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Jump to navigationJump to searchThe Long Call (Two Rivers) by Ann Cleeves (view source)
Revision as of 11:53, 12 August 2020
, 11:53, 12 August 2020no edit summary
There's no time for introspection, though, as the body of a man has been found on the beach at Crow Point, not too far from where Matthew and Jonathan live. He's got no identification on him, but a shopping list takes Matthew's team back to the Woodyard, a centre for the arts, a community hub and the home of the centre for people with learning difficulties. Jonathan runs the Woodyard and DS Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May are conscious that there might be a conflict of interest for Matthew Venn as their enquiries all seem to lead back to the Woodyard, particularly when a young woman with Down's Syndrome is abducted.
I was saddened when Ann Cleeaves Cleeves stopped writing the [[Ann Cleeves' Shetland Novels in Chronological Order|Shetland]] novels but I can understand how difficult it would have been following the death of her husband, renowned ornithologist, Tim Cleeves. Instead , she's put her detective in North Devon, the area where she grew up, and it comes alive in her hands. Some of the tourist destinations are there - such as Ilfracombe - but this is the North Devon where people live and work.
The characters are good too. I liked the combination of Matthew Venn, who prefers rules and order, who - if we're completely honest - lacks that bit of patience to be a really good detective, and Jonathan Church, who has the patience to sit and talk to a badly frightened young woman with Down's Syndrome. He's not worried about rules, or order, but he will adapt to suit Matthew. The police team comes off the page well, too. DS Jen Rafferty is newly escaped from an abusive relationship. Children Ben and Ella largely fend for themselves with only the slightest of oversight from Rafferty, who's become something of a party animal since she left her husband in Liverpool. DC Ross May could become a problem. He's DCI Joe Church's golden boy - and mole in the Venn team. He's devoted to his wife, Melanie, who Jen Rafferty describes as the perfect fashion accessory.
The plot is good too and I didn't work out who dunnit whodunnit despite the fact that all the clues were there. Cleves manages to deliver a more-than-readable first-book-in-the-series whilst preparing the ground for what I hope are many books to follow. I'd like to thank the publisher for letting Bookbag have a review copy.
If you've read the [[Ann Cleeves' D I Vera Stanhope Novels in Chronological Order|Vera Stanhope]] series and the [[Ann Cleeves' Shetland Novels in Chronological Order|Shetland]] novels we can recommend anything by [[:Category:Paula Daly|Paula Daly]] who brings the Lake District to life as few others do. Steve Burrows does something similar for North Norfolk in the early books of the [[Steve Burrows' DCI Domenic Jejeune's Birder Murder Mysteries in Chronological Order|Birder Murder]] series.
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[[Category:LGBT Fiction]]
