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Hello fellow Crime, Mystery & Thriller readers,

Welcome to our discussion about The Long Call (Two Rivers #1) by Ann Cleeves, your discussion leader is Briar.
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about spoilers

Please note: If you have not finished reading the book spoilers are permitted in this discussion from the start. If you would like to use the spoiler formatting it can be found on the top right of the comment box in the "(some html is ok)" menu.
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Summary

In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father’s funeral takes place. Once loved and cherished, the day Matthew left the strict evangelical community he grew up in, he lost his family too.

Now, as he turns and walks away again, he receives a call from one of his team. A body has been found on the beach nearby: a man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.

The case calls Matthew back into the community he thought he had left behind, as deadly secrets hidden at its heart are revealed, and his past and present collide.

Hello and welcome to our discussion for May’s book The Long Call by Ann Cleeves (author of the Vera and Shetland series). My name is Briar and I live in Perth, Western Australia. I love Ann’s books as they are atmospheric and the setting is always so different to the desert land I call home. This book is
set in the beautiful but hauntingly remote landscape of North Devon and follows Detective Matthew Venn and his team as he investigates the mysterious death of a man found on the beach in a tight-knit community. As with all Ann’s books we can expect complex and intriguing characters, twisty plots and the slow burn of a good mystery! Happy reading and I look forward to some great chats.

Looking forward to this discussion.

This is a book thays been on my tbr for a very long time. This could just be the impetus needed to read

Leena wrote: "This is a book thays been on my tbr for a very long time. This could just be the impetus needed to read"

Do it!!!!

I am going to make a start on this today. I watched the TV adaptation and really enjoyed it so hopefully the book will be just as good.

Leena, Sheri and Kathryn, I hope you enjoy the book! I started on the weekend and am up to chapter nine today, loving the story - oh my gosh I got the picture in my head of Matthew being like Aaron Hotchner from Criminal Minds (with salt and pepper hair lol).

My local library had a copy available, so I was able to get started early. Great character development even early in the story.

Bill wrote: "My local library had a copy available, so I was able to get started early. Great character development even early in the story."

Yes I totally Agree Bill, the characters are definitely bring the book to life.

Briar Neumann wrote: "Leena, Sheri and Kathryn, I hope you enjoy the book! I started on the weekend and am up to chapter nine today, loving the story - oh my gosh I got the picture in my head of Matthew being like Aaron..."

I love Criminal Minds! I unfortunately don't have picture of Aaron. I can only picture the actor who played Matthew in the TV show.

Overall a very nice plot and great writing with a lot of characters to like.

I've read this one and the second in the Matthew Venn series and loved both of them. Eagerly awaiting the third, which is scheduled to be published in the US in Sept 2023.

This series has both a great character ensemble and strong plots (at least so far). I love the relationship between Matthew and Jonathan.

I don't think we have the TV series in Australia yet so will be interesting for those of you who have watched it if the book differs. Yes Matthew and Jonathan are so different yet match so well. I love how we are introduced to them as well as Ross, Jen and Lucy too - I feel like I know them.

Joan wrote: "I've read this one and the second in the Matthew Venn series and loved both of them. Eagerly awaiting the third, which is scheduled to be published in the US in Sept 2023.

This series has both a g..."

I must confess Joan I accidentally read book 2 first, it was actually my first Ann Cleeves book and it stayed with me for weeks I enjoyed it so much. I'm glad we will have more in the series too!

Great characterization. I can see them in my mind too although for me Matthew doesn't have any gray. 😄

I have just started, and I'm blown. I appreciate the fact that she explained the details.along the way - whY Matthew is no longer accepted by his family , why Gabi and Jen are the way they are, etc. The little details are what's really impressive. the writing is impeccable. Thanks, Briar, for nominating it. otherwise, it will still be rusting on my tbr.

I have just started, and I'm blown. I appreciate the fact that she explained the details.along the way - whY Matthew is no longer accepted by his family , why Gabi and Jen are the way they are, etc. The little details are what's really impressive. the writing is impeccable. Thanks, Briar, for nominating it. otherwise, it will still be rusting on my tbr.

I have just started, and I'm blown. I appreciate the fact that she explained the details.along the way - whY Matthew is no longer accepted by his family , why Gabi and Jen are the way they are, etc. The little details are what's really impressive. the writing is impeccable. Thanks, Briar, for nominating it. otherwise, it will still be rusting on my tbr.

Leena wrote: "I have just started, and I'm blown. I appreciate the fact that she explained the details.along the way - whY Matthew is no longer accepted by his family , why Gabi and Jen are the way they are, etc..."

Hi Leena, it is the small details for sure, Ann's style of writing is really creative! I still have no real inkling as to who I think committed the murder - those I suspect keep changing as the plot draws out.

I'm reading it on my kindle, chapter 4, and I love it so far. Unusual characters and all the connections between them.

I'm almost finished. I think you will be surprised.

Finished. Very good! I was surprised! There were so many characters with multiple and varying connections to each other. I suspected one of wrong doing but certainly not the whole elaborate conspiracy.
I was so worried that Jonathan would be involved in the murder somehow. I'm so glad he wasn't. Mathew had been dealt such a rough deal from his parents, I wanted him and Jonathan to be happy together at the end.
I get too attached to the characters : )

MY THOUGHTS: I picked this book up for two reasons: I love Ann Cleeves writing; and as I have recently received a digital ARC for the second in this series, The Heron's Cry, I wanted to read The Long Call first.

