THE HERON'S CRY

4 stars out of 5

After reading the first book in this series, "The Long Call," a couple of years ago, I've been eager for more about the star of the show, North Devon Detective Matthew Venn. He has an intriguing background, leaving the cult-like religious life of his parents and getting married to the love of his life, Jonathan (no doubt distancing himself even farther from his already disapproving parents). Out on his own, he's become an exceptionally competent investigator, and he's back with a new adventure that has his entire department scratching their heads and puts his relationship with Jonathan to the test.

One of his most trusted underlings, Jenn Rafferty, gets a call from Venn way too early the morning after she drank way too much at a local party - one at which a local physician and patient advocate, Dr. Nigel Yeo, had indicated he had something to discuss with her. Apparently, he gave up trying and left; so when Venn tells her the good doctor has been murdered - by a shard of glass from one of his daughter's works of art - she's both disturbed and mortified that her inebriation got in the way. The body was found within a community of artists at which his daughter has a studio that's owned and run by a very wealthy man - and where Jonathan manages a group that caters to people with disabilities (in fact, Jonathan is a good friend of Eve, the dead man's daughter)

Needless to say, several in the artistic commune are suspects, including the rich guy - and the story weaves its way through the possible connections that hopefully will lead to identifying the killer. But then, another body turns up - a man who was murdered in a similar fashion with a similar weapon. With this one, the possible motive is even more elusive than the first. But slowly and methodically, Venn and his team unearth clues that lead in an unexpected direction - leading up to an exciting end (and a couple of causes for optimism in Venn's personal life). All told, it's another entertaining adventure, for which I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. Bring on the next!

The Heron's Cry by Ann Cleeves (Minotaur Books, September 2021); 400 pp.