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Two Rivers #4
The Dying Light
The deadliest truths are those in the shadows . . .
Detective Matthew Venn is called in to investigate a puzzling death. The body of a young woman has been found in the swimming pool of Tide House, a luxurious holiday home in North Devon, and her best friend is missing. The property belongs to rising political star Paul Armstrong and the case quickly draws intense media scrutiny.
As a scorching heat wave rages and further tragedy strikes, Venn and his team begin questioning a community brimming with secrets. The dead woman and her friend had been spotted at a nearby music festival the day before, an event which brought locals and outsiders together - some of whom may have been more connected with the Armstrongs than first thought.
Caught between a powerful family's secrets and a powder keg of local tensions, Venn must navigate a treacherous path. Knowing that the real answers lie not in what people say, but in the silence that they keep . . .
Detective Matthew Venn is called in to investigate a puzzling death. The body of a young woman has been found in the swimming pool of Tide House, a luxurious holiday home in North Devon, and her best friend is missing. The property belongs to rising political star Paul Armstrong and the case quickly draws intense media scrutiny.
As a scorching heat wave rages and further tragedy strikes, Venn and his team begin questioning a community brimming with secrets. The dead woman and her friend had been spotted at a nearby music festival the day before, an event which brought locals and outsiders together - some of whom may have been more connected with the Armstrongs than first thought.
Caught between a powerful family's secrets and a powder keg of local tensions, Venn must navigate a treacherous path. Knowing that the real answers lie not in what people say, but in the silence that they keep . . .
369 pages, Paperback
First published September 29, 2026
About the author
Ann Cleeves
142 books9,368 followersAnn is the author of the books behind ITV's VERA, now in it's third series, and the BBC's SHETLAND, which will be aired in December 2012. Ann's DI Vera Stanhope series of books is set in Northumberland and features the well loved detective along with her partner Joe Ashworth. Ann's Shetland series bring us DI Jimmy Perez, investigating in the mysterious, dark, and beautiful Shetland Islands...
Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs - child care officer, women's refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard - before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.
While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person's not heavily into birds - and Ann isn't - there's not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.
In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.
For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival's first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries.
Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony
Ann's short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award - once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.
In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA's Gold Dagger award, and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world's largest award for crime fiction.
Ann's success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London's Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. She said: "I have never won anything before in my life, so it was a complete shock - but lovely of course.. The evening was relatively relaxing because I'd lost my voice and knew that even if the unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So I wouldn't have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!"
The judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray (an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime fiction), Heather O'Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).
Ann's books have been translated into sixteen languages. She's a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs - child care officer, women's refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard - before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.
While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person's not heavily into birds - and Ann isn't - there's not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.
In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.
For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival's first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries.
Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony
Ann's short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award - once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.
In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA's Gold Dagger award, and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world's largest award for crime fiction.
Ann's success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London's Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. She said: "I have never won anything before in my life, so it was a complete shock - but lovely of course.. The evening was relatively relaxing because I'd lost my voice and knew that even if the unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So I wouldn't have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!"
The judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray (an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime fiction), Heather O'Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).
Ann's books have been translated into sixteen languages. She's a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Two Rivers #4
The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves
I've become attached to the world around Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team and once again we follow them through their workdays and personal lives. A small community in Devon, made up of the long time rural locals and the rich, elite folks who are buying up properties as their vacations homes, is the location of a death and a missing girl. The dead girl had an extroverted, strong personality and could be quick to strike against people who didn't cater to her and/or adore her. The missing girl had been seeing a local farm boy for a while and seemed to be very different from her dead friend.
But, the missing girl's father is a controversial politician and he certainly has his enemies. Could the dead girl be a case of mistaken identity, someone thinking that she was the politician's daughter? Could someone be striking back at the rich, newcomers taking over the quiet countryside? Matthew and his coworkers will be investigating the death and missing girl cases while having to still put out fires on the home fronts.
We get to check in on Lucy and her father, favorite side characters from previous books. Matthew's coworker, DS Jen Rafferty, now has one child who is away at school, and the other, still at home but with no need for his mother to be hovering over him all the time (or at any time, as far as he is concerned). DC Ross May has matured over time, let go of his "better than everyone else" airs and has become a pleasure to work with and someone willing to do what needs to be done. Overall, this series is like coming home each time I read a new book and we continue to see the characters make their way through life, things changing and staying the same in various ways.
Publication September 28, 2026
Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC
The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves
I've become attached to the world around Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team and once again we follow them through their workdays and personal lives. A small community in Devon, made up of the long time rural locals and the rich, elite folks who are buying up properties as their vacations homes, is the location of a death and a missing girl. The dead girl had an extroverted, strong personality and could be quick to strike against people who didn't cater to her and/or adore her. The missing girl had been seeing a local farm boy for a while and seemed to be very different from her dead friend.
But, the missing girl's father is a controversial politician and he certainly has his enemies. Could the dead girl be a case of mistaken identity, someone thinking that she was the politician's daughter? Could someone be striking back at the rich, newcomers taking over the quiet countryside? Matthew and his coworkers will be investigating the death and missing girl cases while having to still put out fires on the home fronts.
We get to check in on Lucy and her father, favorite side characters from previous books. Matthew's coworker, DS Jen Rafferty, now has one child who is away at school, and the other, still at home but with no need for his mother to be hovering over him all the time (or at any time, as far as he is concerned). DC Ross May has matured over time, let go of his "better than everyone else" airs and has become a pleasure to work with and someone willing to do what needs to be done. Overall, this series is like coming home each time I read a new book and we continue to see the characters make their way through life, things changing and staying the same in various ways.
Publication September 28, 2026
Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4 stars for a book that builds suspense leading to a sad climax. Detective Inspector Matthew Venn is called to the scene of a dead teenager, named Lottie, who is discovered in a swimming pool. Her death is treated as suspicious. Another teenager, and Lottie's friend, Hannah, is missing. DI Venn and his team interview the parents and possible witnesses. The mystery is like an onion, as Venn peels back layer upon layer of secrets. He suspects that the parents of the two girls are hiding something.
He and his team do solve the case.
There is a side plot. Venn is gay, and his husband, Jonathan, who was adopted, has been searching for his birth mother. Venn wants to support him, and tries to take time off from the case when Jonathan needs him. I have read book 1 in this series, but not books 2 and 3. This is book 4 in the series, and can be read as a stand alone. If you are American, you may find it necessary to look up some British terms, i.e., toast soldiers, hosepipes, and a few others.
I liked the descriptions of the various characters in this book. Venn and his team are likeable people.
One quote on Venn's background: "He'd grown up within the Barum Brethren, a small West Country sect, certain and implacable. Despite having been cast out, 'unfellowshipped' when he lost his faith, he'd not been able to shake off entirely their strict morality."
Thank You St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#TheDyingLight #NetGalley
Pub Date Sep 29 2026
He and his team do solve the case.
There is a side plot. Venn is gay, and his husband, Jonathan, who was adopted, has been searching for his birth mother. Venn wants to support him, and tries to take time off from the case when Jonathan needs him. I have read book 1 in this series, but not books 2 and 3. This is book 4 in the series, and can be read as a stand alone. If you are American, you may find it necessary to look up some British terms, i.e., toast soldiers, hosepipes, and a few others.
I liked the descriptions of the various characters in this book. Venn and his team are likeable people.
One quote on Venn's background: "He'd grown up within the Barum Brethren, a small West Country sect, certain and implacable. Despite having been cast out, 'unfellowshipped' when he lost his faith, he'd not been able to shake off entirely their strict morality."
Thank You St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#TheDyingLight #NetGalley
Pub Date Sep 29 2026
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
If you enjoy character-driven police procedurals, then Ann Cleeves’s Two Rivers series is a series to consider. Featuring Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team, fourth book in the series,
The Dying Light,
takes place in North Devon, England.
Matthew is called in to investigate the death of Lottie Cauldwell who was found dead in the swimming pool of a holiday home. Additionally, Hannah Armstrong, whose family owns to house, is missing. Lottie and Hannah had arrived a few days ahead of the rest of the Armstrongs to celebrate the end of their school exams. They have caused some friction with the local community. Matthew and his team of Sergeant Jen Rafferty and Detective Constable Ross May begin the process of questioning a community filled with secrets. Additionally, Hannah’s father, Paul, is a rising political star. This brings scrutiny to the case, but also forces them to consider if this is politically motivated. Meanwhile, Matthew’s husband Jonathan, has tracked down his birth mother, and they want to meet.
Matthew is honest, likes background information, loves maps, focuses on logic, and is somewhat inscrutable. He’s also competent, hyper-vigilant, risk-averse, and depends on Jonathen for his happiness. He has self-doubts, lacks charisma, and doesn’t like enclosed spaces. Jonathan is normally self-sufficient and resilient, but he is nervous about meeting his birth mother. Jen is the single mother of two teenagers and faces the challenge of balancing her work and personal lives. She’s also passionate about her work and somewhat impulsive. Ross is a younger member of the team and is jealous of Jen. He is starting to learn a bit of patience, but still makes some mistakes. He also has a limited attention span and can be dismissive of others thoughts and ideas.
The plot is full of secrets and tangled relationships. The more the team investigates, the more convoluted things feel. Politics and privilege (or the lack of it) are also woven into the complex story. The book focuses on a methodical and dialogue-heavy procedural so it’s a slow-burn pace. Themes include grief, parental anxiety, personal trauma, secrets, and murder so there is a somber mood throughout the book. Despite this, it is a tense and dark mystery with great character growth and a compelling main character.
