Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Another stellar mystery from Ann Cleeves', as she returns with my favorite character she has developed, Detective Matthew Venn.

A captivating mystery as Matthew solves a murder committed using a small piece of broken glass.

Another clever page-turner from Cleeves'!

This book is well narrated. Like most of Cleeves's novels, it is a detailed, character-driven mystery that brings readers deep into the worlds of her characters. I found this one hard to get into at first, but ultimately enjoyed it.

Can't say. I keep running out of time on your app to listen to the book. I didn't get a chance to hear it so I can't really comment except to say how much I don't like this Netgalley app.

DI Matthew Venn and his sergeant Jen are called early one morning. They arrive at an artist's commune to find a murdered victim. Dr. Nigel Yeo had approached Jen the night before at a party, asking if he could talk to her later about something that was bothering him. But that talk will never happen now as he is lying in his daughter's glassblowing studio, a shard of broken glass in his neck.

As Matt and Jen investigate, they find tension at the commune. There is one family with two children and another on the way who farm the land the commune is on. There is at least one more full-time artist who lives there besides Dr. Yeo's daughter, Eve, as well as other who come and go. Why would any of them want to harm Nigel?

The police learn that Nigel had been looking into the case of a local teen who had committed suicide. There was talk that the hospital had mishandled the teen's case and perhaps someone wanted to stop Dr. Yeo from his investigation. But there is also a website for depressed teens that has a subset of users who call themselves The Suicide Club. The teen had been part of that and maybe the fault lies there but who is behind it?

This is the second book in the Two Rivers series set in North Devon. Matthew grew up in the area in a very strict religious church and had left when he renounced the church and its members after he came out as gay and was called a sinner. Now he is back with his husband and has to fight his memories as he fights to solve crimes. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

The Heron's Cry was just as good as The Long Call and Matthew Venn is one of my favorite contemporary literary detectives. Jack Holden does a phenomenal job bringing these characters to life!.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur books for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook version and review this terrific book. Loved this book and the continuation of the series story! Ann Cleeves is masterful in weaving a set of characters and intersecting stories that keep you guessing about what has happened, who is conspiring with whom and what will happen next.

North Devon has again experienced a murder but this time it involves a well-respected retired doctor who has devoted his second career to ensuring patients’ rights within the government health system. Once again, people involved are affiliated with the Woodyard which hits close to home for Matt Venn, the lead detective whose significant other runs the facility. Who is the target of the victim’s investigation and why did he want to talk with one of Matt’s leading detectives about his research? Could not wait to hear each chapter.

Highly recommend reading both books in the series. Looking forward to the next book!

Not sure what to make of this one. For some reason, I seem to be getting quite a few audios with European flare which I don't mind but I may have to take a break soon...This is my first of this author and while I have heard quite good things I will hold an opinion until I get another taste with another book...this one is my first. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to an artists community after a murder and then there is another. So many suspects and so many twists. You get the gist. I will come back for another go with this author because it kept me intrigued until the end.

**Receive this ARC for review in audio from the publisher via NetGalley**

You can't go wrong with Ann Cleeves! I'm sorry to be completely caught up on all of her series. I love every one of them. She really creates characters you care about and a puzzle that is fun to pursue. Wonderful sense of place. Jack Holden is a good steady reader, not too dramatic to distract from the story. Very captivating and engaging. I highly recommend!

Until this week, I had not read anything by Ann Cleeves. When I received The Heron’s Cry in audiobook format and realized it was the SECOND in the Two Rivers Series (#1 was The Long Call), I went back and read the print version of the first book in order to be familiar with the characters and setting. Part of it was that I hate feeling when I start in the middle of a series like I am the only one who doesn’t know who these people are, where they live, and what the bleep is going on. The other thing is that I have never been able to really be successful with audiobooks. As it turned out, my string continued because I ended up buying the print version of the book and switching back and forth–and how awesome is THAT? You can stop reading, go to the beach, connect your phone or other device to Audible, and VOILA! You are listening to the book EXACTLY where you left off reading! So thank you, Macmillan audio and NetGalley, for the audiobook in exchange for this honest review, but I admit this is sort of a hybrid review not based solely on the audio version.

Whew! When we last saw Detective Matthew Venn and the other police officers in the coastal town of North Devon, we learned about Matthew’s job, his fractured family, his husband, and many of the things that make him such a fascinating character. In this story, North Devon is enjoying hot weather and a big influx of tourists flocking out to the coast. Matthew is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists, where he finds Dr. Nigel Yeo stabbed to death, with the murder weapon being a shard of the artistic glass that his daughter, glassblower Eve, had made into a lovely weapon — oops, I mean vase. Eve is a quirky character, reflected when she is first interviewed by Matthew’s partner, Jen Rafferty, and she “…didn’t want to start crying again and she tried to rekindle her earlier resentment. Anger was easier than overwhelming grief.”