Matthew Venn is going to be a worthy addition to Ann Cleeves existing stable of detectives, Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez. Gay, a bit of a loner/misfit who lacks confidence in himself and feels awkward in company, a bit anal, he has an analytical mind, and is only too aware that his past experiences with some of the people involved in this investigation may colour his perceptions. Jonathan, Venn's husband, is manager at the Woodyard, so should Venn even be investigating this case?

Jen Rafferty, who has demons of her own is dedicated and smart, and Ross, DCI Joe Oldham's protege, and a bit of a fashionista with an inflated opinion of himself, make up Venn's team.

The story, definitely not as dark as many of Cleeves works, moves at a steady pace, and is told from the points of view of Matthew, Jen, and the elderly Maurice Braddick who, along with Luce his daughter, are probably my two favourite characters.

The Long Call is very much a character driven murder mystery. The murder investigation is complicated by the abductions of two of the Woodyard's other clients, one after the other. Are these abductions connected to the murder, or is something else going on in this tight knit community? It was a definite challenge to figure out whodunit and how, and I failed, miserably.

Thank you Ann Cleeves for a new series and another wonderful whodunit. I am looking forward to reading The Heron's Cry.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Read my full review at /review/show...

Terry wrote: "Finished. Very good! I was surprised! There were so many characters with multiple and varying connections to each other. I suspected one of wrong doing but certainly not the whole elaborate conspir..."

I've finished too and was also worried that Matthew was somehow going to be involved. Whew!!!

I like that it's written in a slow, methodical way that allowed us to get involved with the characters and plot. If I have one thing I didn't like it's that I think the very ending dragged on way too long.

Wow, I also didn’t see the conspiracy - great writing. Respectable is not always as it seems! My favourite quote: �� Matthew could understand the sense in that, but he thought this case was complicated, twisted, the threads unlikely to be quickly untied.�� I think he was right 😃

I loved it!
This was my first book by Ann Cleeves and it was a good one! Great cast of characters and a wonderful rural setting. The main character, Detective Matthew Venn, is both complex and driven. The story is a slow building Police Procedural but are not most real cases like that? The mystery itself is first rate. I will continue with this series and sample her others in due time. This was five (5) stars for me.

Bill wrote: "I loved it!
This was my first book by Ann Cleeves and it was a good one! Great cast of characters and a wonderful rural setting. The main character, Detective Matthew Venn, is both complex and driv..."

Did you think Detective Matthew Venn is a little bit too flatline or am I just used to Vera being so explosive. I kept waiting for more emotion from him.

Oh, I agree. He seemed to be moody and sullen throughout most of the story. He almost had a short fuse with one of his detectives.

I just finished listening and am not impressed with this novel; although, I enjoyed her first novel, The Crow Trap.

A really good crime thriller/murder mystery!!! Cleeves is a good writer and storyteller. Definitely adding the series to my to-read list.

My review: /review/show...
Review does include a spoiler alert.

@ Pam, I actually agree with you. In the moment of euphoria of having finished the book, I rated it higher than it needs.Many of the characters needed a lot more development, esp Charlotte, Gaby. Weren't they just hanging around? I also didn't appreciate Charlotte's justification of the crime. How myopic and convenient? And she was supposedly giving her life to the downtrodden and the marginalised sections. Those 3 men were probably the least developed charchters of the book. The entire Charlotte and her dad's toxic relationship was so half-hearted - it actually hurts.
The actual whodunit was quite mediocre and clichéd.
Personally, Lucy is the true hero of the book.
I am very disappointed with the book.

Just finished this book and have been reading all of the comments. I too appreciated how Cleeves details the back stories to the major characters right away �� although, like you Leena, I would have liked to know more Charlotte.

I have so enjoyed Cleeves Vera books and the TV series (thank goodness Vera looks better on TV than she is portrayed in the book!)
that I also wondered about Detective Venn, as you did, Sheri. At the end of the book, I was more hopeful.

The end was really good and strong. I could easily imagine what happened and the why. Time to definitely pick up more Cleeve books.

This is why I enjoy discussing books. The different takes on writing and characters makes me think about the book in different ways.

Read both books in the series awhile ago. Enjoyed them both. These are the type of stories that keep me reading long into the night.

I had never read any Ann Cleeves prior to this book, but think I will go back and read some of her prior books now. While I did not think this book was exceptional (five stars), I enjoyed it and agree with prior posters that the small details make the book. Reading also made me realize that I do not believe I have read other crime/mystery books with an LGBTQ lead or detective. As a member of that community myself, that was a welcome revelation and I really enjoyed that aspect of the story. If others have any other recommendations that do feature LGBTQ leads or detectives, I'd love to hear.

Andrea wrote: "I had never read any Ann Cleeves prior to this book, but think I will go back and read some of her prior books now. While I did not think this book was exceptional (five stars), I enjoyed it and ag..."

Andrea, British author Mari Hannah writes a terrific police procedural series that you might enjoy; the DCI Kate Daniels mysteries. The first book is The Murder Wall

This was my first Ann Cleeves book, so I really wondered if I would like it. I am always on the hunt for a new author! Now that I’ve finished, I am going to have to read the next ones in this series. I like Cleeves enough that I am also going to go back and look for other things she has written!

Lisa wrote: "This was my first Ann Cleeves book, so I really wondered if I would like it. I am always on the hunt for a new author! Now that I’ve finished, I am going to have to read the next ones in this serie..."

I'm going to do the same.

Icewineanne wrote: "Andrea wrote: "I had never read any Ann Cleeves prior to this book, but think I will go back and read some of her prior books now. While I did not think this book was exceptional (five stars), I en..."

Thanks. I'll check it out.