What do you think?
Rate this book
Two Rivers #3
The Raging Storm
Ann Cleeves― New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows―returns with The Raging Storm , the extraordinary third installment in the Matthew Venn series.
Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.
When Jem Rosco―sailor, adventurer, and legend―blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.
This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Venn finds his judgment clouded.
As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets.
Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.
When Jem Rosco―sailor, adventurer, and legend―blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.
This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Venn finds his judgment clouded.
As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets.
383 pages, Hardcover
First published August 31, 2023
1906 people are currently reading
19467 people want to read
About the author
Ann Cleeves
132 books8,752 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,750 reviews
August 19, 2023
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, the third book in the series,
The Raging Storm
, mainly takes place in and around the small community Greystone in Devon England.
Adventurer, sailor, and former member of the community, Jem Rosco, arrives on stormy night at the local pub. He’s rented a nearby cottage, but he disappears after a month, only to be found dead in a dinghy off Scully Cove.
Matthew Venn is called to the scene along with his sergeant Jen Rafferty and another member of Venn’s team: Ross May. As they investigate, Venn must deal with the fact that he visited this community as a child with his parents. Many members of Greystone are members of a religious community that Venn once was part of, but left. Secrets abound in this multi-layered story.
Venn is honest, likes background information, loves maps, focuses on logic, and is somewhat inscrutable. However, he has self-doubts, lacks charisma, and doesn’t like enclosed spaces. 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 doesn’t feel his efforts are appreciated even though Venn praises him several times for doing a good job.
The plot is full of secrets and tangled relationships. The more the team investigates, the more convoluted things feel. Superstition and rumor mix with facts to cloud the investigation. Class, money, and privilege (or the lack of it) are also woven into the complex story. The book is also very atmospheric with storms continually hitting the community. However, I felt the novel slowed down a little too much in places.
Overall, this was an atmospheric book with great characterization and a complex plot. 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 05, 2023.
------------------------------------------
My 3.77 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
Adventurer, sailor, and former member of the community, Jem Rosco, arrives on stormy night at the local pub. He’s rented a nearby cottage, but he disappears after a month, only to be found dead in a dinghy off Scully Cove.
Matthew Venn is called to the scene along with his sergeant Jen Rafferty and another member of Venn’s team: Ross May. As they investigate, Venn must deal with the fact that he visited this community as a child with his parents. Many members of Greystone are members of a religious community that Venn once was part of, but left. Secrets abound in this multi-layered story.
Venn is honest, likes background information, loves maps, focuses on logic, and is somewhat inscrutable. However, he has self-doubts, lacks charisma, and doesn’t like enclosed spaces. 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 doesn’t feel his efforts are appreciated even though Venn praises him several times for doing a good job.
The plot is full of secrets and tangled relationships. The more the team investigates, the more convoluted things feel. Superstition and rumor mix with facts to cloud the investigation. Class, money, and privilege (or the lack of it) are also woven into the complex story. The book is also very atmospheric with storms continually hitting the community. However, I felt the novel slowed down a little too much in places.
Overall, this was an atmospheric book with great characterization and a complex plot. 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 05, 2023.
------------------------------------------
My 3.77 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.
September 6, 2023
Enjoyed my first Ann Cleeves mystery novel and it's wonderfully atmospheric too. 4.5⭐
A local renowned sailor and TV celebrity Jem Roscoe returns to his hometown of Greystone. He rents a cottage and visits the village's pub daily for a pint or two. Townspeople are excited to see Jem and to rub shoulders with a legend while he waits to meet mysterious guests.
A coastguard call came in about a dinghy anchored in the shallow waters at Scully Cove, a place with bad luck and wild stories. A lifeboat "EMT" was sent to the Cove but was too late to save the naked man on board, Jem Roscoe.
Detective Inspector Matthew Venn with his team Jen Rafferty and Ross May arrive at this coastal town to investigate Jem's death. As an evitable storm approaches Greystone and a second body is found, Venn must crack the case before the killer strikes again.
Wow, what can I say, this novel is full of intrigue and the writing is superb. When you add stormy weather to a quiet coastal town and isolate it from the outside with a killer in the midst you have a winning recipe. I can't put this one down!
I don't normally pick up slow-burn mysteries/procedural but I think Two Rivers is a stunning series that I would add to my list. DI Venn's back story is interesting too as he returns to Greystone in North Devon and recalls old memories. I had no problem listening to The Raging Storm and it's fine as a standalone but there are many characters and a challenge to keep track of when listening on audio. I would love to visit the first two novels with audio and print copies as a companion.
I had my eyes on Cleeves' novels because of the TV series Vera and Shetland but never had a chance to check it out so my sincere thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audio copy for her new series. Jack Holden was excellent with the narration and made it very enjoyable to listen to.
A local renowned sailor and TV celebrity Jem Roscoe returns to his hometown of Greystone. He rents a cottage and visits the village's pub daily for a pint or two. Townspeople are excited to see Jem and to rub shoulders with a legend while he waits to meet mysterious guests.
A coastguard call came in about a dinghy anchored in the shallow waters at Scully Cove, a place with bad luck and wild stories. A lifeboat "EMT" was sent to the Cove but was too late to save the naked man on board, Jem Roscoe.
Detective Inspector Matthew Venn with his team Jen Rafferty and Ross May arrive at this coastal town to investigate Jem's death. As an evitable storm approaches Greystone and a second body is found, Venn must crack the case before the killer strikes again.
Wow, what can I say, this novel is full of intrigue and the writing is superb. When you add stormy weather to a quiet coastal town and isolate it from the outside with a killer in the midst you have a winning recipe. I can't put this one down!
I don't normally pick up slow-burn mysteries/procedural but I think Two Rivers is a stunning series that I would add to my list. DI Venn's back story is interesting too as he returns to Greystone in North Devon and recalls old memories. I had no problem listening to The Raging Storm and it's fine as a standalone but there are many characters and a challenge to keep track of when listening on audio. I would love to visit the first two novels with audio and print copies as a companion.
I had my eyes on Cleeves' novels because of the TV series Vera and Shetland but never had a chance to check it out so my sincere thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audio copy for her new series. Jack Holden was excellent with the narration and made it very enjoyable to listen to.
June 13, 2023
4.5 rounded up
Two Rivers #3 DI Matthew Venn
Legendary sailor and TV personality, Jem Roscoe blows into Greystone, Devon during a September gale. He rents a cottage and says he’s there to meet someone, but he’s very mysterious and cagey about it. As a consequence, he interests and intrigues the small community and despite being an outsider, he soon becomes part of it. When he disappears, they’re at a loss. Later, following a distress call to the lifeboat, a body is found in a dinghy in very rough seas. Matthew and his partner DS Jen Rafferty are sent to Greystone to investigate.
Quite apart from the fact that Ann Cleeves always creates good mysteries, one of the standout features of her many books is her exceptionally good characterisation. Whilst Matthew Venn may not be as immediately appealing as Vera Stanhope or Jimmy Perez, he is undoubtedly fascinating and possibly her most complex character to date. He carries burdens from his past which still impact him to this day, he’s not the most patient person on the planet, nor is he exactly a bundle of joy, but then if you’re investigating murder, you probably wouldn’t be! He is without question a dedicated and good detective and his sidekick Jen is a good foil for Venn, as is Matthews partner, the easy-going Jonathan. Jem Roscoe is a source of fascination too and is quite enigmatic. All the many characters in this mystery are well portrayed and easy to picture.
I love the atmosphere, the author creates here and I think she’s almost excelled herself! The small, remote, rather bleak community creates an atmosphere all of its own, there’s an intriguing awkwardness and reticence that’s very interesting. There is some distrust too as some locals are members of the Barum Brethren and as an ex member, Matthew Venn is a source of some suspicion from those quarters. There seems to be either misdirection or a wall of silence to contend with in this difficult case.
In addition, there’s stormy weather especially at the start, which creates unease and adds to the building tension. There is an excellent sense of place too, there are some terrific descriptions of the area, which provides scope for some exciting scenes.
The plot is carefully constructed and well thought out, there are secrets by the lorry load and many twists and turns in the complex storytelling. Whilst the pace is not exceptionally fast, I think it suits and matches both the place and the situations. The solution is a bit Christie-esque in some ways and it has certainly got Agatha convolutions! I like it!
Overall, I have no doubt this is another best seller to add to the many in the authors back catalogue.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan McMillan for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Two Rivers #3 DI Matthew Venn
Legendary sailor and TV personality, Jem Roscoe blows into Greystone, Devon during a September gale. He rents a cottage and says he’s there to meet someone, but he’s very mysterious and cagey about it. As a consequence, he interests and intrigues the small community and despite being an outsider, he soon becomes part of it. When he disappears, they’re at a loss. Later, following a distress call to the lifeboat, a body is found in a dinghy in very rough seas. Matthew and his partner DS Jen Rafferty are sent to Greystone to investigate.
Quite apart from the fact that Ann Cleeves always creates good mysteries, one of the standout features of her many books is her exceptionally good characterisation. Whilst Matthew Venn may not be as immediately appealing as Vera Stanhope or Jimmy Perez, he is undoubtedly fascinating and possibly her most complex character to date. He carries burdens from his past which still impact him to this day, he’s not the most patient person on the planet, nor is he exactly a bundle of joy, but then if you’re investigating murder, you probably wouldn’t be! He is without question a dedicated and good detective and his sidekick Jen is a good foil for Venn, as is Matthews partner, the easy-going Jonathan. Jem Roscoe is a source of fascination too and is quite enigmatic. All the many characters in this mystery are well portrayed and easy to picture.
I love the atmosphere, the author creates here and I think she’s almost excelled herself! The small, remote, rather bleak community creates an atmosphere all of its own, there’s an intriguing awkwardness and reticence that’s very interesting. There is some distrust too as some locals are members of the Barum Brethren and as an ex member, Matthew Venn is a source of some suspicion from those quarters. There seems to be either misdirection or a wall of silence to contend with in this difficult case.
In addition, there’s stormy weather especially at the start, which creates unease and adds to the building tension. There is an excellent sense of place too, there are some terrific descriptions of the area, which provides scope for some exciting scenes.
