The Heron's Cry

Now a major ITV series, The Long Call, adapted for television by screenwriter Kelly Jones and starring Ben Aldridge.'Matthew Venn is a keeper . . . stunning' – David BaldacciThe number one Sunday Times bestselling series featuring Detective Matthew Venn, from author and creator of the Vera and Shetland series, Ann Cleeves.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.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