Overall, this was an atmospheric book with great characterization and a complex plot. The bright, hot summer sun contrasts with the dark and secretive impulses of the characters making this a tense and atmospheric read. I would recommend it to those who enjoy character-driven police procedurals. This book works well as a standalone novel, but would be even better if read in order.
St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Ann Cleeves provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for September 29, 2026.
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My 4.06 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
Matthew is called in to investigate the death of Lottie Cauldwell who was found dead in the swimming pool of a holiday home. Additionally, Hannah Armstrong, whose family owns to house, is missing. Lottie and Hannah had arrived a few days ahead of the rest of the Armstrongs to celebrate the end of their school exams. They have caused some friction with the local community. Matthew and his team of Sergeant Jen Rafferty and Detective Constable Ross May begin the process of questioning a community filled with secrets. Additionally, Hannah’s father, Paul, is a rising political star. This brings scrutiny to the case, but also forces them to consider if this is politically motivated. Meanwhile, Matthew’s husband Jonathan, has tracked down his birth mother, and they want to meet.
Matthew is honest, likes background information, loves maps, focuses on logic, and is somewhat inscrutable. He’s also competent, hyper-vigilant, risk-averse, and depends on Jonathen for his happiness. He has self-doubts, lacks charisma, and doesn’t like enclosed spaces. Jonathan is normally self-sufficient and resilient, but he is nervous about meeting his birth mother. Jen is the single mother of two teenagers and faces the challenge of balancing her work and personal lives. She’s also passionate about her work and somewhat impulsive. Ross is a younger member of the team and is jealous of Jen. He is starting to learn a bit of patience, but still makes some mistakes. He also has a limited attention span and can be dismissive of others thoughts and ideas.
The plot is full of secrets and tangled relationships. The more the team investigates, the more convoluted things feel. Politics and privilege (or the lack of it) are also woven into the complex story. The book focuses on a methodical and dialogue-heavy procedural so it’s a slow-burn pace. Themes include grief, parental anxiety, personal trauma, secrets, and murder so there is a somber mood throughout the book. Despite this, it is a tense and dark mystery with great character growth and a compelling main character.
Overall, this was an atmospheric book with great characterization and a complex plot. The bright, hot summer sun contrasts with the dark and secretive impulses of the characters making this a tense and atmospheric read. I would recommend it to those who enjoy character-driven police procedurals. This book works well as a standalone novel, but would be even better if read in order.
St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and Ann Cleeves provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for September 29, 2026.
-----------------------
My 4.06 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In this 4th book in the 'Two Rivers' series, Detective Inspector Matthew Venn investigates the deaths of two teenage girls. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
It's summer in North Devon, and residents and tourists are looking forward to MillsFest, a two-day music festival that features local bands and sells beer and alcohol.
A couple of attendees will be seventeen-year-olds from London: brunette Hannah Armstrong and blonde Lottie Cauldwell.
The girls just completed their A-Levels, and drove to Millscombe to spend a few days at Tide House - a vacation home owned by Hannah's family.
The morning after the festival, Detective Inspector Matthew Venn gets a call from Detective Sergeant Jen Rafferty, the duty detective. Jen reports, 'We have a body and a missing young woman at a fancy holiday home out at Millscombe. The owner is a politician called Paul Armstrong, who turned up this morning with his wife and two young sons. Armstrong's daughter and her friend arrived Friday morning. The Armstrongs found the friend drowned in the pool and the daughter disappeared."
Matthew meets Jen in Millscombe, a tiny hamlet that features a pub called the Fisherman's Arms, the Brennan farm, and a few scattered houses, including Tide House. Paul Armstrong explains they found Lottie in the pool, and he and his wife Cath fear their daughter Hannah was kidnapped, perhaps for ransom or political reasons.
Things are even more dire than that because Hannah's body is found in the woods below Tide House. This sets off a murder investigation led by DI Venn, whose team includes DS Jen Rafferty and Detective Constable Ross May.
Interviews with family members reveal that Lottie and Hannah met at a private school in London and became friends. The detectives also learn Hannah had a boyfriend in Millscombe, a lad named Jake Brennan whose parents own the Brennan farm - a working farm that hosts the music festival and rents out glamping pods.
When the investigators trace Lottie and Hannah's activities in Millscombe, they learn the underage girls tried to buy alcoholic drinks at the Fisherman's Arms and were refused. Lottie made a big fuss and antagonized the owner. Then, over the weekend, Lottie engaged in other mischievous behavior.
The detectives also learn that an American couple renting one of the glamping pods on the Brennan farm, Geoff and Karen Kinzalow, have a daughter Elizabeth who went to school with Lottie and Hannah.
The murder investigation moves along very slowly since the detectives speak to the same people again and again; key persons make themselves unavailable; and almost everyone either lies or withholds information.
In the meantime, Matthew Venn and his husband Jonathan Church have a personal concern. Jonathan is an adoptee who's found his birth mother, and they've arranged a meeting via email. Both Jonathan and Matthew are apprehensive about the reunion and its possible aftermath.
The 'Two Rivers' novels are character studies as well as mysteries, and it's interesting to see the changes in the protagonists' lives.
DI Matthew Venn was brought up in a religious sect called the Barum Brethen, which shunned him when he lost his faith, and estranged him from his parents. Matthew's father died, but he's now partly reconciled with his mother, who knows Matthew is gay, and that his husband Jonathan is part of his life.
DS Jen Rafferty is a single mother who was struggling to raise teenagers Ella and Ben, do her job, and have time to party. Ella is now off to university; Ben is in the sixth form; and Jen doesn't party so much as enjoy an evening glass of wine with her musician neighbor.
DC Ross May had inflated ideas about his abilities, and chafed at being assigned (what he considered) boring, mundane police duties. Ross has now learned to interview witnesses and no longer complains about routine assignments. Ross might have matured because of potential fatherhood, since he and his wife Mel are trying to have a baby.
The story moseys along to a conclusion that will get the best of most armchair detectives. I enjoyed the novel, but became irritated with the detectives' snide thoughts about 'rich people', 'educated people', 'successful people', 'well-spoken people' and so on. What's wrong with being smart and doing well?
I had a digital copy of the novel as well as the audiobook, narrated by Jack Holden, who does a fine job.
Thanks to Netgalley, Ann Cleeves, Macmillan Audio and Minotaur for ARCs of the book.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
October 2, 2026
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: The Dying Light is a searing new novel featuring DI Matthew Venn, brimming with energy and taut with claustrophobic tension, as the detective peels back layer upon layer to discover the dark secrets this family is keeping.
A scorching heatwave marks the start of the summer in Devon. Detective Matthew Venn is called in to investigate a puzzling death, when the body of a young woman, Lottie, is found in the swimming pool of a luxurious holiday home. The girl’s best friend, Hannah, whose family owns the house, is missing. The girls had arrived in Devon a few days ahead of the family to celebrate the end of their school exams, and had managed to make waves during their short time there; they disrupted the folk music festival at the neighboring farm, with Lottie posting incendiary videos on social media mocking what she snobbishly considered to be a parochial community.
When further tragedy strikes, Venn and his team begin questioning a community filled with secrets. Hannah’s father, Paul Armstrong, is a rising political star, a fact that quickly draws intense media scrutiny to the case, not least because there are many who would want to take him down. With the summer heat come holidaymakers, and it emerges that some of them may have more connections with the Armstrong family than first thought.
Caught between a powerful family's secrets and a powder keg of local tensions, Venn and his team must navigate a treacherous path. He knows all too well that the real answers lie not in what people say, but in the silence that they keep . . .
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Mean girl goes after easy target, makes already angry people angrier, gets killed.
Another case where Matthew ought to clost the case with "person or persons unknown" and stamp a seal on it. Who cares if this nasty little pisher Lottie's dead? Let's take the gene-pool cleanse as a piece of luck and get on with solving terrible crimes.
Hannah, Lottie's buddy and the daughter of the man whose home Lottie was staying in, is missing. He also happens to be a big-shot political scum. Hop to, Matthew and scoobygroup...I mean, team. The locals whose police dollars are funding this investigation already resent Hannah's outsider family for "ruining" (ie moving into and making more expensive) their community. Like all resort-ifying communities the battle lines are sharply drawn. The problem for Jen, who took the initial report regarding Lottie who's her son Ben's age, and Ross who's still irked at not being seen as the genius he isn't, and Matthew himself (in the throes of a serious upheaval in Jonathan's life), is how to tiptoe down a superthin line between the sides while still extracting information that will allow Hannah, the missing young woman, to be found alive?
Oh dear.
More and more complexities and interconnections...Hannah's local boyfriend,the dead girls' mutual from the US, whose unfriendly parents are staying at the local boyfriend's parents' glamping resort...yes, it's all a bit much in a short review but honestly it's paced with Author Cleeves' usual skill and attention to misdireaction...I mean detail, of course I do. Quite a bit of time is, annoyingnly, going over what feels the precise same detail with the same people. Look closer.
Jonathan loves Matthew or he wouldn't have married him. Right now, though, Jonathan is a wreck because he's set up a meeting with his birth mother. Tis will sress any marriage...and it's not been *that* long that Matthew's religious-nut mother was widowed and thus could at least start to rebuild bridges with her queer son; so as always, like life, the stressors are not neatly sequential.
Series fans will be delighted that Lucy and her dad make an appearance.