Dr. Yeo seems like he was a good man, an earnest public servant with a loving daughter. It turns out she is also a good friend of Matthew’s husband Jonathan, which complicates matters. When another body turns up, killed in the same way (with Eve’s glass providing the weapon), things start getting very complicated. Matthew is a terrific, multifaceted character. “He’d lot his faith suddenly and publicly, and had been cast out by the people he’d thought had cared for him most: his parents.” Jonathan is trying earnestly to help Matthew cope with the grief at his father’s death by arranging a reconciliation with Matthew’s mother, still a member of the evangelical cult — I mean community– known as The Brethren..

Then a third body is found–killed in a similar way. Matthew finds himself treading carefully through complicated relationships and the history of the small community, and begins to get a bit frazzled during the investigation. As was the case in The Long Call, memorable characters include Jen and Ross, detectives on Matthew’s team. Jen is a detective who survived an abusive marriage, is now a single parent, and tends to drink too much on occasion. Ross is a young, ambitious, overeager policeman who clearly aspires to Matthew’s job. Ross reminds me of a big golden retriever puppy as he jumps on the tasks at hand. It’s a fun read.

The narration in the audiobook was fine, and I will likely listen to other books on my beach walks, but overall I concluded that I’m just more suited to print. It allows me to search for characters’ prior actions and statements, and I just like READING. In any case, excellent plotting, great characters, and an ending that left me wanting Ms. Cleeves to get Book #3 in this series out SOON. Five stars.

Although this is the second book in the Detective Matthew Venn series, my favorite character is Detective sergeant Jen Rafferty, a single mom who enjoys the more than occasional drink. She’s been invited to a party where she meets Nigel Yeo, a physician who is the director of a patient advocacy group. He’s currently looking into the suicide of a young local man. Jen is so drunk, she brushes off the doctor’s questions and feels guilty when he is found dead the next day. Her superior officer is Matthew Venn and they are assigned to the case and another death is added to their case load when a local man is found dead. The investigation leads them to suicide advocacy groups, an unexpected advocate of death by suicide and eventually to the murderer. The characters are complex and while the plot seems a little farfetched, it was an enjoyable mystery. The audio version was well-narrated with voice changes for different characters which really helped.

Big fan of Ann Cleeves, be it “Vera” or the Shetland series. Somehow I just didn’t connect with The Heron’s Cry, a “Two Rivers” mystery. Ms. Cleeves has attempted a more contemporary feel to her story set this time in North Devon. Her protagonist is Detective Matthew Venn, who amongst his skills as a detective is, not surprisingly in 2021, a happily married gay detective. He is joined by DS Jen Rafferty, who is, not surprisingly, a single mom with two children. The mystery surrounds the death of a man who died, very surprisingly, by a shard of glass in a glassblowing studio. I typically would have clicked on five stars perhaps even before reading an Ann Cleeves mystery. I just couldn’t connect with the folks in the story despite putting down the book several times and then picking it up again after a short break.
I have read many of the reviews on Goodreads and I am in the minority in my assessment…so I my viewpoint may be flawed. And I truly enjoy these opportunities to check out new books due to NetGalley. So I will give this an average review and hope when I read the next book in the series I will be in a better mood!

This is my first Ann Cleeves book. Yes, I know that I am late to the game. I feel like I have gone about reading her the wrong way. First, I felt I was missing the experience of her characters by not having read the first book in this series. Second, I don’t think that audiobook is a good format for her particular style of writing. I never felt drawn into the story. I would wager that for regular readers of AC, they would find this up to her usual standards. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

There has been a murder in an artist colony. A prominent physician has been stabbed with a piece his own daughter’s vase. Enter Detective Matthew Venn. He has been sent to unravel all of the misconceptions and delusions.

I had a bit of trouble with this story. And for the life of me, I don’t know exactly why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I should have. The narrator did a great job. The story was just slow. Nothing really grabbed me. I did enjoy the setting! I could just picture some of the landscaping!

Plus, this story is full of lies and deceptions! That did keep me guessing and intrigued. And Matthew is a character I would like to see brought to life on the screen. I am definitely looking up this author’s tv shows.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This audiobook presentation of Cleeve's second in the Two Rivers, Matthew Venn, series is fabulous! As always, Cleeve's book has very strong characterization, but there is also a very engaging plot line. The reader brings the area to life, as well as the characters. I normally listen to books at faster than recorded speed, but in this case I stuck with it as recorded because the narrator did such a great job and I did not want to miss any of her inflections.

The plot line involves an artsy community supported by a wealthy patron as well as mental illness and suicide. At the same time, many of the most important characters face challenges in, and learn more about the importance of, their relationships. While the book is certainly a procedural mystery, it is also heavily character-driven.

This relatively new series of Cleeves is just as accomplished as her long-standing Vera Stanhope and Shetland series. I am now as anxious to read the next of these as I have been with her other series. I feel as though I have a whole new set of friends to follow.

