The Long Call Synopsis
The Long Call is the captivating first novel in a brand new series from Sunday Times bestseller and creator of Vera and Shetland, Ann Cleeves.
In North Devon, where the rivers Taw and Torridge converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father's funeral takes place. The day Matthew turned his back on the strict evangelical community in which he grew up, he lost his family too.
Now he's back, not just to mourn his father at a distance, but to take charge of his first major case in the Two Rivers region; a complex place not quite as idyllic as tourists suppose.
A body has been found on the beach near to Matthew's new home: a man with the tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.
Finding the killer is Venn's only focus, and his team's investigation will take him straight back into the community he left behind, and the deadly secrets that lurk there.
About This Edition
Ann Cleeves Press Reviews
Hauntingly written, it evokes every possible emotion with Ann's gripping narrative - Woman
Murder, mystery and a great new cast of characters mean you won't be able to put this one down! - My Weekly
Cleeves writes of the left-behind and the unfortunate with intelligence and compassion - Literary Review
Ann Cleeves is a phenomenal talent. With unfailing skill, gorgeous setting, flawless plot and seamless voice, she brilliantly conjures new worlds in crime fiction. Her instantly iconic Detective Matthew Venn is a treasure-and we will all follow him anywhere -- Hank Phillippi Ryan In The Long Call, Ann Cleeves builds a prism of a world, multi-faceted, complex, and as brilliant as a diamond. Fans of Vera and Jimmy will love Matthew Venn -- Lori Rader-Day Ann Cleeves has done it again! A new detective, a new series, another terrific puzzle of a story that won't let you go until the very end. Matthew Venn quickly earns his place beside Vera and Jimmy in a debut you don't want to miss: The Long Call -- Charles Todd, bestselling author of The Black Ascot Who knew there could be a third detective as compelling as Vera and Jimmy? Matthew Venn is a triumph of Cleeves' particular blend of compassion and toughness and I already love him -- Catriona McPherson, national bestselling author of Strangers at the Gate Unputdownable series debut! With an evocative setting, a gripping plot, and beautifully drawn characters, The Long Call is a terrific read-and Matthew Venn is my new favorite detective -- Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author of Garden of Lamentations A traditional mystery of the best sort - Guardian
The troubled Venn is a great protagonist, and Cleeves may well have created her next top TV cop - Heat
Cleeves combines a flair for evoking sense of place with a thoughtful, complex plot - Mail on Sunday
Ann Cleeves' new series gets off to a terrific start with The Long Call - her native Devon is wonderfully evoked, and Matthew Venn is a very appealing new detective. Another sure-fire hit -- Martin Edwards, author of Gallows Court Brilliant - a page-turning and sensitively told tale, with a vividly evoked North Devon setting, a powerful emotional heft and a new detective hero in Matthew Venn who you will want to follow for book after book. Wonderful! -- Chris Ewan, bestselling author of Safe House Brilliant, thoughtful and deeply engaging -- Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author of the V.I. Warshawski series A triumph that cements Cleeves' status as one of Britain's best crime writers - Daily Express
Clever, compassionate and atmospheric, with a great cast of new characters to love. I am already a Matthew Venn fan -- Elly Griffiths Had me hooked - a promising beginning to another fine chapter in the Ann Cleeves story - The Times
As a huge fan of both the Shetland and Vera series of books, I had high expectations for Cleeves' latest. She easily exceeded those expectations with The Long Call. Matthew Venn is a keeper. A stunning debut for Cleeves' latest crimefighter -- David Baldacci -
About Ann Cleeves
A letter from Ann Cleeves to our readers.....
Dear Lovereading members,
I first came to Shetland when I was nineteen. I'd dropped out of university and was offered, quite by chance, the job of assistant cook in the bird observatory on Fair Isle, the most southerly island of the archipelago. It's thirteen hours by ferry from Aberdeen to Shetland mainland and then another three hours in a horrible little boat to Fair Isle. I thought I'd come to the end of the world. But I arrived in spring when the lowlands were covered in flowers and the seabirds were nesting on the cliffs and I fell in love with the place. I've been visiting ever since. In Shetland I learned to cook, to clip sheep and even to knit. I met my husband on Fair Isle and some of my best friends live in the islands. Shetland is bleak and bare, with a magic all of its own. I hope these books give a flavour of the place and of the preoccupations of its people. Besides telling a story that you won't want to put down...
Best wishes, Ann Cleeve
Ann Cleeves worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of 'Murder Squad', working with other northern writers to promote crime fiction. In 2006 Ann was awarded the Duncan Lawrie Dagger for Best Crime Novel for Raven Black. Her Vera Stanhope series is now a major ITV drama starring Brenda Blethyn. Ann lives in North Tyneside.
In 2017 Ann Cleeves was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger - the highest honour in British crime writing. The Dagger award recognises authors whose crime writing careers have been marked by sustained excellence, and who have made a significant contribution to the genre.
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