The plot is carefully constructed and well thought out, there are secrets by the lorry load and many twists and turns in the complex storytelling. Whilst the pace is not exceptionally fast, I think it suits and matches both the place and the situations. The solution is a bit Christie-esque in some ways and it has certainly got Agatha convolutions! I like it!
Overall, I have no doubt this is another best seller to add to the many in the authors back catalogue.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan McMillan for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
August 1, 2024
**4.5-stars rounded up**
The Raging Storm is the third release in the Two Rivers series by beloved Mystery author, Ann Cleeves.
This Police Procedural Mystery series follows Detective Matthew Venn. I loved the first book in the series and have been hooked on it ever since. I feel like I have been waiting for this release for so long and it did not disappoint!!
The setting for this story is the small village of Greystone, Devon, a place Venn is very familiar with. He spent time there as a child, and due to personal reasons, has since parted ways with the community.
This might sound ominous, and it sort of is. If you've read the previous books, you'll know, but basically, Matthew was raised in a very religious household; part of the Barum Brethren, who have many members living in Greystone.
Matthew's sexuality, among other things, forced his separation from the group and family. Even the thought of returning makes him uncomfortable, but he's a professional and goes where he must.
Duty calls after the body of minor-celebrity sailor, Jem Roscoe, has been discovered in a dinghy anchored off Scully Cove. The residents of Greystone are shocked.
Roscoe, who grew up there, had returned after many years away and was renting a cottage. He just came back a few weeks ago, who could possibly want him dead?
Everyone seemed to find his presence entertaining. Many were curious as to why he came back. When asked, he claimed to be waiting for a visitor, but never indicated who. Could this person be the one responsible for his death?
Matthew, along with his team members, Jen Rafferty and Ross May, head to Greystone to investigate this highly mysterious death.
As they begin their investigation, talking with the locals and digging into the lore and history of the town, they discover this mystery may run much deeper than they initially expected. As mentioned, Roscoe did have roots in the community, even if he had been away for many years.
With storm fronts ripping through the small town, the investigation takes many unexpected turns as we rushed towards the surprising and satisfying conclusion.
I had so much fun with this. The audiobook is fantastic. I definitely recommend that as a format for this story.
I love Matthew as a character. He is smart, dedicated, but also still processing his childhood and schism from his family and community. This makes him feel vulnerable at times. He's healed a lot, is happily married and obviously successful in his career, but those old insecurities sneak up on him sometimes.
I feel like his character is just so relatable and I think a lot of Readers will be able to really connect with him.
In addition to a compelling leading man, these novels contain exceptionally well-plotted mysteries. I loved how this one evolved over the course of the story.
You can tell from the very start that Cleeves is a veteran-Mystery writer. This lady knows what she is doing. All you have to do is sit back, relax and take it all in.
I love mystery stories set in small towns and this one is a perfect example of why. As the detectives began questioning the locals, they certainly learned a lot. There are so many connections and everyone knows each other's business.
It was interesting that Jem Rosco, who was originally from the town, had gained some celebrity. They all had opinions on that, whether it was based on who he was when he was young, or assumptions they made about his character now. I loved how he created such a fervor just by returning to town.
The rumor mills were churning even before he got himself killed. That may sound harsh, but seriously, the town was just a'clucking about his return.
I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Police Procedural Mysteries. I think this whole series is just incredible. The writing is fantastic, the characters well-developed and the mysteries all super compelling.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I cannot wait for the next book!!!
The Raging Storm is the third release in the Two Rivers series by beloved Mystery author, Ann Cleeves.
This Police Procedural Mystery series follows Detective Matthew Venn. I loved the first book in the series and have been hooked on it ever since. I feel like I have been waiting for this release for so long and it did not disappoint!!
The setting for this story is the small village of Greystone, Devon, a place Venn is very familiar with. He spent time there as a child, and due to personal reasons, has since parted ways with the community.
This might sound ominous, and it sort of is. If you've read the previous books, you'll know, but basically, Matthew was raised in a very religious household; part of the Barum Brethren, who have many members living in Greystone.
Matthew's sexuality, among other things, forced his separation from the group and family. Even the thought of returning makes him uncomfortable, but he's a professional and goes where he must.
Duty calls after the body of minor-celebrity sailor, Jem Roscoe, has been discovered in a dinghy anchored off Scully Cove. The residents of Greystone are shocked.
Roscoe, who grew up there, had returned after many years away and was renting a cottage. He just came back a few weeks ago, who could possibly want him dead?
Everyone seemed to find his presence entertaining. Many were curious as to why he came back. When asked, he claimed to be waiting for a visitor, but never indicated who. Could this person be the one responsible for his death?
Matthew, along with his team members, Jen Rafferty and Ross May, head to Greystone to investigate this highly mysterious death.
As they begin their investigation, talking with the locals and digging into the lore and history of the town, they discover this mystery may run much deeper than they initially expected. As mentioned, Roscoe did have roots in the community, even if he had been away for many years.
With storm fronts ripping through the small town, the investigation takes many unexpected turns as we rushed towards the surprising and satisfying conclusion.
I had so much fun with this. The audiobook is fantastic. I definitely recommend that as a format for this story.
I love Matthew as a character. He is smart, dedicated, but also still processing his childhood and schism from his family and community. This makes him feel vulnerable at times. He's healed a lot, is happily married and obviously successful in his career, but those old insecurities sneak up on him sometimes.
I feel like his character is just so relatable and I think a lot of Readers will be able to really connect with him.
In addition to a compelling leading man, these novels contain exceptionally well-plotted mysteries. I loved how this one evolved over the course of the story.
You can tell from the very start that Cleeves is a veteran-Mystery writer. This lady knows what she is doing. All you have to do is sit back, relax and take it all in.
I love mystery stories set in small towns and this one is a perfect example of why. As the detectives began questioning the locals, they certainly learned a lot. There are so many connections and everyone knows each other's business.
It was interesting that Jem Rosco, who was originally from the town, had gained some celebrity. They all had opinions on that, whether it was based on who he was when he was young, or assumptions they made about his character now. I loved how he created such a fervor just by returning to town.
The rumor mills were churning even before he got himself killed. That may sound harsh, but seriously, the town was just a'clucking about his return.
I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Police Procedural Mysteries. I think this whole series is just incredible. The writing is fantastic, the characters well-developed and the mysteries all super compelling.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I cannot wait for the next book!!!
July 16, 2023
The Raging Storm is the third in the Matt Venn series by Ann Cleeves. It starts when Jem Rosco, a local boy made good as a sailing hero returns to his hometown of Greystone. But then, his dead body is found in a dinghy anchored in Scully Cove and Matt and his team are called in to investigate. It’s an uncomfortable situation for Matt as this town is the home of the conservative church that tossed him out.
This isn’t a fast paced story. It’s a cerebral police procedural, expecting the reader to pay attention. This is a character driven story. Both the suspects and the team are fully developed individuals. My favorite police procedurals balance the mix of mystery to the team’s personal issues and this manages that mix perfectly.
Cleeves just does a wonderful job of setting the scene and I appreciated the ability to easily envision how it all plays out. The ending to this was perfect (which to me means it makes sense and isn’t unbelievable).
Make sure to take the time to read the Author’s Note and Cleeves’ discussion on how Matt came to be.
I listened to this and I enjoyed Jack Holden’s narration.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book
This isn’t a fast paced story. It’s a cerebral police procedural, expecting the reader to pay attention. This is a character driven story. Both the suspects and the team are fully developed individuals. My favorite police procedurals balance the mix of mystery to the team’s personal issues and this manages that mix perfectly.
Cleeves just does a wonderful job of setting the scene and I appreciated the ability to easily envision how it all plays out. The ending to this was perfect (which to me means it makes sense and isn’t unbelievable).
Make sure to take the time to read the Author’s Note and Cleeves’ discussion on how Matt came to be.
I listened to this and I enjoyed Jack Holden’s narration.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book
September 14, 2023
This is the 3rd in the Detective Matthew Venn series - also known as Two Rivers. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, for any one interested in following a series, it may be better to consider reading the first books, The Long Call (review here) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and The Heron’s Cry (review here) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... to get a sense of the returning characters.
This story is based in Greystone, an imaginary town on the Devon coast. Citizens are excited when Jem Rosco, a hometown hero returns, who is somewhat of a celebrity. Each night he stops by the pub, visits and jokes with the locals, and talks about waiting to meet with a mysterious person. This goes on for about 2 weeks.
And then…
One night he doesn’t show up.
Greystone resident Mary Ford, the lead team member of the lifeboat crew is awakened early to investigate a body found in a floating dingy.
Guess who?
Yep…
Enter Matthew Venn whose team is here to investigate Rosco’s death.
This is difficult for Venn to return to this town, because this is where he grew up, and in adulthood, he left the Brethen (a confining cult-like religion which is quite popular here) and was disowned by his parents for doing so.
“Since losing his faith, and marrying Jonathan, he hadn’t been back.”
Of course, during this whole time that Venn arrives there is a…
Raging storm! (Hence the book title!)
The story plays out in interesting ways…
The mystery of Rosco’s death and how his friendships and loves from decades earlier play out in the present; Matthew’s personal life – his comforting and dynamic relationship with his husband as well as his knowledge of a community deeply impacted by an unyielding religion; and, the setting, not just the sea, but the isolation of this seaside village that doesn’t attract tourists or work-from-home folks.
Of course…
There are many people not willing to help Venn get to the truth in the investigation which slows things up.
And…
It doesn’t help when Venn and one of his officers are put in danger.
But…
Eventually it all comes together, like an Agatha Christie outing where explanations are rendered towards the end.
This is an easy-to-read, slow-moving mystery. Inspector Venn is a meticulous, unemotional, but thorough character in his approach. He cares about his team, and is not easily detoured from his mission.
For those who like police procedurals, and cozy mysteries, this one will be a well-organized read.
But...
If I am being completely honest, this will probably be my last Venn book. I find myself not quite attracted to how Cleeves writes her character/story. Yes, I gave it 4 stars, but, it still didn't create a connection for me.
For fans of Cleeves, Britbox has filmed The Long Call, but I have since learned that the series has been cancelled. Cleeves is also the author of the widely popular Shetland and Vera series, also on the television screens. I personally am more attracted to the television series than I am to her books. For whatever reason, she isn't appealing to me as an author, especially with how she writes her Vera character.
