We kicked off a new year for the Lakeview Mystery Book Group with Ann Cleeves The Long Call and a great start it was. We enjoyed this first in a new police procedural series from the author and had a lively discussion as well.
Ann Cleeves is an author who has been writing for years, decades really, but has only recently broken out to a broader audience as a couple of her mystery series have been made into enjoyable British crime shows, Vera (from Vera Stanhope series) and Shetland (Shetland Island series). And in fact, the popularity of those series, meant that they have already created a television series for this new one too.
Detective Matthew Venn has returned to his home town, somewhat reluctantly, in North Devon and while the landscape is familiar, much has changed since he left for college. On the day he attends his father's funeral he's called to the scene of a man who has been stabbed and left on the beach. As he investigates the man's death he finds connections to his own family and the evangelical sect that played such a key role in his childhood.
You can tell that Cleeves is an experienced writer. She crafts a perfectly paced story and draws her characters with extreme confidence so that you know you're in good hands. I loved this one, as did the others in the group, and we pretty unanimously said we'd be reading the next in the series, The Heron's Cry. If you're interested in seeing what other book discussion groups have been up to, take a look here.