I'd already read the previous Matthew Venn books (and the short, "The Girls on the Shore") before I requested this ARC, and I enjoyed them despite some misgivings not particularly relevant here. It had been a while, though, so I listened to the audiobooks before I started reading The Raging Storm.

Whereas a good audiobook narration usually makes up for at least some shortcomings in dialogue and general prose, with the Two Rivers stories the narration, which was quite good, somehow brought those shortcomings more sharply into focus. So I wound up being more aware than I otherwise might have been of clunky dialogue and awkward characterizations. I'm not sure Ann Cleeves really meant to make Ross May as irksome as all that, for instance, and she has Matthew remember his husband, Jonathan Roberts, saying something startlingly ungenerous about Matthew's sense of guilt, inculcated by the religion he grew up in -- startlingly ungenerous, because it just doesn't fit with what we've seen of Jonathan's ways so far.

Although Cleeves's novels are ensemble pieces, the heart of the Two Rivers series is DI Matthew Venn and his relationship with Jonathan -- for me, more interesting than the mysteries themselves is how Matthew's history, the wounds he suffers from, inflect his thinking about a case and the way he interacts with Jonathan. A running theme of all 3-1/2 books is how members of the conservative Christian sect Matthew grew up in are thick on the ground in his patch of North Devon, and how his encounters with them salt the wounds: of growing up gay, of losing his faith and being cast out, of having a breakdown and leaving university. (I really hope we hear more about that last, and maybe get some glimpses of Matthew in therapy.)

Jonathan is a shorts-and-sandals-in-any-weather person, arty, sociable, omnicompetent, quick to forgive, and I want to see more of him, too. We see Matthew not knowing how to, or not feeling able to, express the depth of his love for Jonathan; I would love to get a look at Matthew through Jonathan's eyes.

At the end of The Raging Storm, Jonathan has come to a decision about his own history. I have qualms about how Cleeves may handle it; without dropping too much of a spoiler, I can say that so far I've been disappointed by Cleeves's treatment of adoption. Fingers crossed she does better in the next book, which I will, of course, be reading as soon as it exists.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Fans of atmospheric British murder mysteries will enjoy the latest release by master writer Ann Cleeves. The Raging Storm is meticulously plotted, and each scene is fully described with strict attention to detail. There are many characters to follow, red herrings to sort, and lesser-known English coastal towns to pique our curiosity.

Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team take readers on their investigative journey to capture a killer. Although this book is third in a series, it can be read as a standalone. The Raging Storm is not a novel that can be read quickly but is best enjoyed on a rainy day on a comfy couch with cups of a hot beverage. A good read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing an ARC to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

Cleeves' books are always complex and exciting, but adding in her latest DI Matthew Venn, definitely ups the ante. Now in his 3rd book of the series and still a conservative, gay, married, ex-church, Venn is definitely a product of his evangelical upbringing in full rebellion.

Devon's local color (and weather) serve Cleeves' almost as well as the turbulent Shetland, and give Venn the reflective atmosphere necessary to solve this most complicated of all his cases. Don't miss it.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Publishing Group for a copy of "The Raging Storm" in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third book in the Detective Matthew Venn series. Adventurer, sailor, celebrity and legend Jem Rosco returns to Greystone, North Devon to wait for a special visitor. He went into the local pub every night and made a point of announcing that he was still waiting for this person. He's have 2 pints of cider and then leave. After a few weeks they noticed that he had not come in.

When a call is made to the lifeboat station Mary Ford responds and they find a naked body in a dingy. Detective Matthew Venn and Sergeant Jen Rafferty respond to investigate. Jem Rosco seems to have led a mysterious life. No one knew where he actually lived and when they find his flat they learn that he hasn't lived there is a long time. His will leaves all his money to a first love. Then another body is found. This leaves Detective Venn wondering if this second killing is related to the first. As the pieces come together Venn finds himself in great danger once he realizes that they have believed the story of a very unreliable narrator.

A very suspenseful story that has the reader turning the pages wondering what will happen next and is anyone actually telling the truth to Matthew Venn?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of Ann Cleeves newest novel 'The Raging Storm'.

When the body of celebrity adventurer Jem Rosco is found lying inside an anchored dingy off the coast of Devon, Detective Matthew Venn immediately suspects foul play. Battling local superstition, a secretive community, and one of the most brutal storms of the year, Detective Venn and his team set up at the local pub to begin unravelling the mystery as to why some wanted Rosco dead and why they staged his body at sea.

