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The Long Call
Two Rivers (Related to this series)
- Author
- Ann Cleeves
- Narrator
- Ben Aldridge
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date
- 6 April 2021
- Run Time
- 11 hours 37 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Genre
- Crime and mystery: police procedural, Thriller / suspense fiction, Narrative theme: sense of place, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss
- Rating
- 5.0 (4 reviews)
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What to expect
Meet Detective Matthew Venn. From Ann Cleeves, the Sunday Times bestselling crime author and creator of Vera Stanhope and Shetland's Jimmy Perez, The Long Call is the number one bestselling first novel in the Two Rivers series.
Read by Ben Aldridge, star of ITV's hit TV adaptation.
‘Clever, compassionate and atmospheric, with a great cast of new characters to love’ – Elly Griffiths, award-winning author of The Crossing Places
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.
‘Stunning’ – David Baldacci, author of The 6:20 Man
‘Another fine chapter in the Ann Cleeves story’ – The Times
‘One of Britain's best crime writers’ – Daily Express
‘Cleeves is quietly carving out a reputation as the new Queen of Crime’ – Sunday Mirror
The Long Call is the first entry in the Two Rivers detective series. Continue the mysteries with The Heron's Cry.
This audiobook is an updated recording by Ben Aldridge.
Critics Review
-
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, author of The 6:20 Man
-
Had me hooked — a promising beginning to another fine chapter in the Ann Cleeves story
The Times
-
Clever, compassionate and atmospheric, with a great cast of new characters to love. I am already a Matthew Venn fan
Elly Griffiths, author of the Ruth Galloway Mysteries
-
Nobody does unsettling undercurrents better than Ann Cleeves
Val McDermid, author of Silent Bones
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
A triumph that cements Cleeves' status as one of Britain's best crime writers
Daily Express
-
Brilliant, thoughtful and deeply engaging
Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author of the V.I. Warshawski series
-
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
-
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
-
Cleeves combines a flair for evoking sense of place with a thoughtful, complex plot
Mail on Sunday
-
The troubled Venn is a great protagonist, and Cleeves may well have created her next top TV cop
Heat
-
A traditional mystery of the best sort
The Guardian
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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, author of The Death of Us
-
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, author of The Other Woman
-
Cleeves writes of the left-behind and the unfortunate with intelligence and compassion
Literary Review
-
Murder, mystery and a great new cast of characters mean you won't be able to put this one down!
My Weekly
-
Hauntingly written, it evokes every possible emotion with Ann's gripping narrative
Woman
-
Evocative and gripping – an absolute triumph
Daily Mirror
-
Cleeves is quietly carving out a reputation as the new Queen of Crime
Sunday Mirror
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 4.8
-
5.0 5.0
Wonderful! An intriguing and compelling mystery, an interesting cast of characters, a complex, sensitive lead detective, a sympathetic portrayal of women with learning difficulties and a social justice theme. Clear and well paced narration with convincing regional accents. Enjoyed it so much I want to listen to the next in the series immediately!
jackdor 2025-04-20 -
5.0 5.0
This was an excellent read and kept me guessing right up to the end.
annonisle 2023-05-25
Details
- Author
- Ann Cleeves
- Narrator
- Ben Aldridge
- Duration
- 11 hours 37 minutes
- Release Date
- 6 April 2021
- ISBN
- 9781529082999
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Genre
- Crime and mystery: police procedural, Thriller / suspense fiction, Narrative theme: sense of place, Narrative theme: death, grief, loss
- Rating
- 5.0(4 reviews)
- Narration
- 4.8(4 reviews)
Synopsis
Meet Detective Matthew Venn. From Ann Cleeves, the Sunday Times bestselling crime author and creator of Vera Stanhope and Shetland's Jimmy Perez, The Long Call is the number one bestselling first novel in the Two Rivers series. Read by Ben Aldridge, star of ITV's hit TV adaptation.‘Clever, compassionate and atmospheric, with a great cast of new characters to love’ – Elly Griffiths, award-winning author of The Crossing PlacesNorth 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.‘Stunning’ – David Baldacci, author of The 6:20 Man‘Another fine chapter in the Ann Cleeves story’ – The Times‘One of Britain's best crime writers’ – Daily Express‘Cleeves is quietly carving out a reputation as the new Queen of Crime’ – Sunday MirrorThe Long Call is the first entry in the Two Rivers detective series. Continue the mysteries with The Heron's Cry.This audiobook is an updated recording by Ben Aldridge.
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