This story is based in Greystone, an imaginary town on the Devon coast. Citizens are excited when Jem Rosco, a hometown hero returns, who is somewhat of a celebrity. Each night he stops by the pub, visits and jokes with the locals, and talks about waiting to meet with a mysterious person. This goes on for about 2 weeks.
And then…
One night he doesn’t show up.
Greystone resident Mary Ford, the lead team member of the lifeboat crew is awakened early to investigate a body found in a floating dingy.
Guess who?
Yep…
Enter Matthew Venn whose team is here to investigate Rosco’s death.
This is difficult for Venn to return to this town, because this is where he grew up, and in adulthood, he left the Brethen (a confining cult-like religion which is quite popular here) and was disowned by his parents for doing so.
“Since losing his faith, and marrying Jonathan, he hadn’t been back.”
Of course, during this whole time that Venn arrives there is a…
Raging storm! (Hence the book title!)
The story plays out in interesting ways…
The mystery of Rosco’s death and how his friendships and loves from decades earlier play out in the present; Matthew’s personal life – his comforting and dynamic relationship with his husband as well as his knowledge of a community deeply impacted by an unyielding religion; and, the setting, not just the sea, but the isolation of this seaside village that doesn’t attract tourists or work-from-home folks.
Of course…
There are many people not willing to help Venn get to the truth in the investigation which slows things up.
And…
It doesn’t help when Venn and one of his officers are put in danger.
But…
Eventually it all comes together, like an Agatha Christie outing where explanations are rendered towards the end.
This is an easy-to-read, slow-moving mystery. Inspector Venn is a meticulous, unemotional, but thorough character in his approach. He cares about his team, and is not easily detoured from his mission.
For those who like police procedurals, and cozy mysteries, this one will be a well-organized read.
But...
If I am being completely honest, this will probably be my last Venn book. I find myself not quite attracted to how Cleeves writes her character/story. Yes, I gave it 4 stars, but, it still didn't create a connection for me.
For fans of Cleeves, Britbox has filmed The Long Call, but I have since learned that the series has been cancelled. Cleeves is also the author of the widely popular Shetland and Vera series, also on the television screens. I personally am more attracted to the television series than I am to her books. For whatever reason, she isn't appealing to me as an author, especially with how she writes her Vera character.
October 15, 2023
EXCERPT: Jen Rafferty thought this looked like something from a cheap horror movie made years ago. The blood in the bath and on the walls had dried and darkened, so it could almost have been filmed in black and white. It seemed to her that the whole of Greystone had a strange, unreal almost other-worldly quality: the village that time had forgotten. She'd never before been anywhere that felt so cut off from the rest of the world, and the sense of isolation sapped her confidence. She wasn't sure how to work here, how to conduct interviews, or make people talk. The constant noise of the wind outside, howling like an animal in pain, added to her unease.
ABOUT 'THE RAGNG STORM': When Jem Rosco—sailor, adventurer, and legend—blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.
This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Venn finds his judgment clouded.
As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets.
MY THOUGHTS: Ann Cleeves has created a claustrophobic atmosphere in the small coastal village of Greystones. Families have been resident there for generations; newcomers are treated with suspicion and sometimes scorn. Matthew Venn is familiar with the area, having grown up nearby, and having visited Greystones as a child. Some people remember him, but not always fondly.
Venn is an interesting character - very self-contained, he has trouble relating to other people and avoids physical contact where possible. He constantly doubts himself, and doesn't understand what his husband, Jonathan, sees in him.
Jen has a bit of a chip on her shoulder - she somehow imagines that everyone has an easier life than her. As a solo mum to two teenagers who has problems juggling her home and work lives, she may be right, but she can let it colour her judgement.
Ross is the baby of the team and feels like he is always in competition with Jen for Venn's attention. He thinks that his ideas often aren't listened to and is always trying to prove himself. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a great attention span.
I enjoyed this storyline, one full of tangled relationships dating back decades, and admit I was shocked at who was behind the murders. If you are looking for a thriller, you're in the wrong place, although there are certainly some thrilling moments. But if you enjoy a well-crafted character based murder mystery, I strongly recommend The Raging Storm.
Another great read by Ann Cleeves.
Although The Raging Storm is #3 in the Matthew Venn series, it is easily read as a standalone as it contains a complete mystery and there are only passing references to past cases.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#TheRagingStorm #WaitomoDistrictLibrary
THE AUTHOR: 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.
ABOUT 'THE RAGNG STORM': When Jem Rosco—sailor, adventurer, and legend—blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.
This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Venn finds his judgment clouded.
As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets.
MY THOUGHTS: Ann Cleeves has created a claustrophobic atmosphere in the small coastal village of Greystones. Families have been resident there for generations; newcomers are treated with suspicion and sometimes scorn. Matthew Venn is familiar with the area, having grown up nearby, and having visited Greystones as a child. Some people remember him, but not always fondly.
Venn is an interesting character - very self-contained, he has trouble relating to other people and avoids physical contact where possible. He constantly doubts himself, and doesn't understand what his husband, Jonathan, sees in him.
Jen has a bit of a chip on her shoulder - she somehow imagines that everyone has an easier life than her. As a solo mum to two teenagers who has problems juggling her home and work lives, she may be right, but she can let it colour her judgement.
Ross is the baby of the team and feels like he is always in competition with Jen for Venn's attention. He thinks that his ideas often aren't listened to and is always trying to prove himself. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a great attention span.
I enjoyed this storyline, one full of tangled relationships dating back decades, and admit I was shocked at who was behind the murders. If you are looking for a thriller, you're in the wrong place, although there are certainly some thrilling moments. But if you enjoy a well-crafted character based murder mystery, I strongly recommend The Raging Storm.
Another great read by Ann Cleeves.
Although The Raging Storm is #3 in the Matthew Venn series, it is easily read as a standalone as it contains a complete mystery and there are only passing references to past cases.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#TheRagingStorm #WaitomoDistrictLibrary
THE AUTHOR: 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.
September 9, 2023
So, the Shetland series.which I loved had ended. I was verklempt! My.thoughts were at least I still have Vera. Then a new series, so I read
the first two in series, liked it well enough but it didnt quite grab me. Until this one, the third in series, and now I like Venn but I love Jonathan. Matthew is a very lucky man.
i guess the message is, trust your favorite authors. The best in police procedurals, good storylines , not a lot of graphic violence, and a terrific mix of policework and private lives. Plus, as with all her books, the place, the atmosphere is fantastic and authentic.
The audio, narrator was terrific.
the first two in series, liked it well enough but it didnt quite grab me. Until this one, the third in series, and now I like Venn but I love Jonathan. Matthew is a very lucky man.
i guess the message is, trust your favorite authors. The best in police procedurals, good storylines , not a lot of graphic violence, and a terrific mix of policework and private lives. Plus, as with all her books, the place, the atmosphere is fantastic and authentic.
The audio, narrator was terrific.
April 12, 2024
The third book in the Two Rivers series featuring D.I.Matthew Venn and set in Devon. A series of deaths in Scully Cove cause Matthew and his team to set up a murder investigation. It is a place where Matthew lived as a young person and he has bad memories of some of the people there.
This is an excellent police procedural. The characters are interesting, the police work is sensible and thorough, and even the dangerous climax to the story is well thought out and not histrionic. Matthew still annoys me a little - he really needs to start giving his husband, Jonathan, a little more priority if he cares for him as much as he claims.
Five stars for a great read and I look forward to the next book.
This is an excellent police procedural. The characters are interesting, the police work is sensible and thorough, and even the dangerous climax to the story is well thought out and not histrionic. Matthew still annoys me a little - he really needs to start giving his husband, Jonathan, a little more priority if he cares for him as much as he claims.
Five stars for a great read and I look forward to the next book.
August 31, 2023
The Raging Storm is the 3rd installment of the Two Rivers series written by Ann Cleeves. I was first introduced to this author by her Shetland and Vera series. All of which I now follow.
Set in Greystone, Devon, England, a celebrity returns unexpectedly to this stormy coastal town at the local pub. His stay is short-lived. Not long after, his body is found on a dingy in the mysterious Scully Cove. Filled with superstition, the cove and its surrounding town are filled with cover-ups and secrets.
Returning to the series is DI Matthew Venn and his team. This area is not new to Venn. He grew up here within a religious community whose remnants still remain. Venn is a thinker. Typically he is straight forward, but the complexity of his former surroundings causes his some distress. Cleeves brilliantly weaves in the backstories of Venn and his two team members. She makes them real. There are a variety of other characters tied to the celebrity of which many can be the killer.
Cleeves has written another wonderful mystery that can certainly be read as a stand-alone.
4 out of 5 stars
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and the author, Ann Cleeves.
Review posted to Goodreads on August 31, 2023
Publication Date - September 5, 2023
Set in Greystone, Devon, England, a celebrity returns unexpectedly to this stormy coastal town at the local pub. His stay is short-lived. Not long after, his body is found on a dingy in the mysterious Scully Cove. Filled with superstition, the cove and its surrounding town are filled with cover-ups and secrets.
Returning to the series is DI Matthew Venn and his team. This area is not new to Venn. He grew up here within a religious community whose remnants still remain. Venn is a thinker. Typically he is straight forward, but the complexity of his former surroundings causes his some distress. Cleeves brilliantly weaves in the backstories of Venn and his two team members. She makes them real. There are a variety of other characters tied to the celebrity of which many can be the killer.
Cleeves has written another wonderful mystery that can certainly be read as a stand-alone.
4 out of 5 stars
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and the author, Ann Cleeves.
Review posted to Goodreads on August 31, 2023
Publication Date - September 5, 2023
September 12, 2023
The Raging Storm, the third book in the Two Rivers series, was the first book that I had the pleasure of reading by Ann Cleeves. Even though I did not read the first two books in this series, I had no trouble following this character driven murder mystery. It can most definitely be read as a stand-alone book. I always enjoy a good police procedural book and The Raging Storm possessed all the elements required to make it a compelling one.
