The Long Call

Fans of Ann Cleeves, the writer behind the television series Vera and Shetland, will be excited to learn that her latest book introduces a new detective. Set in North Devon, DI Matthew Venn has to deal with a dead body found on the beach. At the center of the story is the Woolyard, part cultural center and part center for adults with learning disabilities. This may seem like an odd combination but it serves the purpose of linking the many characters in this story. Matthew’s husband, for instance, is the inspiration behind the Woolyard, the victim was a volunteer there, one of the dead man’s roommates was an artist in residence at the center, an attendee with Down’s Syndrome seems to have attracted the victim’s attention, and two trustees are on the suspect list.

Although the detail the author provides about each character slows the plot’s progress, the story is intriguing enough to keep the reader’s attention. The ending, however, is a stretch. In many television mysteries, the murderer turns out to be the least likely suspect, a ploy taken to an implausible length in The Long Call. Despite this rather unconvincing denouement, the clear writing and the intricacies of the plot make the journey well worthwhile.