That's as always the series mystery's greatest appeal for readers. The puzzles are nice but the people who stay, who come back, who thread through the series make the weather. Sunny and fair here in North Devon (which is how you know it's fiction), among interesting, relatable regulars and starkly weird contrasting outsiders. Don't start here, start with The Long Call . (And write nastygrams to ITV/Britbox for canceling the TV adaptation.)
The Publisher Says: The Dying Light is a searing new novel featuring DI Matthew Venn, brimming with energy and taut with claustrophobic tension, as the detective peels back layer upon layer to discover the dark secrets this family is keeping.
A scorching heatwave marks the start of the summer in Devon. Detective Matthew Venn is called in to investigate a puzzling death, when the body of a young woman, Lottie, is found in the swimming pool of a luxurious holiday home. The girl’s best friend, Hannah, whose family owns the house, is missing. The girls had arrived in Devon a few days ahead of the family to celebrate the end of their school exams, and had managed to make waves during their short time there; they disrupted the folk music festival at the neighboring farm, with Lottie posting incendiary videos on social media mocking what she snobbishly considered to be a parochial community.
When further tragedy strikes, Venn and his team begin questioning a community filled with secrets. Hannah’s father, Paul Armstrong, is a rising political star, a fact that quickly draws intense media scrutiny to the case, not least because there are many who would want to take him down. With the summer heat come holidaymakers, and it emerges that some of them may have more connections with the Armstrong family than first thought.
Caught between a powerful family's secrets and a powder keg of local tensions, Venn and his team must navigate a treacherous path. He knows all too well that the real answers lie not in what people say, but in the silence that they keep . . .
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Mean girl goes after easy target, makes already angry people angrier, gets killed.
Another case where Matthew ought to clost the case with "person or persons unknown" and stamp a seal on it. Who cares if this nasty little pisher Lottie's dead? Let's take the gene-pool cleanse as a piece of luck and get on with solving terrible crimes.
Hannah, Lottie's buddy and the daughter of the man whose home Lottie was staying in, is missing. He also happens to be a big-shot political scum. Hop to, Matthew and scoobygroup...I mean, team. The locals whose police dollars are funding this investigation already resent Hannah's outsider family for "ruining" (ie moving into and making more expensive) their community. Like all resort-ifying communities the battle lines are sharply drawn. The problem for Jen, who took the initial report regarding Lottie who's her son Ben's age, and Ross who's still irked at not being seen as the genius he isn't, and Matthew himself (in the throes of a serious upheaval in Jonathan's life), is how to tiptoe down a superthin line between the sides while still extracting information that will allow Hannah, the missing young woman, to be found alive?
Oh dear.
More and more complexities and interconnections...Hannah's local boyfriend,the dead girls' mutual from the US, whose unfriendly parents are staying at the local boyfriend's parents' glamping resort...yes, it's all a bit much in a short review but honestly it's paced with Author Cleeves' usual skill and attention to misdireaction...I mean detail, of course I do. Quite a bit of time is, annoyingnly, going over what feels the precise same detail with the same people. Look closer.
Jonathan loves Matthew or he wouldn't have married him. Right now, though, Jonathan is a wreck because he's set up a meeting with his birth mother. Tis will sress any marriage...and it's not been *that* long that Matthew's religious-nut mother was widowed and thus could at least start to rebuild bridges with her queer son; so as always, like life, the stressors are not neatly sequential.
Series fans will be delighted that Lucy and her dad make an appearance.
That's as always the series mystery's greatest appeal for readers. The puzzles are nice but the people who stay, who come back, who thread through the series make the weather. Sunny and fair here in North Devon (which is how you know it's fiction), among interesting, relatable regulars and starkly weird contrasting outsiders. Don't start here, start with The Long Call . (And write nastygrams to ITV/Britbox for canceling the TV adaptation.)
May 31, 2026
Two Rivers series - Matthew Venn #4
The Tides is the North Devon holiday home of government minister Paul Armstrong and it’s where the body of a young woman is found in the swimming pool and from where Paul‘s daughter Hannah goes missing. DI Matthew Venn and his team are called to investigate in the knowledge that all their moves will be heavily scrutinised by the media who will be desperate for answers as well as a scoop. Can the team navigate the secrets and lies and get to the truth before pressure is brought to bear from the Home Office and the investigation is taken out of Matthew’s hands?
I enjoy this latest addition to the Two Rivers series with the storyline building slowly and steadily perhaps as languidly as the heat wave the whole country is experiencing. This pace suits Matthew to perfection, anything else would not be true to his personality and one of the things that Ann Cleeves is very good at, is creating really interesting characters. Matthew fascinates me, his character traits are formed by his past, he’s a quiet, thoughtful and reflective man, certainly dogged by anxiety and doubt, but he’s calm and measured which is always a bonus in a murder inquiry. However, it is fair to say that sometimes his team and the powers that be would prefer a faster pace! Matthew’s husband Jonathan provides the security he needs and there’s a storyline that follows him in this one. All the characters are well portrayed with DS Jen Rafferty being very likeable.
The mystery is good and central to it are the personalities of the two girls at the heart of the mystery and the author allows readers to get to know them and their families as well as the community around the holiday home. The story telling is straightforward, there’s nothing superfluous and it’s engaging, keeping me immersed and vicariously enjoying being in Devon! There are a number of red herrings and blind alleys as well as twists and turns until it arrives at a good ending.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan Mcmillan for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
The Tides is the North Devon holiday home of government minister Paul Armstrong and it’s where the body of a young woman is found in the swimming pool and from where Paul‘s daughter Hannah goes missing. DI Matthew Venn and his team are called to investigate in the knowledge that all their moves will be heavily scrutinised by the media who will be desperate for answers as well as a scoop. Can the team navigate the secrets and lies and get to the truth before pressure is brought to bear from the Home Office and the investigation is taken out of Matthew’s hands?
I enjoy this latest addition to the Two Rivers series with the storyline building slowly and steadily perhaps as languidly as the heat wave the whole country is experiencing. This pace suits Matthew to perfection, anything else would not be true to his personality and one of the things that Ann Cleeves is very good at, is creating really interesting characters. Matthew fascinates me, his character traits are formed by his past, he’s a quiet, thoughtful and reflective man, certainly dogged by anxiety and doubt, but he’s calm and measured which is always a bonus in a murder inquiry. However, it is fair to say that sometimes his team and the powers that be would prefer a faster pace! Matthew’s husband Jonathan provides the security he needs and there’s a storyline that follows him in this one. All the characters are well portrayed with DS Jen Rafferty being very likeable.
The mystery is good and central to it are the personalities of the two girls at the heart of the mystery and the author allows readers to get to know them and their families as well as the community around the holiday home. The story telling is straightforward, there’s nothing superfluous and it’s engaging, keeping me immersed and vicariously enjoying being in Devon! There are a number of red herrings and blind alleys as well as twists and turns until it arrives at a good ending.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan Mcmillan for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
September 29, 2026
Ann Cleeves 4th installment of the Matthew Venn series is another propelling installment to this series.
A young woman is found dead in the vacation home of a government minister. The dead woman's best friend is missing, and she is the daughter of the government minister. Venn and his team must find the missing girl, while dealing with political pressure to solve the mystery. The deeper they dig, the more they discover that the parents of the two women seem to be hiding something.
We continue to get to see the personal lives of the team, and this helps to deliver an emotional well rounded story. The characters every day lives and struggles weave in and out of the rest of the story to make you feel like you are part of this North Devon Coastal community. No character seems unimportant!
As with Cleeves other novels, I never have it figured out. She has a way of writing a mystery that is full of depth, secrets, and community ties that make me feel as if I am in the center of it. Yet the subtleness of the reveals, and the way they tie together, always make sense and surprise me. There is a darkness in her stories, and a layer of sadness, but there is also hope in her characters. I find that I am always eager to turn the next page.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
A young woman is found dead in the vacation home of a government minister. The dead woman's best friend is missing, and she is the daughter of the government minister. Venn and his team must find the missing girl, while dealing with political pressure to solve the mystery. The deeper they dig, the more they discover that the parents of the two women seem to be hiding something.
We continue to get to see the personal lives of the team, and this helps to deliver an emotional well rounded story. The characters every day lives and struggles weave in and out of the rest of the story to make you feel like you are part of this North Devon Coastal community. No character seems unimportant!
As with Cleeves other novels, I never have it figured out. She has a way of writing a mystery that is full of depth, secrets, and community ties that make me feel as if I am in the center of it. Yet the subtleness of the reveals, and the way they tie together, always make sense and surprise me. There is a darkness in her stories, and a layer of sadness, but there is also hope in her characters. I find that I am always eager to turn the next page.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.
September 25, 2026
Two seventeen-year-old girls, one the daughter of a popular member of parliament, finish their A levels and head to the North Devon coast for a weekend's fun before being joined by the MP himself and the rest of the family on the Monday. But when the family arrives, they find one girl dead in the pool and the other missing.
This is the fourth book in Cleeves' police procedural series featuring Matthew Venn, the senior investigating officer on the case, and Detective Sergeant Jen Rafferty. Rounding out the team is Ross May, a young detective still learning the ropes. This is a character-driven novel with the detectives having to interview many people to learn what went on here that weekend. So much has to do with relationships and past history. Very interesting characters, many of whom are hiding secrets. I never saw the conclusion coming but it made perfect sense. Well done!