The Raging Storm was set in a quiet coastal town called Greystone in Devon, England. Greystone was a quiet little town where everyone knew everyone. Many of the residents grew up in the town and remained there as adults. Nothing very exciting ever happened there. The return of Jem Roscoe, tv celebrity and sailing hero, was the most exciting thing to happen in a long time. Jem Roscoe’s appearance in Greystone was soon known by all. He had rented a cottage and had the habit of ending his days at the local pub. Jem Roscoe let everyone know that he was expecting a special guest and would remain in Greystone until his guest arrived. One night Jem Roscoe failed to show up at the pub. No one even noticed or gave it a second thought. Then later that night, Detective Inspector Matthew Venn was alerted by the coast guard that a naked male body was discovered in an abandoned dinghy at Scully Cove.
Detective inspector Matthew Venn informed the members of his team to meet him at Scully Cove. He was met by Jen Rafferty, his sergeant, and Ross May. It was soon determined that the body in the abandoned dinghy was indeed dead and was no other than Jem Roscoe. Had he been murdered or was there some sort of an accident? Detective Inspector Matthew Venn’s work was just beginning. He and his team would not stop until they figured out what had happened to Jem Roscoe and who was responsible for it. His team split up and began interviewing people from Greystone that had had contact with Jem Roscoe. Matthew Venn was quite familiar with this coastal town. He had spent time there as a child. Many of the residents of Greystone belonged to a specific religious sect. Matthew had also been a member of the Barum Brethren. Venn decided to disassociate himself from the sect years ago. The Church actually asked Matthew to leave and he was not at all surprised or upset.
Matthew Venn was relentless in his investigation. No one was off limits from Detective Inspector Matthew Venn’s questioning. Then his investigation was impacted by severe raging storms. The storms were so severe that downed trees closed roads and the power was affected. With the confirmation that Jem Roscoe was indeed murdered, Venn knew he had to discover who the murderer was so no one else suffered the same fate. Would Venn be able to identify the murderer before the murderer had a chance to kill again?
The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves was a suspenseful police procedural murder mystery. I really liked Detective Inspector Matthew Venn’s character. Ann Cleeves presented him as a gay married man. I felt that that only enhanced his character. He was very forthcoming about his relationship with his husband. That definitely added another dimension to his character. I was surprised by the ending and I had not seen it coming. Overall, I enjoyed The Raging Storm. I listened to the audiobook that was performed very well by Jack Holden. In the future, I hope to read more books by Ann Cleeves. I recommend this book very highly.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Raging Storm was set in a quiet coastal town called Greystone in Devon, England. Greystone was a quiet little town where everyone knew everyone. Many of the residents grew up in the town and remained there as adults. Nothing very exciting ever happened there. The return of Jem Roscoe, tv celebrity and sailing hero, was the most exciting thing to happen in a long time. Jem Roscoe’s appearance in Greystone was soon known by all. He had rented a cottage and had the habit of ending his days at the local pub. Jem Roscoe let everyone know that he was expecting a special guest and would remain in Greystone until his guest arrived. One night Jem Roscoe failed to show up at the pub. No one even noticed or gave it a second thought. Then later that night, Detective Inspector Matthew Venn was alerted by the coast guard that a naked male body was discovered in an abandoned dinghy at Scully Cove.
Detective inspector Matthew Venn informed the members of his team to meet him at Scully Cove. He was met by Jen Rafferty, his sergeant, and Ross May. It was soon determined that the body in the abandoned dinghy was indeed dead and was no other than Jem Roscoe. Had he been murdered or was there some sort of an accident? Detective Inspector Matthew Venn’s work was just beginning. He and his team would not stop until they figured out what had happened to Jem Roscoe and who was responsible for it. His team split up and began interviewing people from Greystone that had had contact with Jem Roscoe. Matthew Venn was quite familiar with this coastal town. He had spent time there as a child. Many of the residents of Greystone belonged to a specific religious sect. Matthew had also been a member of the Barum Brethren. Venn decided to disassociate himself from the sect years ago. The Church actually asked Matthew to leave and he was not at all surprised or upset.
Matthew Venn was relentless in his investigation. No one was off limits from Detective Inspector Matthew Venn’s questioning. Then his investigation was impacted by severe raging storms. The storms were so severe that downed trees closed roads and the power was affected. With the confirmation that Jem Roscoe was indeed murdered, Venn knew he had to discover who the murderer was so no one else suffered the same fate. Would Venn be able to identify the murderer before the murderer had a chance to kill again?
The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves was a suspenseful police procedural murder mystery. I really liked Detective Inspector Matthew Venn’s character. Ann Cleeves presented him as a gay married man. I felt that that only enhanced his character. He was very forthcoming about his relationship with his husband. That definitely added another dimension to his character. I was surprised by the ending and I had not seen it coming. Overall, I enjoyed The Raging Storm. I listened to the audiobook that was performed very well by Jack Holden. In the future, I hope to read more books by Ann Cleeves. I recommend this book very highly.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 27, 2023
THE RAGING STORM is the third instalment in the Two Rivers series by Ann Cleeves. I gave both of the previous two novels a 4.5 star rating, although I lowered my ratings of both to four stars for the Goodreads system. I lowered, rather than raised my internal 4.5 ratings for them because:
(1) In the first book, The Long Call, two of the three main villains were obvious early in the story, and the motivations driving these villains to cover up the first crime seemed irrational from a psychological viewpoint.
(2) In the second, The Heron’s Cry, again there was a conspiracy of villains. This time I wasn’t able to spot them before the rushed ending, but again their motivations were not psychologically credible.
This third instalment in the series has a similar problem to The Heron’s Cry. There is a rushed ending, and a conspiracy of villains, none of whom seems to have a psychologically credible motivation for the murders and attempted murders. The main villain, in particular, was not given a credible backstory to explain all the plotting that took place, not even for the first killing.
But the main flaw of THE RAGING STORM is that it is b-o-r-i-n-g. It took me from September 13 to the 20th to read it because I could only complete a few short chapters at one time before stopping to do something more interesting, like an iPad zigsaw puzzle. I finished it because I had hopes that it might turn around, and I had genuinely liked the first two novels in the series. It was a library book, so I had no financial incentive, but I had hope—now I doubt that I’ll ever read another novel in this series.
Ann Cleeves is considered a character-based writer, but a character-based writer should have a good concept of the underlying psychology that motivates a character’s actions. Not only are the motivations of the villains not explored in the The Rivers series, but the motivations of the three main investigators—Matthew Venn, Jen Rafferty, and Ross May—have not been explored in depth since the first book. In The Long Call, we were introduced to an interesting trio of investigators, each with his/her own backstory, and in The Heron’s Cry, these backstories were expanded a bit—not by much, but there were some tiny additional tidbits. THE RAGING STORM adds nothing more. That is why it is so boring. For a reader who has eagerly followed the series, it is a monotonous repetition of already conveyed information. For a first-time reader, it would probably be incomprehensible, given the excessively slow pace coupled with brief appearances by recurring characters in North Devon who aren’t given backstories at all. The new reader would be left wondering who they are and why they have been included in this book.
THE RAGING STORM would have received a two-star rating from me except for the excellent description of the isolated village of Greystone, where the murders take place. It reminded me of small communities in Newfoundland that I visited for short periods when I lived in St. John’s. Greystone is a dreary, remote coastal town where everyone attended the same school and thus is vaguely familiar with everyone else in town. Cleeves captured its insular quality perfectly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reviews for earlier books in this series:
The Long Call (Two Rivers, #1)
The Heron’s Cry (Two Rivers, #2)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(1) In the first book, The Long Call, two of the three main villains were obvious early in the story, and the motivations driving these villains to cover up the first crime seemed irrational from a psychological viewpoint.
(2) In the second, The Heron’s Cry, again there was a conspiracy of villains. This time I wasn’t able to spot them before the rushed ending, but again their motivations were not psychologically credible.
This third instalment in the series has a similar problem to The Heron’s Cry. There is a rushed ending, and a conspiracy of villains, none of whom seems to have a psychologically credible motivation for the murders and attempted murders. The main villain, in particular, was not given a credible backstory to explain all the plotting that took place, not even for the first killing.
But the main flaw of THE RAGING STORM is that it is b-o-r-i-n-g. It took me from September 13 to the 20th to read it because I could only complete a few short chapters at one time before stopping to do something more interesting, like an iPad zigsaw puzzle. I finished it because I had hopes that it might turn around, and I had genuinely liked the first two novels in the series. It was a library book, so I had no financial incentive, but I had hope—now I doubt that I’ll ever read another novel in this series.
Ann Cleeves is considered a character-based writer, but a character-based writer should have a good concept of the underlying psychology that motivates a character’s actions. Not only are the motivations of the villains not explored in the The Rivers series, but the motivations of the three main investigators—Matthew Venn, Jen Rafferty, and Ross May—have not been explored in depth since the first book. In The Long Call, we were introduced to an interesting trio of investigators, each with his/her own backstory, and in The Heron’s Cry, these backstories were expanded a bit—not by much, but there were some tiny additional tidbits. THE RAGING STORM adds nothing more. That is why it is so boring. For a reader who has eagerly followed the series, it is a monotonous repetition of already conveyed information. For a first-time reader, it would probably be incomprehensible, given the excessively slow pace coupled with brief appearances by recurring characters in North Devon who aren’t given backstories at all. The new reader would be left wondering who they are and why they have been included in this book.
THE RAGING STORM would have received a two-star rating from me except for the excellent description of the isolated village of Greystone, where the murders take place. It reminded me of small communities in Newfoundland that I visited for short periods when I lived in St. John’s. Greystone is a dreary, remote coastal town where everyone attended the same school and thus is vaguely familiar with everyone else in town. Cleeves captured its insular quality perfectly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My reviews for earlier books in this series:
The Long Call (Two Rivers, #1)
The Heron’s Cry (Two Rivers, #2)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
September 22, 2023
Ann Cleeves delivers again with a quiet police procedurial focusing on the character dynamics and bonds from the past which cast long shadows. Discreet glances into Matthew's marriage and his parental relationship continue together with his work partner's single parenting. Ms Cleeves' interest in what drives us is what I find constantly interesting about this series.