I describe this as a light read that can easily be put down and picked up. I haven't read the first to instalments of the Two Rivers series and I don't believe readers would need to as each book covers a separate murder case. I loved Ann Cleeves' 'Shetland' series - I don't personally think this set of characters is as interesting. I didn't particularly like the character Ross May, he didn't have a whole lot of personality. Cleeves describes him as being overly eager and excited by the drama of police work and less keen on actually conducting inquiries where he gets bored of his interviewees. He always seemed to be wanting to go home to his wife - which is fantastic - but during a murder case you want the detectives to be present.

Lots of twists and turns. The writing is great. Lots of characters with motive for murder. I enjoyed following the clues. Some I guessed and some was a complete shocker. It was a good book. I read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is the first Ann Cleeves book I have read but it won't be the last. I've loved the Vera Stanhope and the Jimmy Perez characters on television and I was not disappointed in getting to know Detective Matthew Venn. A murder victim is found in a boat anchored just off shore and there are plenty of suspects in and around Greystone, Devon. The characters are well drawn and the book is tightly plotted. I really liked Detective Venn and Sgt. Jen Rafferty but Officer Ross May had hard feelings about Venn and Rafferty and it was hard to get past that. I had a little trouble keeping the characters straight as the author called the characters by either their first name or last name throughout the book but was not consistent. I loved the descriptions of the the surrounding area, the ocean, and the shore, and I felt like I was there in the wind and storm and waves. All in all, I loved the book and will definitely read more by the author.

I was happy to receive this ARC copy of the third novel of the Two Rivers series and I was delighted to read a new adventure with Detective Venn.
The plot is quite complex like the other novels, and I really enjoyed reading it. Detective Venn and his team are well described and I loved how they work togheter.
I am looking forward to the next novel in this series. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was really good. The third book in the Two Rivers series starring DI Matthew Venn. This book seems to be setting up something dark for the next book in the series, so can't wait for that. The last Vera Stanhope made me cry, so thankfully this one did not. It was engaging though from beginning to end. Especially since Cleeves included Venn's Brethren in this one, but ones he met and knew when he was a child.

"The Raging Storm" follows Venn's investigation into the murder of a famous sailor and adventurer, Jem Rosco. Jem returns to Greystone where he has not been seen in decades. He says he is waiting for someone. But then Jem is found eventually naked in a dinghy that was let loose on purpose. Venn knows it's murder, but doesn't know why. Investigating Rosco's past though brings up all intriguing things.

It was great to follow Venn, Sergeant Jen, Rafferty and Ross May. Well, not really Ross, he still gets on my nerves. But everyone else was great. I thought it was interesting about Jen's bad marriage being brought up again and some fly in the ointment on that. Also, Venn seems to be very careful of how he treats and talks to Jonathan after the mess he got into in the last book. Ross is trying to be better as an investigator, but seems to be sitting around fuming about thinking Jen is a favorite of Jen's.

The investigation into Jem's background is interesting. I still don't know what was true and what was false. You get to the whodunit and why in the end, and believe me I didn't see it coming. But I did wonder about Jem's life and the things that people said about him.

The residents of Greystone were mysterious and holding so many secrets. I can see why Jen was all, I hope to never see this place again. It definitely felt hollowed out by the end of the book. Not a welcoming place at all. But a place where murder(s) occur.

I thought the ending was great and I just am curious as I said about some of the foreshadowing that Cleeves was playing up here and there.

I love this series and I love this author, but I just couldn’t get into this book. The nautical theme turned me off right away, and here were just too many characters, most of whom I didn’t really care about. This book just wasn’t for me.

In The Raging Storm, Book 3 of Ann Cleeves' Detective Matthew Venn series, Detective Inspector Venn and his team are tasked with finding who murdered a famous personality when he visited a quiet seaside town in hopes of meeting an anonymous friend. While Venn and his group collect the clues and interview residents, another person is murdered. It may be unrelated, but two murders in this small town is highly unusual. As with most Ann Cleeves' murder mysteries, this one is character driven so Venn believes solving the murders will result from digging into the people and their backgrounds, connecting present clues to personal lives. His team spends most of the book talking with characters and their families and a small amount of time analyzing events, almost to the point of considering these subplots--but not really because there is no conclusion to those threads. We the reader get personally involved in children's schedules, hobbies, eating routines, and more.

What didn’t I like? This is a biggie: Names became a problem for me. So darn many were similar--Jen, Jem, Venn, Gwen, Ross and Rosco--my head started spinning. Without Vera Stanhope's well-known crew to anchor me, I got lost often. This is the first Matthew Venn book I've read so I expect (hope?) that after a few, I will have all those names nicely sorted.

Overall, if you like character-driven and atmospheric murder mysteries, this is a great way to spend a few hours.

Matthew Venn finds himself with a strange murder. A body staged in a boat on the sea. The victim goes back years in the history of the town. Finding out the murderer is tough and then.another body shows up. Great read. Love this series!