I think this could be read as a standalone but it's always interesting to see how the main characters are developing. In this story, Matthew's husband, Jonathan, plans to meet his birth mother and Matthew is concerned about how that will affect their relationship.
Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new mystery via NetGalley.
This is the fourth book in Cleeves' police procedural series featuring Matthew Venn, the senior investigating officer on the case, and Detective Sergeant Jen Rafferty. Rounding out the team is Ross May, a young detective still learning the ropes. This is a character-driven novel with the detectives having to interview many people to learn what went on here that weekend. So much has to do with relationships and past history. Very interesting characters, many of whom are hiding secrets. I never saw the conclusion coming but it made perfect sense. Well done!
I think this could be read as a standalone but it's always interesting to see how the main characters are developing. In this story, Matthew's husband, Jonathan, plans to meet his birth mother and Matthew is concerned about how that will affect their relationship.
Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new mystery via NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I am really enjoying this series and have been looking forward to getting to read this latest installment and catching up with DI Matthew Venn and the gang at Barnstaple PD in Devon, England. The gangs all back too, DS Jen and DC Ross working a case regarding the disappearance of a Parliamentary Minister’s daughter, Hannah, and the death of her school friend, Lottie, at the PM’s vacation home.
As the book summary states, there are a lot of secrets surrounding the girls and their families. One being what really happened during the weekend of the festival. There are also the secrets surrounding the death of another friend of the girls, Elizabeth, and how Elizabeth’s American parents are also in town for the festival and are guests at the glamping resort of the parents of Hannah’s boyfriend, Jake. There is another storyline closer to home for Matthew and that is when Matthew’s husband, Jonathan, finds his birth mother. Something that Matthew was really aware that he was looking for.
Most of the story revolves around the investigation around Hannah and Lottie. There are a few suspects and by the 35-40% mark my armchair detective has zeroed in on two particular suspects and I’ve even suspected the motive and started guessing the plot. Good grief! I can be such a moron! By the second half, the different storylines begin to merge and I’m looking like the amateur that I am and why Ms Cleeves is the professional that she is. The shocking end threw me for a loop.
The continuing character development of the characters was well done. I liked the storyline around Jonathan’s birth mother, and it will be interesting to see where Ms Cleeves will go with that. I also liked how she is developing DC Ross’s character as he embarks on a new direction in his life too. The pacing for this remains steady; it’s most certainly not one of those action-packed, fast-paced police procedurals. More of a steady murder mystery. The storyline was engaging and the writing was classic Cleeves. I really like Cleeves’s work; she is a good writer and storyteller. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.1 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review. I want to thank NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio #TheDyingLight
As the book summary states, there are a lot of secrets surrounding the girls and their families. One being what really happened during the weekend of the festival. There are also the secrets surrounding the death of another friend of the girls, Elizabeth, and how Elizabeth’s American parents are also in town for the festival and are guests at the glamping resort of the parents of Hannah’s boyfriend, Jake. There is another storyline closer to home for Matthew and that is when Matthew’s husband, Jonathan, finds his birth mother. Something that Matthew was really aware that he was looking for.
Most of the story revolves around the investigation around Hannah and Lottie. There are a few suspects and by the 35-40% mark my armchair detective has zeroed in on two particular suspects and I’ve even suspected the motive and started guessing the plot. Good grief! I can be such a moron! By the second half, the different storylines begin to merge and I’m looking like the amateur that I am and why Ms Cleeves is the professional that she is. The shocking end threw me for a loop.
The continuing character development of the characters was well done. I liked the storyline around Jonathan’s birth mother, and it will be interesting to see where Ms Cleeves will go with that. I also liked how she is developing DC Ross’s character as he embarks on a new direction in his life too. The pacing for this remains steady; it’s most certainly not one of those action-packed, fast-paced police procedurals. More of a steady murder mystery. The storyline was engaging and the writing was classic Cleeves. I really like Cleeves’s work; she is a good writer and storyteller. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.1 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review. I want to thank NetGalley, St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #StMartinsPress #MacmillanAudio #TheDyingLight
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
THE DYING LIGHT is #4 in Ann Cleeves' Two Rivers series. It took a long time for me to read it because I found it too slow, and consequently would stop after reading two or three chapters, only to carry on a day later. Had it not not been a NetGalley book, I probably would have dnf'd.
Soon after the story begins, the body of a 17-year-old girl, Lottie, is found in a pool. Shortly thereafter, the body of her best friend, Hannah, is discovered. It is up to DI Matthew Venn and his team (DS Jan Rafferty and DC Ross May) to follow up several leads in order to ascertain who killed them and why. The team uncover several possible motivations for the killings and, as a result, several suspects must be investigated. It reminded me of a Golden Age mystery novel.
The writing is beautiful but too detailed; this slowed down the pace significantly. Every scene, every building, every person was meticulously described. Conversations were written as verbatim transcriptions. There was little action. Plus everyone was oh-so-polite. I wanted a sarcastic "Vera"; I got extremely polite, introverted Matthew Venn.
The solution to the killings was a surprise—a very nice twist. But it happened so quietly that it didn't produce the strong, powerful ending that it deserved. A good twist—but too muted to stand out.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reviews for earlier books in this series:
The Long Call (Two Rivers, #1)
The Heron’s Cry (Two Rivers, #2)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Soon after the story begins, the body of a 17-year-old girl, Lottie, is found in a pool. Shortly thereafter, the body of her best friend, Hannah, is discovered. It is up to DI Matthew Venn and his team (DS Jan Rafferty and DC Ross May) to follow up several leads in order to ascertain who killed them and why. The team uncover several possible motivations for the killings and, as a result, several suspects must be investigated. It reminded me of a Golden Age mystery novel.
The writing is beautiful but too detailed; this slowed down the pace significantly. Every scene, every building, every person was meticulously described. Conversations were written as verbatim transcriptions. There was little action. Plus everyone was oh-so-polite. I wanted a sarcastic "Vera"; I got extremely polite, introverted Matthew Venn.
The solution to the killings was a surprise—a very nice twist. But it happened so quietly that it didn't produce the strong, powerful ending that it deserved. A good twist—but too muted to stand out.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reviews for earlier books in this series:
The Long Call (Two Rivers, #1)
The Heron’s Cry (Two Rivers, #2)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"I judged them as superficial, greedy and entitle. Perhaps they were lost and unhappy...
...." People can be greedy and entitled as well as lost"
A new Ann Cleeves book is always a special event for those of us who love good crime fiction especially when it comes to digging deeper into the human condition and psyche with tragedies within families.
The Dying Light is the fourth in the Two Rivers/Matthew Venn detective series and it's another winner. Tide House is the holiday home of a rising-star politician and a body is discovered in the swimming pool of their family retreat- the girl's friend is also missing... No spoilers but what follows is a story of family loyalties, hiding secrets to keep face and an exploration also of the impact of social media and supposed entitlement Amon the wealthy.
Set in the glorious north Devon countryside and coast , Detective Inspector Matthew Venn is again joined by DS Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May. This is police procedural fiction at its best as the reader follows each step and the thought processes of the team; of course, being a great read the story takes us in various directions - red herrings- to make us consider various reasons and potential culprits for the committed crimes.
Ann Cleeves ability to successfully juggle three great series- Two Rivers; Vera; Shetland - highlight her craft and the reason she is so popular - without a doubt The Queen of English Contemporary Crime fiction.
Another gripping, heartbreaking and good paced read- highly recommended.
Thank you to MacMillan and NetGalley for the advance copym
...." People can be greedy and entitled as well as lost"
A new Ann Cleeves book is always a special event for those of us who love good crime fiction especially when it comes to digging deeper into the human condition and psyche with tragedies within families.
The Dying Light is the fourth in the Two Rivers/Matthew Venn detective series and it's another winner. Tide House is the holiday home of a rising-star politician and a body is discovered in the swimming pool of their family retreat- the girl's friend is also missing... No spoilers but what follows is a story of family loyalties, hiding secrets to keep face and an exploration also of the impact of social media and supposed entitlement Amon the wealthy.
Set in the glorious north Devon countryside and coast , Detective Inspector Matthew Venn is again joined by DS Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May. This is police procedural fiction at its best as the reader follows each step and the thought processes of the team; of course, being a great read the story takes us in various directions - red herrings- to make us consider various reasons and potential culprits for the committed crimes.
Ann Cleeves ability to successfully juggle three great series- Two Rivers; Vera; Shetland - highlight her craft and the reason she is so popular - without a doubt The Queen of English Contemporary Crime fiction.
Another gripping, heartbreaking and good paced read- highly recommended.
Thank you to MacMillan and NetGalley for the advance copym
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
In a sleepy corner of North Devon tragedy has struck and DI Matthew Venn is called in to investigate the senseless murder of one young woman and the disappearance of another. Time is a crucial factor as the missing girl's father is a rising star of government and her disappearance may be politically motivated.
But as Venn and his team dig still further into the mystery they find seething resentments on all sides - the locals angry at outsiders buying up homes to use as holiday getaways, enemies of the dead Lottie who was not averse to some online and in person cruelty, a couple of angry parents wanting answers along with the girls' parents themselves; everyone is under suspicion.
Can Matthew, Jen and Ross solve the mystery before more tragedy occurs?
I have, in the previous novels, struggled with all the members of Venn's team but they finally seem to have settled into an effective and likeable unit. It certainly felt like a whole different novel to the previous few. Or maybe Venn et al have just grown on me over the past few years. I certainly enjoyed the interaction between the team far more enjoyable.