*A big thank-you to Ann Cleeves, Macmillan UK Audio, and NetGalley for a free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.*
*A big thank-you to Ann Cleeves, Macmillan UK Audio, and NetGalley for a free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.*
June 17, 2023
The Raging Storm is the 3rd book in this series. Matthew Venn is the main character. He is a police inspector. The other characters add to the suspense and story. The story takes place in the town of Greystone. Jeremy (Jem) Rosco has returned to the town and has rented a cottage from Gwen Gregory. He is an adventurer and sailor. He is considered a hero sailing around the world. He told people that he was in town to met a special person who was expected any day. He would come into the Maiden's Prayer Pub every day for a few pints. but one day he did not show.
Mary Ford was on boat duty when she gets a call by the Coast Guard that they have received a May Day call from a fishing boat the Anne Louise. Sammy Benton is the Lifeguard Operations Manager. Alan Ford is Mary's father was visiting to help take care of her son who had a disability. The lifeboat volunteers go out to help but don't see the fishing boat but a dingy with a naked body in it, The body was that of Jem Rosco. The police are called.
Matthew Venn and his sergeant, Jen Rafferty come to Greystone to check out Jem's death. What was Jem doing in Greystone and why. The body was brought ashore in the boat to the lifeboat station. Peter Smale, the GP doctor reviewed the body. Said Jem was stabbed elsewhere and put in the boat. Sally Pengelly is the coroner.
Matthew speaks to Carter, owner of the pub, about Jem and gets the key from Gwen to the cottage he has been renting. Upon seeing the cottage they find blood in the bathroom. Also no shower curtain. There was no suitcase there. Detective Ross joined them. Because of the storm they had to stay at the pub as the roads were blocked by fallen trees.
This is where the story takes the reader on an adventure. I will leave this to the reader to enjoy as there is too much going on to put on paper. The story builds up with a lot of twists and turns to a surprising ending and climax.
I really enjoyed this story. It keeps the reader guessing to the end.
Thank you NetGalley and Minotour Books for this ARC.
Mary Ford was on boat duty when she gets a call by the Coast Guard that they have received a May Day call from a fishing boat the Anne Louise. Sammy Benton is the Lifeguard Operations Manager. Alan Ford is Mary's father was visiting to help take care of her son who had a disability. The lifeboat volunteers go out to help but don't see the fishing boat but a dingy with a naked body in it, The body was that of Jem Rosco. The police are called.
Matthew Venn and his sergeant, Jen Rafferty come to Greystone to check out Jem's death. What was Jem doing in Greystone and why. The body was brought ashore in the boat to the lifeboat station. Peter Smale, the GP doctor reviewed the body. Said Jem was stabbed elsewhere and put in the boat. Sally Pengelly is the coroner.
Matthew speaks to Carter, owner of the pub, about Jem and gets the key from Gwen to the cottage he has been renting. Upon seeing the cottage they find blood in the bathroom. Also no shower curtain. There was no suitcase there. Detective Ross joined them. Because of the storm they had to stay at the pub as the roads were blocked by fallen trees.
This is where the story takes the reader on an adventure. I will leave this to the reader to enjoy as there is too much going on to put on paper. The story builds up with a lot of twists and turns to a surprising ending and climax.
I really enjoyed this story. It keeps the reader guessing to the end.
Thank you NetGalley and Minotour Books for this ARC.
April 14, 2024
The arrival of Jem Rosco to the local pub in Greystone, Devon, was a shock to some; a pleasant surprise to others. He was ebullient, full of himself - which was usual for Rosco - but after some time, Rosco disappeared again. When Mary Ford was called out to head the lifeboat and they discovered the body of Rosco in a dinghy, which was anchored at Scully Cove, the suspicious crew of the lifeboat muttered about legends. And the raging storm hit, bringing destruction in its wake.
Detective Inspector Matthew Venn arrived with his sergeant, Jen Rafferty and team member Ross May. They soon organised forensics plus other needed people, while Matthew and his team stayed at the pub, running their investigation and conducting interviews. The deeper they dug into Rosco's life, the more unsettling the discoveries! When a second body was uncovered, Matthew Venn's theories were turned on their head. Could they discover what was going on before anyone else died?
The Raging Storm is the 3rd in the Two Rivers series by Ann Cleeves and it was satisfyingly perfect! I'm loving this series, and although I have to wait (a long time) for the next, it's always a pleasure to know it's there to read. The characters play their parts well, all with certain issues that stand out. I had my suspicions about the "bad guy" although I was quite surprised at the outcome! An excellent addition to the series, which I recommend highly.
Detective Inspector Matthew Venn arrived with his sergeant, Jen Rafferty and team member Ross May. They soon organised forensics plus other needed people, while Matthew and his team stayed at the pub, running their investigation and conducting interviews. The deeper they dug into Rosco's life, the more unsettling the discoveries! When a second body was uncovered, Matthew Venn's theories were turned on their head. Could they discover what was going on before anyone else died?
The Raging Storm is the 3rd in the Two Rivers series by Ann Cleeves and it was satisfyingly perfect! I'm loving this series, and although I have to wait (a long time) for the next, it's always a pleasure to know it's there to read. The characters play their parts well, all with certain issues that stand out. I had my suspicions about the "bad guy" although I was quite surprised at the outcome! An excellent addition to the series, which I recommend highly.
August 13, 2023
When Jem Rosco-sailor, adventurer and local legend blows into the village of Greystone, Devon the residents are delighted they have a celebrity in their midst.
But just as mysteriously as he appears he disappears again. Then his body is found in a dinghy anchored off Scully Cove. A place that holds It's own mysteries and legends.
The case brings Detective Inspector Matthew Venn back to Graystone, a place he parted ways with long ago, and puts Matthew in an uncomfortable situation. Then another body is found. As Matthew continues to investigate his judgment becomes clouded and Matthew and his team discover that no one is safe, even Matthew himself from Scully Cove's dark secrets.
The Raging Storm was my introduction to Matthew Venn but not Ann Cleeves. Cleeves trademark atmosphere is present which is one reasons why I enjoy her writing. Will go back and catch up on the rest of the Matthew Venn series.
Can recommend this one. Four stars. Thank You to Minotaur books and Ann Cleeves for an ARC in exchange for a review.
But just as mysteriously as he appears he disappears again. Then his body is found in a dinghy anchored off Scully Cove. A place that holds It's own mysteries and legends.
The case brings Detective Inspector Matthew Venn back to Graystone, a place he parted ways with long ago, and puts Matthew in an uncomfortable situation. Then another body is found. As Matthew continues to investigate his judgment becomes clouded and Matthew and his team discover that no one is safe, even Matthew himself from Scully Cove's dark secrets.
The Raging Storm was my introduction to Matthew Venn but not Ann Cleeves. Cleeves trademark atmosphere is present which is one reasons why I enjoy her writing. Will go back and catch up on the rest of the Matthew Venn series.
Can recommend this one. Four stars. Thank You to Minotaur books and Ann Cleeves for an ARC in exchange for a review.
August 8, 2023
Jem Roscoe is a celebrity of sorts, so when he comes to this small town, the town he grew up in, named Greystone and is eventually found dead, it is a monumental happening. Scully Cove, the place where Jem was found, has a reputation as well, so when Jen's body is found there in a dinghy it sets the town ablaze with rumor and innuendo.
Detective Inspector Matthew Venn, is on the case, a returnee to the town that holds superstitions and secrets. A second body is found and Venn realizes that in this mysterious town, no one is safe.
Teaming up with his partner they try to solve the case while handling a crew of mysterious people including a religious group called The Brethren. With the atmosphere of the sea, it all blends into a very mysterious and somewhat eerie background.
Ann Cleeves gives much definition to her characters, the setting, and of course inspires us with great details, but you have to pay attention, careful to witness the clues she lets trickle out.
I enjoyed this atmospheric, murder mystery, and wish to thank Ann Cleeves, Macmillan Audio, narration by Jack Holden, and NetGalley for the ability to listen to this tale due out this September.
September 28, 2023
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: Ann Cleeves—New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—returns with the extraordinary third in the Two Rivers series.
Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.
When Jem Rosco—sailor, adventurer, and legend—blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.
This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Matthew finds his judgment clouded. As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets.
“A friend of mine once joked that the work of Ann Cleeves is the closest the crime fiction genre comes to evoking ASMR—the euphoric, pleasant, spine-tingling sensation that’s all the rage on YouTube. The books never get too dark, never venture too far into dangerous territory, but aren’t outright cozy, either.”—The New York Times
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Matthew Venn, Ross, and Jen go to the aptly named village of Greystone to investigate the murder of a has-been celebrity sailor. What happens as the investigation progresses is exemplary of why series mysteries appeal to so many of us: the characters do foolish things we know they're going to do and then need each other to fix the problems appertaining thereto; they confront their separate pasts in ways that both expand the seriesverse and explain the case; they think about their spouses, kids, parents, friends, dinner, what they will and won't do to fix the rent in society that murder represents (tracksuit pants? really?). So the reader who's been here with these people before now is definitely in a better position to appreciate the nuances and to find the little signposts the author leaves for us as to how things will play out.
A LOT of people I know would prefer to eat raw frog embryos rather than read a series out of order. I myownself don't care a whole lot these days, as spoilers are a matter of indifference to me so moving back and forth in a series isn't going to cause my circuitry to fry. Also, there aren't that many plots in the storyverse. Once you've read a few thousand books it pays to turn off the analytical part of your brain. Not everyone can.
Lucky me, I can.
So at {a late-ish point past halfway} into this read when the lightbulb went on and the reasons the murder took place got clear I wasn't unhappy but rather very, very impressed because the one thing Matthew needed to know was carefully kept hidden in plain sight. Well done indeed, Author Cleeves.
