About this series
"Everything Ann Cleeves writes is incredible.”—Richard Osman
Ann Cleeves—New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—returns with The Heron's Cry, the mesmerizing second book in the Matthew Venn series.
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
“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
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.
Titles in the series (2)
- The Long Call: A Detective Matthew Venn Novel
1
“Everything Ann Cleeves writes is incredible.”—Richard Osman AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! NOW A BRITBOX SERIES STARRING BEN ALDRIDGE AND PEARL MACKIE The Long Call from Ann Cleeves—bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—introduces the first in the stunning Matthew Venn series. “In Matthew Venn, Ann has created a complex, daring, subtle character.” —Louise Penny "Matthew Venn is a keeper. A stunning debut for Cleeves’ latest crimefighter."—David Baldacci In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his estranged father’s funeral takes place. On 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 to the people and places of his past, as deadly secrets hidden at their hearts are revealed, and his new life is forced into a collision course with the world he thought he’d left behind.
- The Heron's Cry: A Detective Matthew Venn Novel
2
"Everything Ann Cleeves writes is incredible.”—Richard Osman Ann Cleeves—New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—returns with The Heron's Cry, the mesmerizing second book in the Matthew Venn series. AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! “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 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.
Ann Cleeves
ANN CLEEVES is the multi-million copy bestselling author behind three hit television series—Shetland, starring Douglas Henshall, Vera, starring Academy Award Nominee Brenda Blethyn, and The Long Call, starring Ben Aldridge—all of which are watched and loved in the United States. All three are available on BritBox. The first Shetland novel, Raven Black, won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for best crime novel, and Ann was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger in 2017. She was awarded the OBE in 2022 for services to reading and libraries. Ann lives in the United Kingdom.
Read more from Ann Cleeves
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Reviews for Matthew Venn series
635 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Nov 2, 2025
The characters here become more well developed than in the first story. I was glad that Lucy is still part of the story and had a small part. Though the explanations at the end do not justify the complexities of the deaths. I somehow felt shortchanged at the end.
