The Long Call

Two Rivers, Book 1

By: Ann Cleeves

Narrated by: Ben Aldridge

Now a major ITV series, The Long Call, adapted for television by screenwriter Kelly Jones and starring Ben Aldridge, who also reads this updated audiobook.

The Long Call is the No.1 bestselling first novel in the Two Rivers 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.

The next book in the series is The Heron's Cry.

This audiobook is an updated recording by Ben Aldridge.

©2019 Ann Cleeves (P)2021 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd

Critic reviews

"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.2 (David Baldacci)

"Clever, compassionate and atmospheric, with a great cast of new characters to love. I am already a Matthew Venn fan." (Elly Griffiths)

"Brilliant, thoughtful and deeply engaging." (Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author of the V.I. Warshawski series)

A good read

Loved the simplicity and care taken in the story telling .Ann Cleeves does it again .

Not too shabby

I picked up Ann Cleeves after watching the brilliant TV series “Shetland”. There are many crime books these days, and many are rudimentary in character development or plot or procedure. This novel seemed pretty tight in plot and procedure with a web of believable answers. Nice to see the main characters start to unfold, as they will no doubt continue to do in subsequent novels in the series. I’ll try another by this author.

Bland and Slow

I wanted and tried to like this book but gave up in the end, finding it oh so slow and uninspiring. The characters are uninteresting and the plot barely moves.

Disappointing

I have enjoyed a number of Ann Cleeves' novels, sadly this is not one of them.

Not a thing of interest

Purchased this after reading she was a great mystery writer. Got to chapter 11 and quit. Not a character or element to this story that is remotely intriguing. Nothing. Reading about slugs would be more interesting.