This was my first Ann Cleeves book, but I'm familiar with her work from the TV series, Shetland., a favorite around our house. The Heron's Cry takes us to the town of North Devon, a coastal artsy English town where Detective Matthew Venn , a private, complicated man, solves murders In this case, multiple murders all connected to a single farm/artist studio. The story weaves gently and methodically, with strong character development and just enough tension to keep the pages turning. By the end of the book, not only do we know whodunit, we know we want to read the next Ann Cleeves book to get to know Matthew, his husband, his team and his mum better. I listened to the audio version, well-paced and well-read by Jack Holden, who seems to truly understand his characters, especially Set. Venn. Well done. Going back to listen to the first in this series, The Long Call.

The Heron’s Cry
By Ann Cleeves
I started this audiobook but got lost in it several times, so I went on my library website and downloaded the first book in this series to listen to before coming back to this one. It helped a little. This is a murder mystery set in North Devon at a rural artist community. The murder and a later one were both well staged. I couldn’t get into any of the characters. I finished this book but really can’t recommend it.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

A well-written murder mystery with solid characters & setting. The murder case got a bit convoluted for my taste, but it wraps up well & the characters made this well worth reading.

[What I liked:]

•Most of the main & secondary characters are well developed, complex, flawed, & sympathetic. The character work is definitely the best part of this novel, imo. Matthew & Jonathan were my favorites, getting to see their relational conflicts, their individual perceptions of themselves & each other, & Jonathan’s support of Matthew reconnecting with his mother.

•The plot touches on several intertwining community conflicts: gentrification, class, privatized social services, divorce, mental illness, etc. This added nice complexity to the murder mystery, especially in trying to untangle potential motives.

•I like the writing style. I don’t usually like books that frequently switch between POVs, but this book does it smoothly & getting to see from different characters’ perspective helps shape the narrative & give nuance to the web of relationships in the small town.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Ooh, Ross is horrible! I mean, I think that portrayal was intentional, but he was just such a jerk to everyone, so self-centered, that it grated on my nerves.

•The pacing isn’t slow in terms of action, but there were so many distractions & false leads in solving the case that the plot felt a bit aimless at times. Like nothing was cohesive, even at 75% into the book. Now this isn’t necessarily a flaw, & probably it’s how investigations feel to investigators a lot of the time, but since there was no sense of building to a climax/resolution for most of the book it felt off to me. However, it did start to come together in the last 20% of the book, & it all tied together by the end without being rushed.

•Okay, small complaint, but the whole being murdered by artisan glass thing was a bit hokey.

CW: murder, suicide, domestic violence, sexism, mental illness

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

Great audiobook. The narrator kept me engaged and wanting to know more. Accent fit the narrative, which is always important. Overall, I felt it was well done and would recommend this as a format to take in this story.

My full review below:

The Heron's Cry is the second release in Ann Cleeves' Two Rivers series, following DI Matthew Venn and his team. The first book in the series, The Long Call, was a standout Mystery for me in 2019, so I was highly anticipating this next installment.

Unsurprisingly, Cleeves did not disappoint. This woman could teach a master class on writing an engaging Police Procedural. This particular Mystery kicks off when Venn is called to a crime scene at a rural home occupied by a group of artists. A man has been killed, stabbed in the neck with a shard from one of his glassblower daughter's vases.

Dr. Nigel Yeo, the victim, is a dedicated public servent, a loving father and valued member of his community. It's perplexing as to why anyone would want him dead. His daughter, Eve, the glassblower, is particularly distraught, as is Venn when he discovers Eve is actually a good friend of his husband, Jonathan. Of course, sometimes it seems everybody knows everybody in a small community.

The detectives discover a line of inquiry Yeo was following with regards to his work for the health ministry. It involved the suicides of two young men and the possible failure of the health system in providing them appropriate care. Could someone have been meaning to silence him?

When another body is discovered, killed in the same fashion, Venn and team fear they may have stumbled across something larger than they initially anticipated.

I really enjoyed my time with this novel. Being back with DI Venn and learning more about him and his team, it felt comfortable. Cleeves has created a great cast of main characters for this series. I enjoy how she includes a few different perspectives.

The coastal community in North Devon provided an insular, small town atmosphere, which I tend to enjoy in my Mysteries. I loved learning all about the town's secrets; the underbelly of an otherwise picturesque place. Every community has things they would prefer to keep from the outside world. I also enjoyed how this story incorporated a group of artists, randomly thrown together into a sort of communal living situation. That whole subculture feel was quite interesting.

I'm not sure if there are going to be more books in this series, but I truly hope there will be. I could picture this one running for a long time. If that's the case, I will be so happy that I got in on it early. If you haven't had a chance to check out this series yet, and you love Police Procedural Mysteries, you really should. Now is the time!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am definitely looking forward to more Ann Cleeves!

Det. Matthew Venn is back with another murder investigation in Ann Cleeves' The Heron's Cry. Readers will enjoy the return of familiar characters from the debut series The Long Call. The worlds of art and medicine overlap when questions of suicide and patient care erupt in the Devon, England. Fans of Ann Cleeves' and English mysteries will enjoy this well read audiobook.

Another fabulous book. This second book in her new series is wonderful. The setting is as much a character as the people.