The Heron's Cry

Now a major ITV series starring Ben Aldridge as Detective Matthew Venn

Ann Cleeves author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Pan Macmillan

Published:17th Feb '22

£9.99

Available for immediate dispatch.

The Heron's Cry cover

Sunday Times bestselling author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope series, Ann Cleeves, returns with the second in a series set in North Devon and featuring Detective Matthew Venn.

Sunday Times bestselling author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope series, Ann Cleeves returns with the second in a the Two Rivers series set in North Devon and featuring Detective Matthew Venn. The Heron’s Cry follows on from The Long Call.

Now a major ITV series, The Long Call, starring Ben Aldridge.

The number one Sunday Times bestselling series featuring Detective Matthew Venn, from author and creator of the Vera and Shetland series, Ann Cleeves.

‘Matthew Venn is a keeper . . . stunning’
David Baldacci

North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coast-line. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists. What he finds is an elaborately staged murder – Dr Nigel Yeo has been fatally stabbed. His daughter, Eve, is a glassblower, and the murder weapon is a shard of one of her broken vases.

Dr Yeo seems an unlikely murder victim. He’s a good man, a public servant, beloved by his daughter. Matthew is unnerved though to find that Eve is a close friend of Jonathan, his husband.

Then another body is found – killed in a similar way. Matthew finds himself treading carefully through the lies that fester at the heart of his community and a case that is dangerously close to home . . .

The Heron’s Cry is the second novel in Ann Cleeves’ Two Rivers series following her Sunday Times bestseller, The Long Call.


Praise for The Long Call:

‘Had me hooked . . . a promising beginning to another fine chapter in the Ann Cleeves’ story’ – The Times

‘A triumph that cements Cleeves’ status as one of Britain’s best crime writers’ – Daily Express

‘Clever, compassionate and atmospheric . . . I am already a Matthew Venn fan’ – Elly Griffiths

‘Cleeves combines a flair for evoking sense of place with a thoughtful, complex plot’ – Mail on Sunday

‘A traditional mystery of the best sort’ – Guardian

As a huge fan of both the Shetland and Vera series of books, I had high expectations for Cleeves’ latest. Matthew Venn is a keeper. A stunning debut for Cleeves’ latest crimefighter -- David Baldacci on The Long Call
Had me hooked — a promising beginning to another fine chapter in the Ann Cleeves story * The Times on THE LONG CALL *
Clever, compassionate and atmospheric, with a great cast of new characters to love. I am already a Matthew Venn fan -- Elly Griffiths on THE LONG CALL
A triumph that cements Cleeves' status as one of Britain's best crime writers - Daily Express * Daily Express on THE LONG CALL *
Brilliant, thoughtful and deeply engaging -- Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author of the V.I. Warshawski series on THE LONG CALL
Ann Cleeves’ new series gets off to a terrific start with The Long Call – her native Devon is wonderfully evoked, and Matthew Venn is a very appealing new detective. Another sure-fire hit - -- Martin Edwards, author of Gallows Court, on THE LONG CALL
Cleeves combines a flair for evoking sense of place with a thoughtful, complex plot - * Mail on Sunday on THE LONG CALL *
The troubled Venn is a great protagonist, and Cleeves may well have created her next top TV cop * Heat Magazine on THE LONG CALL *
A traditional mystery of the best sort * The Guardian on THE LONG CALL *
Evocative and gripping – an absolute triumph * Daily Mirror on THE LONG CALL *

  • Short-listed for Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction 2022

ISBN: 9781509889709

Dimensions: 196mm x 130mm x 28mm

Weight: 283g

416 pages