As always, Ann Cleeves is on point with a taut and layered plot, giving away little and plastering on the tension. She never disappoints and I look forward to her next book.
Definitely the best Venn yet!
Thankyou very much to Netgalley and the PanMac Marketing Team for the digital review copy. Most appreciated.
But as Venn and his team dig still further into the mystery they find seething resentments on all sides - the locals angry at outsiders buying up homes to use as holiday getaways, enemies of the dead Lottie who was not averse to some online and in person cruelty, a couple of angry parents wanting answers along with the girls' parents themselves; everyone is under suspicion.
Can Matthew, Jen and Ross solve the mystery before more tragedy occurs?
I have, in the previous novels, struggled with all the members of Venn's team but they finally seem to have settled into an effective and likeable unit. It certainly felt like a whole different novel to the previous few. Or maybe Venn et al have just grown on me over the past few years. I certainly enjoyed the interaction between the team far more enjoyable.
As always, Ann Cleeves is on point with a taut and layered plot, giving away little and plastering on the tension. She never disappoints and I look forward to her next book.
Definitely the best Venn yet!
Thankyou very much to Netgalley and the PanMac Marketing Team for the digital review copy. Most appreciated.
September 15, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars
The Dying Light may be my favorite book in the Matthew Venn series so far, and that is saying something because I usually have a difficult time choosing a favorite book in a series that I enjoy.
The mystery itself kept me guessing. I was not able to figure out who the culprit was until the reveal, and the solution genuinely surprised me. I found the story relatively fast-paced, and it was difficult to find a good stopping point because I wanted to keep listening.
Matthew continues to be my favorite character. I especially enjoyed getting to know him better in this book. Matthew seems to learn several things about himself as the story progresses, and at the same time, we as readers and listeners learn more about him. I also really enjoyed seeing more of Matthew and Jonathan’s married life and their everyday interactions. It made both of them feel more personable and gave me a greater connection to the characters. I felt the same way about the other detectives. We get to know them better as people, and I think that added a great deal to this installment.
I primarily listened to the audiobook, and Jack Holden did an outstanding job with the narration. His pacing and inflection were excellent, and he did a wonderful job distinguishing the different characters. The narration definitely added to my enjoyment of the story.
I personally prefer books without profanity, and there is profanity in this book, sometimes more prevalent than at other times. However, it did not detract enough from my enjoyment of the story for me to lower my rating.
I thoroughly enjoyed the ending and am already looking forward to the next book in the series. I would highly recommend The Dying Light to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, especially one that isn’t easy to figure out and can genuinely keep you guessing.
Five stars and highly recommended.
I was blessed with both an ARC and an ALC of The Dying Light. I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this book. The opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.
The Dying Light may be my favorite book in the Matthew Venn series so far, and that is saying something because I usually have a difficult time choosing a favorite book in a series that I enjoy.
The mystery itself kept me guessing. I was not able to figure out who the culprit was until the reveal, and the solution genuinely surprised me. I found the story relatively fast-paced, and it was difficult to find a good stopping point because I wanted to keep listening.
Matthew continues to be my favorite character. I especially enjoyed getting to know him better in this book. Matthew seems to learn several things about himself as the story progresses, and at the same time, we as readers and listeners learn more about him. I also really enjoyed seeing more of Matthew and Jonathan’s married life and their everyday interactions. It made both of them feel more personable and gave me a greater connection to the characters. I felt the same way about the other detectives. We get to know them better as people, and I think that added a great deal to this installment.
I primarily listened to the audiobook, and Jack Holden did an outstanding job with the narration. His pacing and inflection were excellent, and he did a wonderful job distinguishing the different characters. The narration definitely added to my enjoyment of the story.
I personally prefer books without profanity, and there is profanity in this book, sometimes more prevalent than at other times. However, it did not detract enough from my enjoyment of the story for me to lower my rating.
I thoroughly enjoyed the ending and am already looking forward to the next book in the series. I would highly recommend The Dying Light to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, especially one that isn’t easy to figure out and can genuinely keep you guessing.
Five stars and highly recommended.
I was blessed with both an ARC and an ALC of The Dying Light. I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this book. The opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.
Read
July 2, 2026I adore the Matthew Venn / Two Rivers series for many reasons. One is the fact that Ann Cleeves excels at writing characters, writing people. She delves into the why: what makes people tick and work. Her books may not always be driven by constant action, but you keep reading as each page reveals more about our characters and what and why led them to be killed (or to kill).
And, Matthew Venn is one of my favorite detectives. I love his steady nature that also comes with a quiet, lingering insecurity, making him relatable and human. I love that he's not all ego and brash anger, like so many crime solvers, but intelligence and thoughtfulness. And I love the relationship between him and his husband Jonathan, which is portrayed honestly and lovingly.
This is an excellent mystery, which kept me guessing the entire time. We get a multi-POV story, including Matthew, his colleague Jen, and Catherine, a wealthy woman who has just lost her teenage daughter, Hannah, to an apparent murder. Both Hannah and her friend Lottie are found dead at the family's country home, and it's up to Matthew and team to determine why--with added pressure as Hannah's father is high up in politics.
There's a small cast of characters, and each is well-drawn, often with a potential motive. Cleeves does a good job of playing up the small-town versus big city rift and how it's affected locals in Devon. As with every Venn tale, there's so much more going on than "just the mystery," making it a complex, nuanced tale that will keep you flipping the pages. 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in return for an unbiased review. Look for the U.S. version in September 2026!
And, Matthew Venn is one of my favorite detectives. I love his steady nature that also comes with a quiet, lingering insecurity, making him relatable and human. I love that he's not all ego and brash anger, like so many crime solvers, but intelligence and thoughtfulness. And I love the relationship between him and his husband Jonathan, which is portrayed honestly and lovingly.
This is an excellent mystery, which kept me guessing the entire time. We get a multi-POV story, including Matthew, his colleague Jen, and Catherine, a wealthy woman who has just lost her teenage daughter, Hannah, to an apparent murder. Both Hannah and her friend Lottie are found dead at the family's country home, and it's up to Matthew and team to determine why--with added pressure as Hannah's father is high up in politics.
There's a small cast of characters, and each is well-drawn, often with a potential motive. Cleeves does a good job of playing up the small-town versus big city rift and how it's affected locals in Devon. As with every Venn tale, there's so much more going on than "just the mystery," making it a complex, nuanced tale that will keep you flipping the pages. 4.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in return for an unbiased review. Look for the U.S. version in September 2026!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Overall a decent enough read. Quite drawn out and sometimes Matthew seems to be chasing his tail but he got there in the end.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
REVIEW
The Dying Light
Ann Cleeves
9/24/2026
Ann Cleeves is one of the best mystery writers around and I’m always excited when a new work comes out (I’ve gone back and read her early work which is being re-published—also excellent). She has earned a place in that hall of great writers in her genre—there are gentle “cozy” elements but she can also be gritty, with moody, emotionally struggling lead characters. I love the books in Northumberland where the landscape is as much a character as the people. Her characters are interesting as are their relationships with each other, her pacing, and her plotting. I have read most of her work (I have yet to dive into the George and Molly bird watcher series) and enjoy them all
The Dying Light, her newest novel is the next in her Matthew Venn series, and a terrific book. Matthew is a quiet (maybe slightly depressed) character who is, as are all of Cleeves’ detective, excellent at his job, as Detective Inspector (DI) in the Devon and Cornwall police force. He is married to Jonathan, who is more outgoing than Matthew, while also being sensitive and loving. Their relationship is one of the many pleasures of the story.
This story starts off dramatically with the murders of two young women and maintains a steady pace of suspense throughout. Hunting the killer is complicated by complicated family relationships and secrets. I loved the complexity of it all.
Interwoven with the mystery, is the story of Matthew’s husband Jonathan’s search for his birth mother. I always enjoy Matthew and Jonathan’s relationship, gentle and loving. Sometimes I wish though that Matthew was able to let go of his low self-esteem and general sense of inadequacy—relationship-wise, less so professionally (although even there he constantly berates himself for not seeing more, seeing faster—he focuses on every perceived failing).
I would like to see Matthew happier, although given his experience with his parents and the rigid religious community (I want to say “cult” but that might be going too far) in which he was raised, his feelings are understandable. I’m hoping those that we’ll see him gain confidence in later books.
I strongly recommend this book--Ann Cleeves has been writing for 40 years with no signs of slowing down, for which I am very grateful. As I think we all should be.
I am grateful to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with a free copy of the e-book in exchange for an honest review.
The Dying Light will be published on September 29, 2026 by St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books.
The Dying Light
Ann Cleeves
9/24/2026
Ann Cleeves is one of the best mystery writers around and I’m always excited when a new work comes out (I’ve gone back and read her early work which is being re-published—also excellent). She has earned a place in that hall of great writers in her genre—there are gentle “cozy” elements but she can also be gritty, with moody, emotionally struggling lead characters. I love the books in Northumberland where the landscape is as much a character as the people. Her characters are interesting as are their relationships with each other, her pacing, and her plotting. I have read most of her work (I have yet to dive into the George and Molly bird watcher series) and enjoy them all
The Dying Light, her newest novel is the next in her Matthew Venn series, and a terrific book. Matthew is a quiet (maybe slightly depressed) character who is, as are all of Cleeves’ detective, excellent at his job, as Detective Inspector (DI) in the Devon and Cornwall police force. He is married to Jonathan, who is more outgoing than Matthew, while also being sensitive and loving. Their relationship is one of the many pleasures of the story.
