Now a major ITV series, The Long Call, adapted for television by screenwriter Kelly Jones and starring Ben Aldridge.

''Matthew Venn is a keeper . . . stunning'' – David Baldacci

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

North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coastline. 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 she 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 crime series, following her Sunday Times bestseller, The Long Call.

Praise for The Long Call:

''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

''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