Should people who haven't read the first two books start here? I think those people would miss some very pleasure-enhancing nuances in the relationships among the team. It would not affect the solution of the puzzle in a serious way but it might reduce the emotional impact of a very big twist late in the story and that would be a shame. The gentrification of the North Dorset coast and its ramifications plays no small part in the puzzle's solution. That was very enjoyable to me. Seeing the way Jen, a single mother, copes with the pressures of motherhood-v-career is vintage Cleeves. It's all tied in to the way the case develops. Matthew's life with his husband Jonathan isn't neglected or foregrounded in this outing (!), but his loving musings about needing Jonathan (warts and all) ring true to me. For any eww-ick homophobes who somehow or another found themselves reading this review, you should really set your search terms to exclude me but also don't fear. Of sexual intimacy there is none. The focus is on the interrelationship of these men who're very different yet very lovingly connected. Not to say that there aren't worries and issues because that'd be really boring. I don't find these stories boring, in large part because Matthew Venn's background reminds me of a dialed-up version of my own, with a cold, judgmental religious-nut mother. That does increase my willingness to invest in the proceedings. This one was no exception.
The character I love to hate, Ross, just never gets out of the nasty, Babbitty little bro-dawg box he's been drawn inside. Thank goodness. I don't want to have to like him after three books learning to despise him, thanks.
A series-reader's pleasure. I think that, if Jimmy Perez and Vera Stanhope are your jam, Matthew Venn might be, too. He's quieter than Vera, more patient than Jimmy, happier than either.
The Publisher Says: Ann Cleeves—New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—returns with the extraordinary third in the Two Rivers series.
Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.
When Jem Rosco—sailor, adventurer, and legend—blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.
This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Matthew finds his judgment clouded. As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets.
“A friend of mine once joked that the work of Ann Cleeves is the closest the crime fiction genre comes to evoking ASMR—the euphoric, pleasant, spine-tingling sensation that’s all the rage on YouTube. The books never get too dark, never venture too far into dangerous territory, but aren’t outright cozy, either.”—The New York Times
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Matthew Venn, Ross, and Jen go to the aptly named village of Greystone to investigate the murder of a has-been celebrity sailor. What happens as the investigation progresses is exemplary of why series mysteries appeal to so many of us: the characters do foolish things we know they're going to do and then need each other to fix the problems appertaining thereto; they confront their separate pasts in ways that both expand the seriesverse and explain the case; they think about their spouses, kids, parents, friends, dinner, what they will and won't do to fix the rent in society that murder represents (tracksuit pants? really?). So the reader who's been here with these people before now is definitely in a better position to appreciate the nuances and to find the little signposts the author leaves for us as to how things will play out.
A LOT of people I know would prefer to eat raw frog embryos rather than read a series out of order. I myownself don't care a whole lot these days, as spoilers are a matter of indifference to me so moving back and forth in a series isn't going to cause my circuitry to fry. Also, there aren't that many plots in the storyverse. Once you've read a few thousand books it pays to turn off the analytical part of your brain. Not everyone can.
Lucky me, I can.
So at {a late-ish point past halfway} into this read when the lightbulb went on and the reasons the murder took place got clear I wasn't unhappy but rather very, very impressed because the one thing Matthew needed to know was carefully kept hidden in plain sight. Well done indeed, Author Cleeves.
Should people who haven't read the first two books start here? I think those people would miss some very pleasure-enhancing nuances in the relationships among the team. It would not affect the solution of the puzzle in a serious way but it might reduce the emotional impact of a very big twist late in the story and that would be a shame. The gentrification of the North Dorset coast and its ramifications plays no small part in the puzzle's solution. That was very enjoyable to me. Seeing the way Jen, a single mother, copes with the pressures of motherhood-v-career is vintage Cleeves. It's all tied in to the way the case develops. Matthew's life with his husband Jonathan isn't neglected or foregrounded in this outing (!), but his loving musings about needing Jonathan (warts and all) ring true to me. For any eww-ick homophobes who somehow or another found themselves reading this review, you should really set your search terms to exclude me but also don't fear. Of sexual intimacy there is none. The focus is on the interrelationship of these men who're very different yet very lovingly connected. Not to say that there aren't worries and issues because that'd be really boring. I don't find these stories boring, in large part because Matthew Venn's background reminds me of a dialed-up version of my own, with a cold, judgmental religious-nut mother. That does increase my willingness to invest in the proceedings. This one was no exception.
The character I love to hate, Ross, just never gets out of the nasty, Babbitty little bro-dawg box he's been drawn inside. Thank goodness. I don't want to have to like him after three books learning to despise him, thanks.
A series-reader's pleasure. I think that, if Jimmy Perez and Vera Stanhope are your jam, Matthew Venn might be, too. He's quieter than Vera, more patient than Jimmy, happier than either.
May 22, 2023
Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
This was really good. The third book in the Two Rivers series starring DI Matthew Venn. This book seems to be setting up something dark for the next book in the series, so can't wait for that. The last Vera Stanhope made me cry, so thankfully this one did not. It was engaging though from beginning to end. Especially since Cleeves included Venn's Brethren in this one, but ones he met and knew when he was a child.
"The Raging Storm" follows Venn's investigation into the murder of a famous sailor and adventurer, Jem Rosco. Jem returns to Greystone where he has not been seen in decades. He says he is waiting for someone. But then Jem is found eventually naked in a dinghy that was let loose on purpose. Venn knows it's murder, but doesn't know why. Investigating Rosco's past though brings up all intriguing things.
It was great to follow Venn, Sergeant Jen, Rafferty and Ross May. Well, not really Ross, he still gets on my nerves. But everyone else was great. I thought it was interesting about Jen's bad marriage being brought up again and some fly in the ointment on that. Also, Venn seems to be very careful of how he treats and talks to Jonathan after the mess he got into in the last book. Ross is trying to be better as an investigator, but seems to be sitting around fuming about thinking Jen is a favorite of Jen's.
The investigation into Jem's background is interesting. I still don't know what was true and what was false. You get to the whodunit and why in the end, and believe me I didn't see it coming. But I did wonder about Jem's life and the things that people said about him.
The residents of Greystone were mysterious and holding so many secrets. I can see why Jen was all, I hope to never see this place again. It definitely felt hollowed out by the end of the book. Not a welcoming place at all. But a place where murder(s) occur.
I thought the ending was great and I just am curious as I said about some of the foreshadowing that Cleeves was playing up here and there.
This was really good. The third book in the Two Rivers series starring DI Matthew Venn. This book seems to be setting up something dark for the next book in the series, so can't wait for that. The last Vera Stanhope made me cry, so thankfully this one did not. It was engaging though from beginning to end. Especially since Cleeves included Venn's Brethren in this one, but ones he met and knew when he was a child.
"The Raging Storm" follows Venn's investigation into the murder of a famous sailor and adventurer, Jem Rosco. Jem returns to Greystone where he has not been seen in decades. He says he is waiting for someone. But then Jem is found eventually naked in a dinghy that was let loose on purpose. Venn knows it's murder, but doesn't know why. Investigating Rosco's past though brings up all intriguing things.
It was great to follow Venn, Sergeant Jen, Rafferty and Ross May. Well, not really Ross, he still gets on my nerves. But everyone else was great. I thought it was interesting about Jen's bad marriage being brought up again and some fly in the ointment on that. Also, Venn seems to be very careful of how he treats and talks to Jonathan after the mess he got into in the last book. Ross is trying to be better as an investigator, but seems to be sitting around fuming about thinking Jen is a favorite of Jen's.
The investigation into Jem's background is interesting. I still don't know what was true and what was false. You get to the whodunit and why in the end, and believe me I didn't see it coming. But I did wonder about Jem's life and the things that people said about him.
The residents of Greystone were mysterious and holding so many secrets. I can see why Jen was all, I hope to never see this place again. It definitely felt hollowed out by the end of the book. Not a welcoming place at all. But a place where murder(s) occur.
I thought the ending was great and I just am curious as I said about some of the foreshadowing that Cleeves was playing up here and there.
November 8, 2025
*Facades*
This is the third book in the Detective Matthew Venn series, The Two Rivers. It’s a slightly faster-paced and easy-to-follow read or listen. It occasionally reminds us of Devon’s coastal beauty and dangers.
DI Matthew Venn is a man of principle, pursuing the truth no matter where it leads. As a Devon native, he’s familiar with the region’s secrets.
We meet Jem Rosco, a once enigmatic sailor turned celebrity living a Peter Pan fantasy. He’s always searching for something, and the regulars take him with a pinch of salt.
The story takes a turn when the lifeboat crew receives a shout. Initially dismissed as a hoax, a body is found, plunging the case into perplexity. Matthew and his team dive into the case, but another body is discovered soon in a similar area.
Someone is trying to mislead them, but the killer believes they’ll get away with the perfect crime? This puppet master is deliberately misdirecting the investigation.
Determined to solve the case, Matthew and his team face mounting pressure. Then, someone attempts to silence him and one of his team members.
This is the third book in the Detective Matthew Venn series, The Two Rivers. It’s a slightly faster-paced and easy-to-follow read or listen. It occasionally reminds us of Devon’s coastal beauty and dangers.
DI Matthew Venn is a man of principle, pursuing the truth no matter where it leads. As a Devon native, he’s familiar with the region’s secrets.
We meet Jem Rosco, a once enigmatic sailor turned celebrity living a Peter Pan fantasy. He’s always searching for something, and the regulars take him with a pinch of salt.
The story takes a turn when the lifeboat crew receives a shout. Initially dismissed as a hoax, a body is found, plunging the case into perplexity. Matthew and his team dive into the case, but another body is discovered soon in a similar area.
Someone is trying to mislead them, but the killer believes they’ll get away with the perfect crime? This puppet master is deliberately misdirecting the investigation.
Determined to solve the case, Matthew and his team face mounting pressure. Then, someone attempts to silence him and one of his team members.
September 17, 2023
'The Raging Storm' disappointed me. I'd hoped to see a return to the engaging storytelling of the first book in the series, 'The Long Call' but instead I saw the same weaknesses that marred 'The Heron's Cry' amplified until they made 'The Raging Storm' into one of those rare books that I had to force myself to finish.
'The Raging Storm' had some good scenes and some interesting characters but the pace was slow and the writing was lazy, the prose often had all the charm of a film script. There was no tension, no passion and no sense of drama. The story meandered rather than moving forward. There seemed to be a lot of repetition of basic information without adding any conclusions. I felt that the book had missed a final read-through and edit to tighten it up.
