Review: The Heron's Cry (Two Rivers)
Gaby Meares
Ann Cleeves knows what she is doing. Famous for her Vera and Shetland series, The Heron Cry is the second book featuring Detective Matthew Venn, set in North Devon. What makes Cleeves’ books so enjoyable is how she equally balances character development with a well thought out plot. We spend enough time with Venn and his colleagues DS Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May to get to know what drives them, and what is holding them back. Everyone is dealing with their own personal demons and messy lives, while at the same time trying to find a murderer who has a penchant for using shards of broken glass vases for their murder weapon.
Venn is estranged from his elderly mother, after leaving the claustrophobic confines of The Brethren, a strict religious community, and is very buttoned-up. Jen is a frazzled single mum, feeling guilty about not spending enough time with her kids and drinking too much, and Ross is impatient and ambitious, wanting to secure a comfortable future for himself and his wife. And they are just the police officers! The suspects are many, and most have secrets that cast their innocence in doubt.
There is a strong theme revolving around guilt in this book; all the characters, including the police officers, are carrying a heavy load of it and for some, it’s become very toxic.
The plot is complex, with an abundance of false leads and red herrings and we see how much hard (and sometimes tedious) leg work is involved in trying to solve a crime. I haven’t read the first book in the series, [b:The Long Call|43263552|The Long Call (Two Rivers, #1)|Ann Cleeves|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551047656l/43263552.SY75.jpg|67142367], but I don’t think it’s effected my enjoyment of this book at all. I am looking forward to catching up with it, not to mention reading further investigations with Venn and his team.