Title : The Long Call
Author : Ann Cleeves
Narrators : Ben Aldridge
Genre : Mystery
Listening Length : 11 hours 36 minutes
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Narrator Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It is quite hard to find a mystery (or even harder – to find a series) to sink your teeth into. A book that is an intriguing mystery with well-thought out, carefully detailed characters, a fast and engrossing pace, and solidly crafted writing with a hint of (if you are very lucky) literature about it. So far I’ve come across only one such author – Elizabeth George, with her Inspector Lynley mysteries. And now another looms on the horizon (like the gloriously rising sun): Ann Cleeves. I’ve only read the first book of the series (this, Matthew Venn Series #1), so hopefully they all deliver; fingers crossed.
DI Matthew Venn, the policeman who investigates this mystery, is quite a unique character as far as detectives go. He has been born and brought up in a religious cult, and was all set to become a preacher of the “brethren” until he didn’t believe the cult teachings anymore and was quite vocal about the loss of faith. He was the only one, unfortunately, who saw the light, and has thus been excommunicated, and also estranged from his parents. His being gay, and subsequent marriage to a man, hasn’t endeared him in the conservative parental heart.
Towards the beginning of the book, we hear that Venn’s father has died and Venn has to watch the funeral rites from afar. Then comes the news of a man’s murder. The man, Sam Walden, had a tragedy-strewn past and ties to the Woodyard, a social work center, which is run by Venn’s husband Jonathan Roberts. As Venn and his team begin to investigate Walden’s past, other folks start to go missing. And all of them seem to have some connection to the Woodyard.
Matthew Venn is quite a compelling character. Truth is paramount to him, as is speaking out about it. He is regarded highly by his team – a thorough and measured leader. Ross Pritchard and DS Jen Rafferty are the two team members who aid him in the investigation, and we get a look see into their personal lives too.
“There was something of the indulged schoolboy about Ross. It was the gelled hair and designer shirts, the inability to understand a different world view. He seemed a man of certainty. His marriage to Melanie, whom Jen had once described as the perfect fashion accessory, hadn’t changed him. If anything, Melanie’s admiration only confirmed his inflated opinion of himself.”
The book is full of details, intricate details, both of the landscape of North Devon as well as the people that populate it. From the people receiving care at the Woodyard, to it’s volunteers and benefactors, each character has been developed with care, almost enough to develop a picture of them in your mind.
“The road climbed steeply and then they were looking down at the village of Lovacott: a group of houses clustered around a small square, which was hardly more than the main street widened. A shop that seemed to sell everything, a pub. There was nothing picturesque here. No thatch. It would never have featured in an episode of Midsomer Murders.”
The plotting is pretty good too. The murdered man had a checkered past, kept many secrets and could be quite unfriendly at times. He also, as it turns, has managed to annoy some influential people. There are motivations galore.
I quite enjoyed this book – it has everything you look forward to in a fine crime novel – and look forward to listening to the next book in the series. Narrator Ben Aldridge (who also plays Venn in Britbox’s series) does a marvelous job.
