The Heron’s Cry by 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.
About the author
Ann Cleeves is the author of over thirty 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 and Jimmy Perez who can now be found on television in ITV’s Vera and BBC One’s Shetland. 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 is also a passionate champion for libraries and was a National Libraries Day Ambassador in 2016. Ann lives in North Tyneside near where the Vera books are set.
Review
‘The Heron’s Cry’ is the second of the Two Rivers books and I found it particularly joyful to return to their world! I am a huge Ann Cleeves fan and I have to say I love this series. It’s definitely once again a character based series - Venn and his desire to always look put together, Jen trying her best to juggle single parenthood with the job and Ross who is determined to prove himself in the job he loves. But these are characters you can instantly relate to. They seem normal - with normal desires and lives. Yes, they might have weird small quirks but you can see these people in any workplace round the country. Ann manages once again to create characters that captivate the reader, are nuanced and wonderful!
The location itself, North Devon, is a character of its own and Ann has made it instantly recognisable. I have only visited as a child but I recognised the landscape, people, windy roads and now the influx of tourists straight away.
Jen is at a party hosted by her friend Cynthia and is slightly tipsy and feeling slightly alone in the world. When Nigel Yeo approaches her she thinks he might want more but it becomes clear he wants to talk to her in a professional capacity. She gives him her number so he can get in touch, however, the next day she is dragged to Westacombe Farm as he has been found murdered in his daughter’s studio. The weapon of course - one of her glass works jammed into his neck.
It is clear from the details in the writing that Ann has spent a lot of time researching the mental health aspects of this case. The bit where a characters sister talks about getting irrational angry with those who suffer these problems certainly rang true for me. It was superbly written in this sense.
I loved this book, pure and simple and I can’t wait to see this world on TV. But in the meantime read the books! Also can I please live in Venn and Jonathan’s house - it sounds like bliss.
