The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves
Detective Matthew Venn returns in The Raging Storm, the next captivating novel in the Two Rivers series from Ann Cleeves, the number one bestselling author and creator of Vera and Shetland.
When Jem Rosco – sailor, adventurer and local legend – blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. The residents think nothing of it when Rosco disappears again; that’s the sort of man he is.
Until the lifeboat is launched to a hoax call-out during a raging storm and his body is found in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.
This is an uncomfortable case for DI Matthew Venn. He came to the remote village as a child, its community populated by the Barum Brethren that he parted ways with, so when superstition and rumour mix and another body is found in the cove, Matthew soon finds his judgement clouded.
As the stormy winds howl and the village is cut off, Venn and his team start their investigation, little realizing their own lives might be in danger. . .
About the author
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, and in 2022 she was awarded an OBE for her services to reading and libraries. She lives in Northumberland where the Vera books are set. You can find Ann on Twitter and Facebook @AnnCleeves.
Review
There is something comforting in knowing that when you pick up a book it is guaranteed to be great! Ann’s books are always written superbly, with great plots, main protagonists that you root for and a satisfying conclusion! This was definitely the case for ‘The Raging Storm’ and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it! This is the latest book in the Two Rivers series set in atmospheric North Devon and features her gay DI, Matthew Venn. Although this is the third book in the series you can read it very easily as a standalone!
When Jem Rosco, famous local man, a sailor and adventurer enters the pub in Greystone one night, the locals are seduced by his charms. He is staying at a cottage in the village and is awaiting a mysterious visitor. Rosco disappears and when his body is found floating in a dingy at Scully’s Cove the locals are stunned. DI Matthew Venn and his team are called to investigate and from the off Matthew believes the murder is strange and definitely staged. Greystone is familiar to Matthew as when he was a child he was brought here for summer holidays, spending with other members of the religious sect, the Barum Brethern. The sect dominates the local community and there are members that he recognises from his past, a past which he has now left. As Matthew struggles with a wall of silence he is also cut off as storms rage along the coastline causing rolling blackouts and blocked roads.
Matthew is now an established character and a regular reader of the series will know that Matthew likes to delve into the past and the histories of people and the area. He has his own style of working and processing information. I like it. He is steady, and doesn't rush ahead with preconceived ideas or judgements. He likes to contemplate, and internalize things. It might frustrate his colleague DC Ross May but I like it!
This is a book packed full of mystery, murder, twists and turns, deep secrets and a nod to the past! I devoured it in one day and loved every minute of it. It has a superb sense of location, brilliant characters and a narrative that kept me guessing!
Let me know if you pick this one up.