For example, I think that the first chapter could have been omitted altogether as the information it contained was all repeated later. The first chapter also adopted an odd 'let me tell you a story' style. Here's the first paragraph:
This use of the authorial voice kept me at arm's length from the action, got everything off to a slow start and set the stage for a cosy fable or a mild ghost story rather than immersing me in something real.
The second chapter would have provided the book with a more dramatic and engaging opening that was also more consistent with the rest of the novel. Here's the first paragraph:
This opening was followed by a vivid description of a lifeboat being launched in a fierce storm and setting out on a shout that would end with the discovery of a dead body in an anchored tender in a remote cove. I relaxed at that point, thinking that the story would live up to the energy and drama of its title, 'The Raging Storm'.
It didn't.
It degenerated into a rambling set of barely connected scenes in which the three detectives painstakingly gathered the details of the victim's life and of his connection to the people in the village where he was staying on the night that he died. It was tedious, slow and lacking in any sense of either urgency or threat.
By the time I reached the halfway mark, my interest was flagging. By the time I was three-quarters of the way through, I was wondering if I should just cut my losses and read something else. Here's the note I made at the time:
"Instead of being called 'The Raging Storm' this should be titled 'Cloudy with Intermittent Showers'. The pace is slow. Even my curiosity is wilting. I have 147 minutes to go. I hope they're spent on one hell of a storm or this book will have been a waste of time."
The storm never came. Instead, I got a lengthy description of a visit to London to interview a headmaster who had some background information on the early life of the dead man. I think that was another chapter that could have been cut without anyone noticing. There was one moment of tension when an attempt was made on the lives of the two detectives. That triggered the big reveal of who was behind the murders but the follow-up, which took place over a cosy chat in a boutique hotel managed to turn what should have been a moment of great drama into something quite anticlimactic.
I was actually relieved to find that the audiobook ended earlier than I'd expected because the final chapter was an interview with the narrator.
If there's a fourth book in this series, I won't be reading it.
'The Raging Storm' had some good scenes and some interesting characters but the pace was slow and the writing was lazy, the prose often had all the charm of a film script. There was no tension, no passion and no sense of drama. The story meandered rather than moving forward. There seemed to be a lot of repetition of basic information without adding any conclusions. I felt that the book had missed a final read-through and edit to tighten it up.
For example, I think that the first chapter could have been omitted altogether as the information it contained was all repeated later. The first chapter also adopted an odd 'let me tell you a story' style. Here's the first paragraph:
This use of the authorial voice kept me at arm's length from the action, got everything off to a slow start and set the stage for a cosy fable or a mild ghost story rather than immersing me in something real.
The second chapter would have provided the book with a more dramatic and engaging opening that was also more consistent with the rest of the novel. Here's the first paragraph:
This opening was followed by a vivid description of a lifeboat being launched in a fierce storm and setting out on a shout that would end with the discovery of a dead body in an anchored tender in a remote cove. I relaxed at that point, thinking that the story would live up to the energy and drama of its title, 'The Raging Storm'.
It didn't.
It degenerated into a rambling set of barely connected scenes in which the three detectives painstakingly gathered the details of the victim's life and of his connection to the people in the village where he was staying on the night that he died. It was tedious, slow and lacking in any sense of either urgency or threat.
By the time I reached the halfway mark, my interest was flagging. By the time I was three-quarters of the way through, I was wondering if I should just cut my losses and read something else. Here's the note I made at the time:
"Instead of being called 'The Raging Storm' this should be titled 'Cloudy with Intermittent Showers'. The pace is slow. Even my curiosity is wilting. I have 147 minutes to go. I hope they're spent on one hell of a storm or this book will have been a waste of time."
The storm never came. Instead, I got a lengthy description of a visit to London to interview a headmaster who had some background information on the early life of the dead man. I think that was another chapter that could have been cut without anyone noticing. There was one moment of tension when an attempt was made on the lives of the two detectives. That triggered the big reveal of who was behind the murders but the follow-up, which took place over a cosy chat in a boutique hotel managed to turn what should have been a moment of great drama into something quite anticlimactic.
I was actually relieved to find that the audiobook ended earlier than I'd expected because the final chapter was an interview with the narrator.
If there's a fourth book in this series, I won't be reading it.
July 23, 2023
This is the third book in the Two Rivers series, but you can easily follow it without having read the others. I think I've read all of these though, and it was fun to see the characters again. This one is set in Greystone, a place Matthew had lived where his family was part of a religious sect he had left behind.
Description:
Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.
When Jem Rosco—sailor, adventurer, and legend—blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.
This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Matthew finds his judgment clouded. As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets.
My Thoughts:
Ann Cleeves comes through again with a mystery that's a little more edgy than a cozy, but doesn't delve too much into dark and gory. I enjoy her books and this is a good series if you like crime fiction. The principal investigator, Matthew Venn, and his team work well together in solving the mystery which involved a famous sailor who was murdered and left in a dinghy. There are quite a few stones to uncover, some unreliable witnesses and a bit of a cover-up going on which throws the investigation in a few different directions. There was plenty here to keep me turning the pages.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books throughh Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on September 5, 2023.
Description:
Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.
When Jem Rosco—sailor, adventurer, and legend—blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.
This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Matthew finds his judgment clouded. As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets.
My Thoughts:
Ann Cleeves comes through again with a mystery that's a little more edgy than a cozy, but doesn't delve too much into dark and gory. I enjoy her books and this is a good series if you like crime fiction. The principal investigator, Matthew Venn, and his team work well together in solving the mystery which involved a famous sailor who was murdered and left in a dinghy. There are quite a few stones to uncover, some unreliable witnesses and a bit of a cover-up going on which throws the investigation in a few different directions. There was plenty here to keep me turning the pages.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books throughh Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on September 5, 2023.
October 11, 2023
It is no secret that I have fallen in love a bit with Mrs. Cleeve. From the moment I picked up my first Vera novel, I was hooked.
This third book about Matthew Venn has all the ingredients to brew a fantastic potion: a raging storm on Devon's rugged coastline, some gruesome murders and the most silently dramatic protagonist to solve the mystery.
But still ... I didn't devoured it like I would all other Cleeve books, and I just cannot clearly point out why. The one thing that I can clearly state that I didn't like was the very long list of characters and it was one of those books where the X-ray function would have been very helpful, but it wasn't available.
Is it a good book that I can truly recommend? Yes of course! And I will continue to read all further installments as I find Matthew Venn quite a fascinating character. It just didn't catch me like all previous ones, hence the 4 stars.
This third book about Matthew Venn has all the ingredients to brew a fantastic potion: a raging storm on Devon's rugged coastline, some gruesome murders and the most silently dramatic protagonist to solve the mystery.
But still ... I didn't devoured it like I would all other Cleeve books, and I just cannot clearly point out why. The one thing that I can clearly state that I didn't like was the very long list of characters and it was one of those books where the X-ray function would have been very helpful, but it wasn't available.
Is it a good book that I can truly recommend? Yes of course! And I will continue to read all further installments as I find Matthew Venn quite a fascinating character. It just didn't catch me like all previous ones, hence the 4 stars.
September 14, 2023
The Raging Storm is the third in Ann Cleeves Two Rivers series featuring Matthew Venn, set in Devon in the north of England by the sea. In this outing, Venn and his team are called to the small, old village of Greystone to investigate a death, one that carries the hallmarks of murder.
Jem Rosco, a son of the village and a sailor and adventurer, suddenly returned to Greystone, staying in a local cottage, regaling locals with stories nightly in the pub and hinting of an upcoming rendezvous with some unknown person. A couple of weeks into his visit, Jem disappeared. Then an SOS call is received and a body is found in a dinghy off a cove.
Venn’s arrival in Greystone is a return of sorts and brings back mixed memories from childhood visits with his parents for Brethren family events. There is a sizable Brethren church presence here and, while it doesn’t interfere with the management of the case, his break with his parents is constantly on his mind. Investigation reveals hidden facts and possible motives throughout the community and in Jem’s past history, keeping the team very busy searching for more evidence and details. As in all of Cleeves’s novels I’ve read, the characters are well developed at virtually all levels and the landscape becomes another character in the story, sometimes affecting the outcome.
Another recommended mystery with excellent characters, story and atmosphere. But I suggest you begin with The Long Call, the first of the Two Rivers series in order to learn more of the characters’s backstory and watch them develop.
Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. This review is my own.
Jem Rosco, a son of the village and a sailor and adventurer, suddenly returned to Greystone, staying in a local cottage, regaling locals with stories nightly in the pub and hinting of an upcoming rendezvous with some unknown person. A couple of weeks into his visit, Jem disappeared. Then an SOS call is received and a body is found in a dinghy off a cove.
Venn’s arrival in Greystone is a return of sorts and brings back mixed memories from childhood visits with his parents for Brethren family events. There is a sizable Brethren church presence here and, while it doesn’t interfere with the management of the case, his break with his parents is constantly on his mind. Investigation reveals hidden facts and possible motives throughout the community and in Jem’s past history, keeping the team very busy searching for more evidence and details. As in all of Cleeves’s novels I’ve read, the characters are well developed at virtually all levels and the landscape becomes another character in the story, sometimes affecting the outcome.
Another recommended mystery with excellent characters, story and atmosphere. But I suggest you begin with The Long Call, the first of the Two Rivers series in order to learn more of the characters’s backstory and watch them develop.
Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. This review is my own.
October 5, 2023
This book was riveting! I’m so glad I was able to read it. I’ve never read any of Ann Cleeves’ books. I’ve watched the Vera series and loved it so I knew that The Raging Storm was going to be good.
The book starts out at a slow but steady pace, building up the characters and the scene so that I felt immersed in the story. I could “ see” it all happening. I liked Detective Mathew Venn right away. He is serious and stays calm under pressure but also has a gentle way about him while remaining in control. When he is called to investigate the death of a seasoned sailor, who happens to be a celebrity, he gets thrown into a tight- knit community where everyone knows everyone else’s business and news spreads like a wild fire. He’s not alone though, he has Jenn Rafferty and Sargeant Ross May to assist him.
As the story went on there was shock after shock! Just when I thought that Venn was close to cracking the case something unexpected would happen to take the investigation on another course. At the end I was floored. I literally gasped out loud! It was a shocking reveal!