This story starts off dramatically with the murders of two young women and maintains a steady pace of suspense throughout. Hunting the killer is complicated by complicated family relationships and secrets. I loved the complexity of it all.
Interwoven with the mystery, is the story of Matthew’s husband Jonathan’s search for his birth mother. I always enjoy Matthew and Jonathan’s relationship, gentle and loving. Sometimes I wish though that Matthew was able to let go of his low self-esteem and general sense of inadequacy—relationship-wise, less so professionally (although even there he constantly berates himself for not seeing more, seeing faster—he focuses on every perceived failing).
I would like to see Matthew happier, although given his experience with his parents and the rigid religious community (I want to say “cult” but that might be going too far) in which he was raised, his feelings are understandable. I’m hoping those that we’ll see him gain confidence in later books.
I strongly recommend this book--Ann Cleeves has been writing for 40 years with no signs of slowing down, for which I am very grateful. As I think we all should be.
I am grateful to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with a free copy of the e-book in exchange for an honest review.
The Dying Light will be published on September 29, 2026 by St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books.
October 1, 2026
The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves is the fourth in the Two Rivers Detective series.
Let me thank NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin's Press, and of course the author (Ann Cleeves), for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This is a great addition to the series. It is another one of the books that could be read as a stand-alone novel, but I continue to think that it's always best to "grow" with the characters.
I thought at first that this would be a little too political for my taste, but it turned out to be very much about families, and how far they will go to protect their own. Not all the family members were easy to root for though, and different parenting skills were definitely forefront.
The plot was really good, with a lot of suspicious characters, and twists. I really did not see the perpetrator coming. It ended up being quite sad. Pace-wise, I found it quite slow, but not really in a bad way.
I continue to enjoy the characters (although Ross gets on my nerves). Matthew is wonderful, if a little insecure, even in his relationship with his husband. They make a very good pair.
I'm looking forward to the next book already!
Anyway, until next time ....
For a more thorough review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, my own synopsis of the book, and its author information), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
September 1, 2026
The Dying Light is the fourth entry in Ann Cleeves Two Rivers series set in Devon, England. It’s a scorching summer as Matthew Venn is advised of a problem, an apparent death and a missing person at the summer home of a government official’s family. So begins a story filled with many questions, several theories and speculation, suggestions from police brass about handling the case, and the work. As always, Cleeves is a master of the details. She knows the physical world she is inhabiting here and she has developed a core group of characters to carry us through this difficult story. Beyond Venn, his team and his husband, there are a wide assortment of other people of varied backgrounds and social status: locals in an often struggling farming and country town now also becoming a vacation getaway for richer city dwellers.
tbc……
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book
tbc……
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book
October 5, 2026
Another thoughtful Matthew Venn mystery!
Two sixteen year olds are found dead near North Devon. They’ve come down from London for the summer holidays and to attend a music festival. One is the daughter of a politician, the other a product of a divorce.
There are hints of a tainted past, and another girl who mysteriously died.
On the home front Matthew is having trouble coping with the fact that Jonathan, his partner, has been seeking his birth mother.
Ann Cleeves always never fails to intrigue. Her writing encompasses both the personal story of the main characters and the central mystery. A deep and often disturbing read!
A Minotaur ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Two sixteen year olds are found dead near North Devon. They’ve come down from London for the summer holidays and to attend a music festival. One is the daughter of a politician, the other a product of a divorce.
There are hints of a tainted past, and another girl who mysteriously died.
On the home front Matthew is having trouble coping with the fact that Jonathan, his partner, has been seeking his birth mother.
Ann Cleeves always never fails to intrigue. Her writing encompasses both the personal story of the main characters and the central mystery. A deep and often disturbing read!
A Minotaur ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I read a lot of mystery and suspense novels, but not ones that are written this beautifully. I could not wait to read more chapters each night, and I am still thinking about the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
#TheDyingLight
#TheDyingLight
August 17, 2026
I have read lots of mysteries/thrillers but never one from Ann Cleeves. This one sounded worth listening to, so I decided it was a good book to start with. It is fourth in a series but worked great as a standalone novel, and I never felt like I was missing background information.
This book is most appropriately be categorized as a police procedural, as the reader follows lead detective Matthew Venn and his team throughout the story. The reader is thrown into the case just as they are, with two dead bodies discovered at the beginning of the book, but the action builds slowly from that point. It is not necessarily suspenseful, but the case is revealed slowly and realistically with people making mistakes and misjudgments throughout.
The mystery and resolution are satisfying if not earth shattering. I didn't suspect the identity of the killer at any point, but it still made sense once it was revealed.
If I had any critique of this novel it would be that I didn't particularly care about any of the characters. With two teenage girls showing up dead, one would expect a lot of emotion and sympathy for those involved - family and those investigating - but I just never got there. I would read another book by the author but don't know if I'll read more of this series.
Side note on the audiobook - generally enjoyable to listen to and the narrator has a pleasant voice, though I did have to laugh at the precision with which English accents are described by class and region. However, our one American couple? They're just American, not New Yorker, Southern, Californian, Mid-Western....you get the idea. There's one flat American accent and that's it, I guess.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my audiobook copy. Opinions are my own.
This book is most appropriately be categorized as a police procedural, as the reader follows lead detective Matthew Venn and his team throughout the story. The reader is thrown into the case just as they are, with two dead bodies discovered at the beginning of the book, but the action builds slowly from that point. It is not necessarily suspenseful, but the case is revealed slowly and realistically with people making mistakes and misjudgments throughout.
The mystery and resolution are satisfying if not earth shattering. I didn't suspect the identity of the killer at any point, but it still made sense once it was revealed.
If I had any critique of this novel it would be that I didn't particularly care about any of the characters. With two teenage girls showing up dead, one would expect a lot of emotion and sympathy for those involved - family and those investigating - but I just never got there. I would read another book by the author but don't know if I'll read more of this series.
Side note on the audiobook - generally enjoyable to listen to and the narrator has a pleasant voice, though I did have to laugh at the precision with which English accents are described by class and region. However, our one American couple? They're just American, not New Yorker, Southern, Californian, Mid-Western....you get the idea. There's one flat American accent and that's it, I guess.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my audiobook copy. Opinions are my own.
October 9, 2026
As usual, an interesting story with a solution I never guessed!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves is book four in a series, but don't worry, you can read it wihout having read the previous three. The series is written as interconnected standalones. I loved this book. It is a mystery and police procedural and it is really well done. We are following Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team as they investigate a murder and a disappearance. Two girls, Lottie and Hannah, having finished their end of year tests, have driven to the holiday home of Hannah's family. The family will arrive two days later, but when the family arrives, they find the body of one of the girls floating in the pool and the other girl is missing. What happened? The police begin investigating and report back on their findings. I love this mystery, and investigation. The pacing of the story and the building tension is excellent. I loved the character work in here as well. I had both the e-arc and the advance listener copy courtesy of Net Galley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio. The audio narration is stellar. Absolutely loved this mystery. I can't wait to read more. 4.5 stars.
August 11, 2026
The fourth installment in the DI Matthew Venn mystery series finds Matthew and team looking into the mysterious death of a young woman at a luxurious resort following a weekend concert in a small Devon town. There are ties to an MP, Hollywood, and an all-girls school in London. It's a good mystery and a well-narrated audiobook, filled with red herrings that make the solution look almost too simple. The ending is more sad than cathartic. The books are enjoyable, and I will come back to the Two Rivers series again (and again).
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #TheDyingLight #TwoRivers for review purposes. Publication date: 29 September 2026.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #TheDyingLight #TwoRivers for review purposes. Publication date: 29 September 2026.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
There Are No Monsters In This Case
At the vacation house of a prominent member of parliament, his daughter and a friend arrive on Friday to celebrate finishing their A-level exams. On Monday morning, when the parents and their two young sons arrive, they find the friend floating in the pool. They pull her out, but she is dead. Their daughter is missing. The daughter's body is soon found. From this tragic start, a complex and captivating novel unfolds.
The central storyline thread is the investigation into the two girls' deaths. The major challenge for DCI Matthew Venn is a large pool of eight potential suspects, including accomplices. Many appear to lie or, at least, not tell the whole truth. The conundrum for DCI Venn arises when he doesn’t believe that any of them killed the two girls. Luckily for the reader, three other threads provide some insight into what is being withheld from the police. The first of these is the Armstrongs, whose daughter, Hannah, was killed. Cauldwell is the mother of Hannah’s friend who was killed. These threads provide hints but seem more like motives for not telling Venn and his team the whole truth. These threads strengthened my appetite to continue. The investigation itself is very classical. There is forensics, but they do not provide any breakthroughs. It is solved through repeated interviews based on newly uncovered information. The lies and untold truths lead to many twists and turns. Even though there wasn’t any action, my interest was captured and kept to the end.
There are two B-storylines. The first concerns Venn’s strained relationship with his husband, Jonathan. Venn was adopted, but his birth mother has now agreed to meet him. He is deeply conflicted, and Venn has borne some of Jonathan’s outbursts. Meeting her does not resolve his conflict but only adds to it. How Venn handles the strain reveals how he reacts when he is unsure of himself. This feeds into the second thread. This investigation makes him question his mettle as a detective. Both threads are primarily revealed to the reader through Venn’s thoughts in response to events in his professional and personal life. This aspect of the novel enhanced my enjoyment of reading.
