The Heron's Cry
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3.8 • 68 Ratings
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
New York Times bestseller Ann Cleeves returns with The Heron's Cry, the extraordinary follow-up to The Long Call, soon to be a major TV series, alongside her two hit TV shows Shetland and Vera.
“In Matthew Venn, Ann has created a complex, daring, subtle character.” —Louise Penny
"A complex mystery full of surprises . . . this character-driven exploration of people's darkest flaws is a sterling example of Cleeves' formidable talents." —Kirkus Reviews
"Jack Holden demonstrates his full talents in this mystery, bringing the extensive cast of characters in this small and close-knit community in Devon to life with his strong narration." —Audiofile
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 with a shard of one of his glassblower daughter's 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 soon finds himself treading carefully through the lies that fester at the heart of his community and a case that is dangerously close to home.
DI Matthew Venn returns in The Heron's Cry, in Ann Cleeves powerful next novel, proving once again that she is a master of her craft.
A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A suspicious death in an artist commune kicks off this well-crafted British mystery from the author of the beloved Vera Stanhope series. Detective Sergeant Jen Rafferty meets Dr. Nigel Yeo—a medical investigator looking into the suicide of a local musician—at a friend’s garden party. The next morning, Rafferty and her boss, DI Matthew Venn, get called out to a suspicious death, where they discover Nigel’s body in his daughter’s art studio. Then another body turns up, murdered in the same grotesque way. Best-selling author Ann Cleeves makes dogged police work fascinating and thrilling, plus the quaint, picturesque setting of England’s Devonshire coast is delightful. Narrator Jack Holden does a charming job with Cleeves’ inclusive cast of unforgettable characters. This is a delight for mystery fans.
Customer Reviews
The Blahs
This book was a bit hard to follow in that the story was parented in such a subtle was swift random presentation of characters. Once the mystery was solved it was committed by such an unimportant character you felt rather blah about the whole story. No climactic ending.
Very so-so
I found the audio book difficult to understand at times. In the future it would be good if the author thought about how the audio might sound. Matt and Mac, Jenn and Ben, we’re almost indistinguishable from each other. As for the novel, it was an interesting plot. The characters were generally unlikeable. The author shares their flawed thought so much that I was hoping Ben was the next victim, and was disappointed when he was not. I feel some of it was a set up for a future book. The ending was weak. How the murderer managed to overpower the victims wasn’t addressed. Those are the kinds of details the reader needs. There were too many other details that were unnecessary and uninteresting. And if I heard, ‘my husband’ once more I thought I might puke.
Ho hum….
Really not compelling characters. Storyline was ok, but without developing any characters that you felt strongly about, the narrative falls pretty flat. Even place descriptions do not bring you to the place in any meaningful way. I never felt I could even imagine the setting in anything more than the vaguest way. Put simply, I did not meet anyone I either liked or cared about and really never even got a feel for where I was.