This was a great addition to this wonderful series. I liked this story even more than the previous two and love the mystery and intrigue the characters are involved in.

Brillant, engaging, a page turner.!! It is another brilliant book by Ann Cleeeves.So well done, and the characters so deep and engaging. It's as if you know them as neighbors. Excellent!!

Ann Cleeves as is Louise Penny are masters at creating flawed but lovable characters with complicated relationships. The setting always plays a starring role . I like this series and the intersection of faith that she portrays in this book . Another stellar mystery by a fantastic author
Thanks yo Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur for an ARC copy of this book

Ann Cleeves is a master at creating and fleshing out a setting. It's evident in all her books. This bood is the 3rd in her Detective Matthew Venn/Two Rivers series. Matthew is a top notch detective who often feels out of step with his colleaugues. Matthew was born and raised in the Brethren, a strict Christian sect. He left and was excommunicated when he chose to come out. He's now at the helm of a sucessful police team and married to a lovely man, but sometimes it's hard to keep all three seperate.
The Raging Storm sees Matthew and his team sent to a small coastal village where the body of Jem Rosco has been found. Jem grew up in the village but left as a young man. He became a highly successful adventurer beloved by the public and tabloids, He recently returned to the village, renting a small house, and told all those who asked he was waiting for someone to show up. Did that someone kill him?
It's an excellent, fast paced book. There are recurring characters with backstories so I do recommend reading the previous two novels. 4 out of 5 stars and can't wait for the next installment.

Celebrity adventurer Jem Rosco returns to the isolated area where he grew up. He is there, so he says, to meet someone and will not be there long. Just as the town gets used to him being part of their lives he disappears only to turn up naked and dead in an anchored dinghy on a stormy night.
Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team comes to the village of Greystone to find the murderer but the residents of the insular town are not too cooperative with outsiders and, more importantly, non-believers who are not members of the church the majority of them belong to. Matthew, who left the church long ago, is uncomfortable as several of the townsfolk are people he knew as a child through the church. The town’s distrust of outsiders coupled with Jem’s secrecy about so much of his life make this a challenging case and then there is a second death.
Our recurring characters are well fleshed out and are showing signs of growth from book to book. Sergeant Jen Rafferty, a divorced single mother with two teens is a vital part of the investigation while Ross May, the other member of the team, is impatient and to a degree not very likeable. Matthew is a bit of a tortured soul - a former member of a very conservative church, almost a cult, he is coming to terms still with breaking away, coming out as gay and marrying a man. His husband, Jonathan, is very different from Matthew and we are also seeing him grow and learning more about him.
The murder is well plotted and I did not suspect who the murderer was until just before Matthew came to the same conclusion. I am enjoying this series and look forward to the next book. Highly recommended

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting novel about murder in a remote seaside village. The cast of characters are realistic and raw. The storylines will leave you pondering whether love exists at all.

About a year and a half ago, I gave five (well deserved) stars to The Heron’s Cry, which was the second in a series featuring Detective Matthew Venn (following 2019’s The Long Call, where we first met Matthew). I was eager to read the next in this series (even though I’d not been a fan of Ms Cleeves, Vera, etc.), so I was pleased to receive a copy of Matthew’s latest adventure, The Raging Storm, from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Although this is the third in a series, each one can be read as a standalone, and despite the fact there is a regular cast of characters who grow and develop, it isn’t like a major beloved character is killed which affects the subsequent books in the series (I’m looking at you, Elizabeth George, but you are still my favorite author!). So, Matthew is still a detective, working to solve a murder on the Devon coast, alongside people who are fully developed characters, including Jen Rafferty, “…the best detective he’d ever worked with.” who “…knew that she tried too hard with the men she met, was too desperate and she scared them off.” There is also the overeager Ross, an ambitious young member of the squad who aspires to have Matthew’s job.

Greystone is a small town that once again takes Matthew back to his painful past as he “lost his faith” and married a terrific guy named Jonathan. As a lapsed member of The Brethren, Matthew gets the nuances of religious differences and cult membership as he investigates the death of celebrity Jem Rosco, whose lifeless body was discovered “in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.”

Greystone is a place Matthew visited as a child, and things get uncomfortable for him when another body is found, and he finds his judgment clouded due to his past association.

Once again, I’m a fan of Ms. Cleeves (and looking forward to seeing her at this summer’s Bouchercon!) and look forward to more from Detective Venn. Four stars (only lower than five because I found myself checking to see how much of the book was left, rather than getting lost in the story and thinking “already?” when I reached the end, as is often the case for me when reading favorite authors).

I am so glad that I got to read this book early. I've read most of this author's series. I think this is the best one in this series yet. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.