The Heron's Cry: Now a major ITV series starring Ben Aldridge as Detective Matthew Venn

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'Matthew Venn is a keeper . . . stunning' David Baldacci The number one Sunday Times bestselling series featuring Detective Matthew Venn, from author and creator of the Vera and Shetland series, Ann Cleeves - soon to be a major TV series. North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coastline. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists. What he finds is an elaborately staged murder - Dr Nigel Yeo has been fatally stabbed. His daughter Eve is a glassblower, and the murder weapon is a shard of one of her broken vases. Dr Yeo seems an unlikely murder victim. He's a good man, a public servant, beloved by his daughter. Matthew is unnerved, though, to find that she is a close friend of Jonathan, his husband. Then another body is found - killed in a similar way. Matthew finds himself treading carefully through the lies that fester at the heart of his community and a case that is dangerously close to home . . . The Heron's Cry is the second novel in Ann Cleeves' Two Rivers crime series, following her Sunday Times bestseller, The Long Call. SHORTLISTED FOR THE NED KELLY AWARD FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL CRIME FICTION 2022 Praise for The Long Call 'As a huge fan of both the Shetland and Vera series of books, I had high expectations for Cleeves' latest. Matthew Venn is a keeper. A stunning debut for Cleeves' latest crimefighter' - David Baldacci 'Had me hooked . . . a promising beginning to another fine chapter in the Ann Cleeves story' - The Times 'A triumph that cements Cleeves' status as one of Britain's best crime writers' - Daily Express 'Clever, compassionate and atmospheric . . . I am already a Matthew Venn fan' - Elly Griffiths 'Cleeves combines a flair for evoking sense of place with a thoughtful, complex plot' - Mail on Sunday 'A traditional mystery of the best sort' - Guardian

Ann Cleeves is the author of more than thirty-five critically acclaimed novels, and in 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television in ITV's Vera, BBC One's Shetland and ITV's The Long Call respectively. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide. Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. She is a member of 'Murder Squad', working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. Ann also spends her time advocating for reading to improve health and wellbeing and supporting access to books. In 2021 her Reading for Wellbeing project launched with local authorities across the North East. She lives in Northumberland where the Vera books are set.

Testing our wits against the twisted plots of Ann Cleeves' novels is only one of the pleasures they afford, and The Heron's Cry bristles with her customarily keen sense of locale. * Financial Times on THE HERON'S CRY * The Detective Matthew Venn, an austere character unable to shake off repressive Brethren upbringing, doesn't yet command the same affection as of Vera or Jimmy Perez (Shetland). However, human nature is as perceptively dissected as ever and the denouncement to this gripping tale is properly surprising. * Country Life * This well paced murder mystery cleverly builds the tension to an unexpected climax that you'll never see coming! * My Weekly on THE HERON'S CRY * As a huge fan of both the Shetland and Vera series of books, I had high expectations for Cleeves' latest. Matthew Venn is a keeper. A stunning debut for Cleeves' latest crimefighter -- David Baldacci on THE LONG CALL Had me hooked - a promising beginning to another fine chapter in the Ann Cleeves story * The Times on THE LONG CALL * In Matthew Venn, Ann has created a complex, daring, subtle character . . . an emotional thriller, where lives are exploded and perceptions twisted and shattered. It is a brilliant achievement of quiet dread and explosive secrets. -- Louise Penny Clever, compassionate and atmospheric, with a great cast of new characters to love. I am already a Matthew Venn fan -- Elly Griffiths on THE LONG CALL A triumph that cements Cleeves' status as one of Britain's best crime writers - Daily Express * Daily Express on THE LONG CALL * Brilliant, thoughtful and deeply engaging -- Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author of the V.I. Warshawski series on THE LONG CALL 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, on THE LONG CALL Cleeves combines a flair for evoking sense of place with a thoughtful, complex plot * Mail on Sunday on THE LONG CALL * The troubled Venn is a great protagonist, and Cleeves may well have created her next top TV cop * Heat Magazine on THE LONG CALL * A traditional mystery of the best sort * Guardian on THE LONG CALL * As ever, Cleeves' richly evolved setting and characters are as satisfying as the clever whodunnit plot * Daily Mirror on THE HERON'S CRY * An incredibly atmospheric thriller, full of complex characters and gripping twists that have you hooked from the start, from the writer that gave us Vera Stanhope * Yours on THE HERON'S CRY * Detective Matthew Venn returns, embroiled in another gruesome case involving many suspects and a victim that hits closer to home than is comfortable . . . * Radio Times * Written in Cleeves' trademark engrossing style, The Heron's Cry will keep you guessing till the end * Heat * Ann Cleeves chills readers to the bone with this sleek, atmospheric thriller * Womans Own *