How have I missed out on all Ann Cleeves novels!! In a way it’s nice because I have so many stories waiting for me now. First I need to read two previous books that started The Detective Venn series.
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC.
The book starts out at a slow but steady pace, building up the characters and the scene so that I felt immersed in the story. I could “ see” it all happening. I liked Detective Mathew Venn right away. He is serious and stays calm under pressure but also has a gentle way about him while remaining in control. When he is called to investigate the death of a seasoned sailor, who happens to be a celebrity, he gets thrown into a tight- knit community where everyone knows everyone else’s business and news spreads like a wild fire. He’s not alone though, he has Jenn Rafferty and Sargeant Ross May to assist him.
As the story went on there was shock after shock! Just when I thought that Venn was close to cracking the case something unexpected would happen to take the investigation on another course. At the end I was floored. I literally gasped out loud! It was a shocking reveal!
How have I missed out on all Ann Cleeves novels!! In a way it’s nice because I have so many stories waiting for me now. First I need to read two previous books that started The Detective Venn series.
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC.
September 6, 2023
In the small fishing village of Greystone, superstitions run rampant. So when a body is found dead in a boat off Scully Point, the rescue team can be heard muttering words to ward off bad luck: 'Skulls and bones and the white, white light.' Matthew Venn and his team are called in to investigate. He's familiar with that area of Devon, having grown up nearby and even visited Greystone as a child. However, that was a lifetime ago--he left it and his family's religious life behind at the age of 18. But still, the memories return...
This is a very atmospheric novel with the wild ocean and the storms and the local superstitions. Matthew Venn is a very complex character and we are often in his head, privy to his thoughts. He reminds me quite a bit of P.D. James' detective, Adam Dalgleish, another intelligent detective. This is a character-driven police procedural. It's fascinating to watch Venn lead the investigation and peel back the many layers of secrets to solve the mystery. I can highly recommend the series but this installment can easily be read as a stand alone, if you are eager to jump in.
I received both an e-arc and a paper copy of this new book from the author and publisher. Many thanks! My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
This is a very atmospheric novel with the wild ocean and the storms and the local superstitions. Matthew Venn is a very complex character and we are often in his head, privy to his thoughts. He reminds me quite a bit of P.D. James' detective, Adam Dalgleish, another intelligent detective. This is a character-driven police procedural. It's fascinating to watch Venn lead the investigation and peel back the many layers of secrets to solve the mystery. I can highly recommend the series but this installment can easily be read as a stand alone, if you are eager to jump in.
I received both an e-arc and a paper copy of this new book from the author and publisher. Many thanks! My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
July 23, 2023
I've been undecided about Matthew Venn's addition to the stable of Ms Cleeves undoubtedly wonderful detectives. But then I love Vera and Jimmy Perez so it's a lot to live up to. The good news is he's starting to become a much more three dimensional character. He always seemed so dull before but he's growing on me. And for me it's only the main characters I need to be concerned about because I know Ann Cleeves is going to a deliver a beautifully but not insanely complex plot.
This time I was absolutely positive I'd worked out whodunit. The story begins with the death of Jem Rosco, a once famous round the world sailor. This brings Matthew Venn and his trusty team to Greystone where he encounters the Barham Brethren - a religious group he knows well. Misdirection and noncooperation follow as Venn tries to discover what has happened.
As I said, this time I knew I had the answer. I'd even thought about contacting Ms Cleeves to tell her that I finally had her stories sorted. Obviously I didn't. Not only did I have it wrong but it was totally wrong. So well done again for fooling me completely.
On the subject of the characters - Jen just becomes more likeable although even she is prone to petty jealousy at times but Ross takes the biscuit. I await the time he is consumed by his own pettiness that he either gets himself killed or lets a murderer go.
Either way I don't care, I'm just delighted that Venn has wormed his way into my affection and I'm also delighted that Ann Cleeves continues to produce such excellent detective stories. Always a joy to read.
I was lucky enough to listen to the audio version which was beautifully read by Jack Holden.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the advance review copy.
This time I was absolutely positive I'd worked out whodunit. The story begins with the death of Jem Rosco, a once famous round the world sailor. This brings Matthew Venn and his trusty team to Greystone where he encounters the Barham Brethren - a religious group he knows well. Misdirection and noncooperation follow as Venn tries to discover what has happened.
As I said, this time I knew I had the answer. I'd even thought about contacting Ms Cleeves to tell her that I finally had her stories sorted. Obviously I didn't. Not only did I have it wrong but it was totally wrong. So well done again for fooling me completely.
On the subject of the characters - Jen just becomes more likeable although even she is prone to petty jealousy at times but Ross takes the biscuit. I await the time he is consumed by his own pettiness that he either gets himself killed or lets a murderer go.
Either way I don't care, I'm just delighted that Venn has wormed his way into my affection and I'm also delighted that Ann Cleeves continues to produce such excellent detective stories. Always a joy to read.
I was lucky enough to listen to the audio version which was beautifully read by Jack Holden.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the advance review copy.
September 22, 2023
I've read and not liked the previous two books in the series - mainly because of Detective Venn's bland character and the lifeless prose overall - but I am such a fan of the Vera TV series, that I wanted to give this series yet another chance. Sadly, it did not work, and in fact, this book was much worse than the other two.
What I liked: Reeves does well with the settings of her stories, and here again, she made the locales quite vivid, so much so that you felt you were there yourself. Even though the place and the weather was quite bleak, you get a good sense of it, vicariously. Also, by now, the main characters are quite familiar so it is fun to be with them again, although it was disappointing that not much transpired in their lives so no real character development nor any backstory there. Those who haven't read the earlier books may enjoy this book even less due to that.
What I did not like: Plenty. For one, the main character, Venn, is extremely boring and lifeless, always ruminating about his religious upbringing, family estrangement and general fears of society. Being a third person narrative, one does not get to look close inside his head and understand his lines of thinking, especially related to the crimes, until suddenly he has it all figured out. It is all too opaque to be engaging.
Secondly, the writing is very repetitive. It continually repeats the same plot points and character traits. This is interleaved with mundane activities of various detectives traveling from place to place to meet witnesses, who all end up saying the same things over and over. There is so little new development that I started to skim the text to get to the more interesting parts. It does not help that there are several tangents that are given extended page time, that introduce new characters that don't add up to much. Overall, this book needed better editing.
The worst offender of all was the actual revealer - it was totally non-believable, so much so that even the author wrote in one place that this "wouldn't be enough" to explain why things happened the way they did. Here are some whacko elements:
The ending was deeply unsatisfying, as if Reeves had run out of ideas on how to extend the page count, and decided to wrap it all up one afternoon, without much thought to believability. With this type of attitude towards the reader, I cannot stomach reading another one of these stories, so am canceling the series going forward.
What I liked: Reeves does well with the settings of her stories, and here again, she made the locales quite vivid, so much so that you felt you were there yourself. Even though the place and the weather was quite bleak, you get a good sense of it, vicariously. Also, by now, the main characters are quite familiar so it is fun to be with them again, although it was disappointing that not much transpired in their lives so no real character development nor any backstory there. Those who haven't read the earlier books may enjoy this book even less due to that.
What I did not like: Plenty. For one, the main character, Venn, is extremely boring and lifeless, always ruminating about his religious upbringing, family estrangement and general fears of society. Being a third person narrative, one does not get to look close inside his head and understand his lines of thinking, especially related to the crimes, until suddenly he has it all figured out. It is all too opaque to be engaging.
Secondly, the writing is very repetitive. It continually repeats the same plot points and character traits. This is interleaved with mundane activities of various detectives traveling from place to place to meet witnesses, who all end up saying the same things over and over. There is so little new development that I started to skim the text to get to the more interesting parts. It does not help that there are several tangents that are given extended page time, that introduce new characters that don't add up to much. Overall, this book needed better editing.
The worst offender of all was the actual revealer - it was totally non-believable, so much so that even the author wrote in one place that this "wouldn't be enough" to explain why things happened the way they did. Here are some whacko elements:
The ending was deeply unsatisfying, as if Reeves had run out of ideas on how to extend the page count, and decided to wrap it all up one afternoon, without much thought to believability. With this type of attitude towards the reader, I cannot stomach reading another one of these stories, so am canceling the series going forward.
October 3, 2023
Ann Cleeves sets the bar very high for crime fiction that features fully realized characters, memorable settings, and clever plots that interweave those characters and settings. In this book Matthew Venn and his team must resolve the murder of a minor celebrity who has surrounded himself with an air of mystery when he returns to a remote village along the Devon coast where he grew up. Nasty weather adds to the challenges they face as they attempt to untangle a story that goes back decades.
My audio version included an afterward by Cleeves in which she explains why she chose Devon as the location for this series, and why she, a straight woman, made her protagonist a gay man. It’s actually quite a touching story.
As always, she’s left me ready for the next book in the series, and with a desire to go back and pick up the books in the Shetland and Vera series that I’ve missed.
My audio version included an afterward by Cleeves in which she explains why she chose Devon as the location for this series, and why she, a straight woman, made her protagonist a gay man. It’s actually quite a touching story.
As always, she’s left me ready for the next book in the series, and with a desire to go back and pick up the books in the Shetland and Vera series that I’ve missed.
June 4, 2023
When a celebrity adventurer is murdered in the small port town of Greystone, DI Matthew Venn and his team are sent to investigate. They soon find themselves trying to wade through local secrets and superstition. Then another murder occurs and still without a clear motive or suspect, the team may have to put themselves in danger to draw the killer out.
The Raging Storm is the third book in the Two Rivers series by Ann Cleeves and it is a smart, well-written and compelling tale that kept me guessing throughout. The characters are three-dimensional and the mystery kept me glued to the page. My only quibble is with the eventual reveal at the end which seemed somewhat hard to accept but, despite that, I found this book very enjoyable and entertaining.
I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and the publishers exchange for an honest review
The Raging Storm is the third book in the Two Rivers series by Ann Cleeves and it is a smart, well-written and compelling tale that kept me guessing throughout. The characters are three-dimensional and the mystery kept me glued to the page. My only quibble is with the eventual reveal at the end which seemed somewhat hard to accept but, despite that, I found this book very enjoyable and entertaining.
I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and the publishers exchange for an honest review
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,750 reviews