities to climb the career ladder by being more irritating at each chapter.

Conclusion and the identity of the perpetrator were surprising.

I wasn’t wooed like the first book because the murder mystery part of the book didn’t pick my interest but I never get bored to read about detailed character depictions and back stories of this perfect built characters which feel like your acquaintances, a part of your family, your friends.

I’m giving my four mysterious, intriguing, small town murders, secrets, mental illness stars!
Looking forward to read more books of brilliant author of Vera and Shetland series.

So many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books For Sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Wow! Ann Cleeves you took me completely by surprise! I tend to think I’m pretty astute when it comes to figuring out most murders, but this one slapped me right in the face. What a stunning reveal.

If I may be critical for just one short interlude, three, nearly four, unexplained deaths in one novel seems a bit much! However, it was expertly done and didn’t require too far a belief-stretch for me.

I loved the law enforcement cast as a bunch of unique characters each in their own way.

Matthew, a cerebral cop still getting comfortable in his profession and personal life. Easy to relate to! Jen a single mom struggling not to imprint her personal shortcomings on her victims. Ross a butt-kisser striving to find the right behind to smooch in order to advance his career.

All the character profiles were wonderfully developed and easy to see in my own world. Great work!

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and offer my thoughts. Thank you Ann Cleeves for spinning me around and around until I finally landed upright at the end.

Detective Matthew Venn has been called to a murder at North Devon artists colony. Dr. Nigel Yeo has been killed with a shard of glass from a vase made by his daughter, a glass blower. Matthew has a hard time figuring out who would want to kill Yeo, a man seemingly beloved by all who knew him. The detective is further discomfited by Yeo’s daughter’s friendship with his husband . When there’s another killing, Matthew begins to wonder just how safe his community really is…and how well he knows his neighbors

384 pages

4 stars

DI Matthew Venn and his partner DS Jen are called to the scene of a murder at an artist's studio. The studio belongs to the victim's daughter, Eve. Eve is a friend of Matthew's husband Jonathan.

Matthew and his team are on the case immediately. The victim is Dr. Nigel Yeo. He is a retired physician who is now heading up an organization that supports the rights of patients and looks into any possible abuses by the medical profession.

Dr. Yeo was looking into the suicide of a young man who was released from a mental institution after only a day. They said they didn't have room for him. He was suicidal and later committed suicide.

When a similar murder occurs, the case ratchets up. The police officers meet many people who supply various stories, some of questionable honesty. The case moves rather slowly, and more deaths occur.

Matthew's team has a real problem on their hands with pressure from the top.

The identity of the murderer turns out to be a surprise. The reason is somewhat psychopathic.

This is a well written and plotted little thriller. It sags in some places and seems to move slowly in others. This is not Ms. Cleeves' best work.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was a great book for the first 85%, but the ending let it down. Various characters were familiar from the first instalment, and they were well-developed here, although I continue to feel it is a good thing that the author tells us how much Matthew loves Jonathan, since his actions never really show this. The plot was fast-paced and logical until the denouement, which required the murderer to have used incredibly complicated methods. I felt the motivation for the later murders was a little unconvincing.

Still, I thought this was stronger than the first instalment and look forward to the next.