Only minimal elements that could cause readers to stop reading are present in this novel. There are no intimate scenes, though there are some references to them. Objectionable and impious language appears very rarely. The violence of the murders is finally described near the end of the novel. The major problem for this American reader is the use of informal British words. My e-reader has a built-in dictionary, but it is an American English dictionary. Instead of using the convenient internet access, I downloaded the UK dictionary. That made finding many of these words quite fast and easy. While this is the fourth book in this series, I did not find any unexplained references to events in the previous novels. I believe most readers should be able to read and enjoy this novel without issue.
For me, there wasn’t anything I disliked. Some readers may find the storyline’s flow slow. I liked that the main storyline was very realistic and believable. There is a loose end in one of the B-storyline threads, but I believe it hints at a continuation in a fifth novel in this series. As for the ending, it was bittersweet for me, but my reasons would be spoilers. I have read 15 previous novels by this author across five series. I have purchased seven more to read.
I highly recommend this novel. Ann Cleeves is one of my Must-Read authors. I thoroughly enjoyed it and rate it five stars.
I received the free prepublication e-book of this novel from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. My review is based solely on my reading experience. Thank you, St. Martin's Press, for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.
At the vacation house of a prominent member of parliament, his daughter and a friend arrive on Friday to celebrate finishing their A-level exams. On Monday morning, when the parents and their two young sons arrive, they find the friend floating in the pool. They pull her out, but she is dead. Their daughter is missing. The daughter's body is soon found. From this tragic start, a complex and captivating novel unfolds.
The central storyline thread is the investigation into the two girls' deaths. The major challenge for DCI Matthew Venn is a large pool of eight potential suspects, including accomplices. Many appear to lie or, at least, not tell the whole truth. The conundrum for DCI Venn arises when he doesn’t believe that any of them killed the two girls. Luckily for the reader, three other threads provide some insight into what is being withheld from the police. The first of these is the Armstrongs, whose daughter, Hannah, was killed. Cauldwell is the mother of Hannah’s friend who was killed. These threads provide hints but seem more like motives for not telling Venn and his team the whole truth. These threads strengthened my appetite to continue. The investigation itself is very classical. There is forensics, but they do not provide any breakthroughs. It is solved through repeated interviews based on newly uncovered information. The lies and untold truths lead to many twists and turns. Even though there wasn’t any action, my interest was captured and kept to the end.
There are two B-storylines. The first concerns Venn’s strained relationship with his husband, Jonathan. Venn was adopted, but his birth mother has now agreed to meet him. He is deeply conflicted, and Venn has borne some of Jonathan’s outbursts. Meeting her does not resolve his conflict but only adds to it. How Venn handles the strain reveals how he reacts when he is unsure of himself. This feeds into the second thread. This investigation makes him question his mettle as a detective. Both threads are primarily revealed to the reader through Venn’s thoughts in response to events in his professional and personal life. This aspect of the novel enhanced my enjoyment of reading.
Only minimal elements that could cause readers to stop reading are present in this novel. There are no intimate scenes, though there are some references to them. Objectionable and impious language appears very rarely. The violence of the murders is finally described near the end of the novel. The major problem for this American reader is the use of informal British words. My e-reader has a built-in dictionary, but it is an American English dictionary. Instead of using the convenient internet access, I downloaded the UK dictionary. That made finding many of these words quite fast and easy. While this is the fourth book in this series, I did not find any unexplained references to events in the previous novels. I believe most readers should be able to read and enjoy this novel without issue.
For me, there wasn’t anything I disliked. Some readers may find the storyline’s flow slow. I liked that the main storyline was very realistic and believable. There is a loose end in one of the B-storyline threads, but I believe it hints at a continuation in a fifth novel in this series. As for the ending, it was bittersweet for me, but my reasons would be spoilers. I have read 15 previous novels by this author across five series. I have purchased seven more to read.
I highly recommend this novel. Ann Cleeves is one of my Must-Read authors. I thoroughly enjoyed it and rate it five stars.
I received the free prepublication e-book of this novel from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. My review is based solely on my reading experience. Thank you, St. Martin's Press, for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.
September 29, 2026
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Two Rivers series continues with a murdered girl Lottie on holiday and her friend Hannah missing. The head of the team in Matthew, and his husband, Jonathon runs an art centre. There's Jen who is a single parent of two teens. There's Ross who is a favorite of Matthew's boss, and is bucking to move up, but needs more skills; he thinks he's better than he is. Vicky does a lot of computer research and camera review work.
There's the search for Hannah and the overall history of the girls. Their friendship, along with an American girl, who was badly injured back at school. Does it have to do with that? Or is it Lottie's social media posts running down the farm with its glamping site, which is run by Hannah's boyfriend and his family. Or maybe it has to do with Hannah's father who is a politician. There's a lot of information and it feels like they are chasing around but catching nothing for awhile.
There was a lot of police work to track down the histories, their parents, their friends, and locals who might be angry with the girls for some reason. Matthew is under pressure also because Hannah is the daughter of a politician. The American family turns out to have been at the farm. Lottie's mother seems to have been in the area as well.
Matthew also has personal concerns. Jonathon is consumed by the search for his biological mother who he has discovered. The father of Lucy who works at the center has died, and she will need their emotional support. Matthew runs into his own estranged mother and realizes some things. He wants to go with Jonathon to meet his mother but is worried about being gone during developments in his case.
I enjoyed both the murder mystery with its complex possibilities and the work of the case. There was personal growth for Matthew. Jonathon struggled with meeting and learning more about his bio mother. Ross, on his other team, seems to be improving his work skills. The Dying Light is a great read with good pacing and plot lines.
Narration:
Jack Holden has narrated the whole series. He is Matthew for me. His voice was very clear and had some distinct character voices. I was comfortable with the tones and accents. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.
Review copy was received from Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Two Rivers series continues with a murdered girl Lottie on holiday and her friend Hannah missing. The head of the team in Matthew, and his husband, Jonathon runs an art centre. There's Jen who is a single parent of two teens. There's Ross who is a favorite of Matthew's boss, and is bucking to move up, but needs more skills; he thinks he's better than he is. Vicky does a lot of computer research and camera review work.
There's the search for Hannah and the overall history of the girls. Their friendship, along with an American girl, who was badly injured back at school. Does it have to do with that? Or is it Lottie's social media posts running down the farm with its glamping site, which is run by Hannah's boyfriend and his family. Or maybe it has to do with Hannah's father who is a politician. There's a lot of information and it feels like they are chasing around but catching nothing for awhile.
There was a lot of police work to track down the histories, their parents, their friends, and locals who might be angry with the girls for some reason. Matthew is under pressure also because Hannah is the daughter of a politician. The American family turns out to have been at the farm. Lottie's mother seems to have been in the area as well.
Matthew also has personal concerns. Jonathon is consumed by the search for his biological mother who he has discovered. The father of Lucy who works at the center has died, and she will need their emotional support. Matthew runs into his own estranged mother and realizes some things. He wants to go with Jonathon to meet his mother but is worried about being gone during developments in his case.
I enjoyed both the murder mystery with its complex possibilities and the work of the case. There was personal growth for Matthew. Jonathon struggled with meeting and learning more about his bio mother. Ross, on his other team, seems to be improving his work skills. The Dying Light is a great read with good pacing and plot lines.
Narration:
Jack Holden has narrated the whole series. He is Matthew for me. His voice was very clear and had some distinct character voices. I was comfortable with the tones and accents. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.
September 29, 2026
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Netgalley the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Two Rivers series continues with a murdered girl Lottie on holiday and her friend Hannah missing. The head of the team in Matthew, and his husband, Jonathon runs an art centre. There's Jen who is a single parent of two teens. There's Ross who is a favorite of Matthew's boss, and is bucking to move up, but needs more skills; he thinks he's better than he is. Vicky does a lot of computer research and camera review work.
There's the search for Hannah and the overall history of the girls. Their friendship, along with an American girl, who was badly injured back at school. Does it have to do with that? Or is it Lottie's social media posts running down the farm with its glamping site, which is run by Hannah's boyfriend and his family. Or maybe it has to do with Hannah's father who is a politician. There's a lot of information and it feels like they are chasing around but catching nothing for awhile.
There was a lot of police work to track down the histories, their parents, their friends, and locals who might be angry with the girls for some reason. Matthew is under pressure also because Hannah is the daughter of a politician. The American family turns out to have been at the farm. Lottie's mother seems to have been in the area as well.
Matthew also has personal concerns. Jonathon is consumed by the search for his biological mother who he has discovered. The father of Lucy who works at the center has died, and she will need their emotional support. Matthew runs into his own estranged mother and realizes some things. He wants to go with Jonathon to meet his mother but is worried about being gone during developments in his case.
I enjoyed both the murder mystery with its complex possibilities and the work of the case. There was personal growth for Matthew. Jonathon struggled with meeting and learning more about his bio mother. Ross, on his other team, seems to be improving his work skills. The Dying Light is a great read with good pacing and plot lines.
Review copy was received from Netgalley the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Two Rivers series continues with a murdered girl Lottie on holiday and her friend Hannah missing. The head of the team in Matthew, and his husband, Jonathon runs an art centre. There's Jen who is a single parent of two teens. There's Ross who is a favorite of Matthew's boss, and is bucking to move up, but needs more skills; he thinks he's better than he is. Vicky does a lot of computer research and camera review work.
