Set in North Devon, England, a place where two rivers converge to meet the sea, The Long Call is a brand new detective series from author Ann Cleeves that introduces us to DI Matthew Venn, a forty-something police detective who is investigating the case of a man named Simon Walden found stabbed to death on the beach, in an area close to where Matthew lives with his husband Jonathan. After breaking away from the strict evangelical community to which his estranged family still belongs, Matthew is no longer welcome among the Brethren, cast out to the point of only being able to observe his father's funeral from afar. As Matthew and his team follow the leads that emerge in investigating Walden's murder, the detective finds himself unexpectedly pulled back into the folds of the Brethren community, where the secrets of his past threaten to collide with the present life he so painstakingly built. To complicate matters, having recently transferred from Bristol, Matthew is the new boss in town heading up a group of detectives whose personalities couldn't be more different from each other, but who must now work together to solve the case, the dynamics of which add a layer of complexity to the investigation.
This was a well-written police procedural that I found to be engaging and a bit different from ones I've read previously. Normally I would expect these types of stories to be action-packed and fast-paced, with a complicated plot as well as twists and turns galore, but surprisingly, that wasn't the case here. Instead, this was an atmospheric read that was actually a bit of a slow-burn, but not to the point of being draggy — rather, the plot moved along in a way that felt natural and un-rushed, though with an ending that still managed to be unpredictable and also a resolution to the case that caught me off guard. I like how Cleeves didn't just focus on developing a complex and believable plot, but also balanced it with meticulous character development as well, lending a level of depth to the story that made it more engaging in my opinion.
Overall, I enjoyed this quiet but steady detective story that kept me interested throughout. This is the first book in a new series for Cleeves, and for me, it is a good introduction to this author's work, since this is my first time reading her books. I'm definitely looking forward to continuing this series when the second book comes out! As for her previous book series, I understand that two of them — the Shetland Island as well as Vera Stanhope series — were both turned into successful television series; no doubt that this new Two Rivers series will likely follow in the same footsteps. When that happens, it will be interesting to see how this story translates on screen.
Overall, I enjoyed this quiet but steady detective story that kept me interested throughout. This is the first book in a new series for Cleeves, and for me, it is a good introduction to this author's work, since this is my first time reading her books. I'm definitely looking forward to continuing this series when the second book comes out! As for her previous book series, I understand that two of them — the Shetland Island as well as Vera Stanhope series — were both turned into successful television series; no doubt that this new Two Rivers series will likely follow in the same footsteps. When that happens, it will be interesting to see how this story translates on screen.
Received ARC from St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) via NetGalley.
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