The Long Call

This year I have read all the books in the Shetland and Vera series by Ann Cleeves - a great way to spend time during the series of COVID-19 lockdowns we have had in Melbourne. Consequently I was interested in trying her latest series. In 2019 Ann Cleeves published The Long Call, the first book in the Two Rivers series. In this book we meet Detective Inspector Mathew Venn and his team who live and work in North Devon, near the estuary of the rivers Taw and Torridge.

We first meet Matthew Venn at his father's funeral. His family belong to a strict religious sect and he became an outsider when he denounced the beliefs of the group. Consequently he observes the service from outside the church building. At the end of the service he receives a phone call alerting him to the discovery of a body on the beach not far from where he lives. The murder of Simon Walden is his first big case in this region where he grew up and left many years ago.

As Matthew Venn, Jen Rafferty and Ross May attempt to discover information about the victim in order to solve his murder, two women with learning disabilities disappear. The murder victim and the two women have links to the Woodyard, an art centre which also houses facilities for people with disabilities. The Woodyard is managed by Matthew's husband, Jonathan, and governed by a committee of management made up of town leaders.

As the novel progresses we meet a number of the key players in the community and gradually secrets are revealed. For the police a major focus is to locate the missing girls and discover how their disappearance is linked to the murder. Another interesting crime series to watch out for.

The Long Call is currently being made into a television series.