There's the search for Hannah and the overall history of the girls. Their friendship, along with an American girl, who was badly injured back at school. Does it have to do with that? Or is it Lottie's social media posts running down the farm with its glamping site, which is run by Hannah's boyfriend and his family. Or maybe it has to do with Hannah's father who is a politician. There's a lot of information and it feels like they are chasing around but catching nothing for awhile.
There was a lot of police work to track down the histories, their parents, their friends, and locals who might be angry with the girls for some reason. Matthew is under pressure also because Hannah is the daughter of a politician. The American family turns out to have been at the farm. Lottie's mother seems to have been in the area as well.
Matthew also has personal concerns. Jonathon is consumed by the search for his biological mother who he has discovered. The father of Lucy who works at the center has died, and she will need their emotional support. Matthew runs into his own estranged mother and realizes some things. He wants to go with Jonathon to meet his mother but is worried about being gone during developments in his case.
I enjoyed both the murder mystery with its complex possibilities and the work of the case. There was personal growth for Matthew. Jonathon struggled with meeting and learning more about his bio mother. Ross, on his other team, seems to be improving his work skills. The Dying Light is a great read with good pacing and plot lines.
October 3, 2026
I’ve been hooked on this series since book one, and ‘The Dying Light’ reinforces why Ann Cleeves is one of those writers who can pull you straight into a story and keep you there, no matter how many characters, secrets, or tangled relationships she throws at you. Her writing has that quiet magnetism, with nothing flashy, just steady, confident storytelling that makes you forget you meant to stop after one chapter.
And honestly? You don’t have to start at the beginning of the series. Cleeves is good at giving you what you need as you go. But if you do start from book one, you’ll catch some dynamics that are nice to have for reference.
Early on, you’re pretty sure you know who’s responsible for the deaths of two young women. Cleeves practically hands you a suspect on a platter. But she’s sneaky. Oh, so sneaky, and she leads you down a path that feels so plausible you don’t question it. That is until you suddenly realize you were completely, and gloriously, wrong. That’s the magic of her plotting. She doesn’t yank the rug out from under you; she quietly rotates the view until you’re facing something you didn’t notice before.
This town is drowning in secrets. Too many people hiding too many things, and it’s up to Venn, Rafferty, May, and the rest of the team to sort through lies. Half the folks they interview seem to be protecting someone, or something, and you can’t help wondering what exactly this community is trying so hard to keep buried.
Meanwhile, Matt Venn is stuck in his own head about his relationship with his husband. There are hints of big changes coming, but it’s a gentle subplot that’s just enough to remind you these characters have lives outside the investigation, without ever pulling your attention too far from the central mystery.
Despite the crowd of characters and interwoven relationships, I found this a fast, absorbing read. I was happily wrong in all my early theories, and I loved the book all the way through to the final chapters. Cleeves delivers a twisty, satisfying mystery that rewards your attention and keeps you turning pages even when you think you’ve got it all figured out.
And honestly? You don’t have to start at the beginning of the series. Cleeves is good at giving you what you need as you go. But if you do start from book one, you’ll catch some dynamics that are nice to have for reference.
Early on, you’re pretty sure you know who’s responsible for the deaths of two young women. Cleeves practically hands you a suspect on a platter. But she’s sneaky. Oh, so sneaky, and she leads you down a path that feels so plausible you don’t question it. That is until you suddenly realize you were completely, and gloriously, wrong. That’s the magic of her plotting. She doesn’t yank the rug out from under you; she quietly rotates the view until you’re facing something you didn’t notice before.
This town is drowning in secrets. Too many people hiding too many things, and it’s up to Venn, Rafferty, May, and the rest of the team to sort through lies. Half the folks they interview seem to be protecting someone, or something, and you can’t help wondering what exactly this community is trying so hard to keep buried.
Meanwhile, Matt Venn is stuck in his own head about his relationship with his husband. There are hints of big changes coming, but it’s a gentle subplot that’s just enough to remind you these characters have lives outside the investigation, without ever pulling your attention too far from the central mystery.
Despite the crowd of characters and interwoven relationships, I found this a fast, absorbing read. I was happily wrong in all my early theories, and I loved the book all the way through to the final chapters. Cleeves delivers a twisty, satisfying mystery that rewards your attention and keeps you turning pages even when you think you’ve got it all figured out.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Connections and secrets surround a case of murder
Hannah Armstrong heads to her family's holiday home in North Devon with her best friend Lottie, both looking forward to the break after their school exams. Hannah's boyfriend Jake will be there and a local music festival is taking place over the weekend, so there will be fun to be had before Hannah's parents and brothers arrive. But when the rest of the Armstrong family arrive they find Lottie floating in their swimming pool, dead, and Hannah missing. As Mr. Armstrong is a rising politician the case is sure to generate a great deal of attention, and Detective Matthew Venn is asked to lead the investigation along with his (evolving) team. All too soon another dead body is found, and tensions ramp up even more. Who is behind the killings, and why? There are family tensions percolating and friction between the working class locals and the monied visitors who are buying up properties as vacation homes, and Venn and his team must deal with both as they search for the truth of what happened in this area known for summer vacationing - not murder.
The Dying Light is the fourth entry in author Ann Cleeves' Two Rivers series featuring Detective Matthew Venn, a complex character whose strict upbringing has made it challenging to forge his adult life as a gay man. As he embarks upon his latest case he is also dealing with his husband Jonathan's decision to search for his birth mother, something Matthew is not sure is a good idea. The story is grounded with a well-sketched setting and characters new and old presented with depth and nuance. The mystery at the core is an intricate puzzle that is equal parts police procedural
and interpersonal drama, and it kept me guessing right up until the end. Fans of the author as well as readers of Louise Penny, Deborah Crombie and Peter Robinson will find this of definite appeal (note: as is generally the case, those who have read the preceding titles in the series will have a deeper understanding of the character than those who have not, but it can certainly be read as a standalone). My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me access to the novel in exchange for my honest review.
Hannah Armstrong heads to her family's holiday home in North Devon with her best friend Lottie, both looking forward to the break after their school exams. Hannah's boyfriend Jake will be there and a local music festival is taking place over the weekend, so there will be fun to be had before Hannah's parents and brothers arrive. But when the rest of the Armstrong family arrive they find Lottie floating in their swimming pool, dead, and Hannah missing. As Mr. Armstrong is a rising politician the case is sure to generate a great deal of attention, and Detective Matthew Venn is asked to lead the investigation along with his (evolving) team. All too soon another dead body is found, and tensions ramp up even more. Who is behind the killings, and why? There are family tensions percolating and friction between the working class locals and the monied visitors who are buying up properties as vacation homes, and Venn and his team must deal with both as they search for the truth of what happened in this area known for summer vacationing - not murder.
The Dying Light is the fourth entry in author Ann Cleeves' Two Rivers series featuring Detective Matthew Venn, a complex character whose strict upbringing has made it challenging to forge his adult life as a gay man. As he embarks upon his latest case he is also dealing with his husband Jonathan's decision to search for his birth mother, something Matthew is not sure is a good idea. The story is grounded with a well-sketched setting and characters new and old presented with depth and nuance. The mystery at the core is an intricate puzzle that is equal parts police procedural
and interpersonal drama, and it kept me guessing right up until the end. Fans of the author as well as readers of Louise Penny, Deborah Crombie and Peter Robinson will find this of definite appeal (note: as is generally the case, those who have read the preceding titles in the series will have a deeper understanding of the character than those who have not, but it can certainly be read as a standalone). My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me access to the novel in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite authors and I love this series. Matthew Venn is such a great character. He is a great detective but his strict upbringing has left Matthew always feeling like an outsider and unworthy of love. In addition to leading a difficult investigation, he is also feeling uneasy in his personal life. He's trying to be supportive of his husband Jonathan's quest to meet his biological mother, but the situation brings up all of his insecurities.
The case in this book is very interesting. The body of a young woman is found in the swimming pool at an upscale holiday home owned by a controversial politician and another young woman is missing. Is this connected to politics or something in the lives of the young women who are best friends but seem to be very different. Matthew's team consists of DS Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May. Jen is a very likable character. She's easy to relate to and has a way with people that balances out Matthew's sometimes awkward social skills. Ross has matured over the course of the series and he is much easier to take now and makes some valuable contributions to the investigation.
One of the themes in the book is that outside appearances don't tell the whole story and that anyone could be keeping secrets or hiding their true nature. This case took a few twists and turns that kept me engaged throughout the book. I was incorrect in my guess about the guilty party, and was surprised when the solution to the case was revealed. Like so many books by Cleeves, as soon as I finished reading it, I immediately started looking forward to future books in the series.
I received an advance copy of this book from Minotaur Books. My review is voluntary and unbiased.
The case in this book is very interesting. The body of a young woman is found in the swimming pool at an upscale holiday home owned by a controversial politician and another young woman is missing. Is this connected to politics or something in the lives of the young women who are best friends but seem to be very different. Matthew's team consists of DS Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May. Jen is a very likable character. She's easy to relate to and has a way with people that balances out Matthew's sometimes awkward social skills. Ross has matured over the course of the series and he is much easier to take now and makes some valuable contributions to the investigation.
One of the themes in the book is that outside appearances don't tell the whole story and that anyone could be keeping secrets or hiding their true nature. This case took a few twists and turns that kept me engaged throughout the book. I was incorrect in my guess about the guilty party, and was surprised when the solution to the case was revealed. Like so many books by Cleeves, as soon as I finished reading it, I immediately started looking forward to future books in the series.
I received an advance copy of this book from Minotaur Books. My review is voluntary and unbiased.
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