I lost my kindle and couldn't redownload it. Sorry!
I lost my kindle and couldn't redownload it. Sorry!
I lost my kindle and couldn't redownload it. Sorry!
I lost my kindle and couldn't redownload it. Sorry!

This slow burn police procedural felt atmospheric and completely sucked me in. This book follows Detective Venn and his team as he is called into a small costal town to investigate the mysterious death of a local TV celebrity. The investigation leads to secrets a plenty as we wind through this beautifully written mystery.

This is my first Ann Cleeves book but it won’t be my last. Usually police procedurals are hit or miss for me and this was definitely a hit. While the pacing is slower the setting and writing more than make up for it. The small costal town felt like it came to life and the writing was engaging and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. The characters were entertaining and while this is the third in the series it can be read as a standalone mystery but be forewarned some of what was hinted at in previous books made me want to go back and start this series from the beginning. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

Jem Rosco is Greystone, Devon’s biggest celebrity. Sailor and adventurer, he gained notoriety for his solo sailing trip around the world. When he arrives in town during a storm, the residents of the tiny village are thrilled to have him around, but things take a dark turn when his naked body is found in an anchored dinghy and his rental cottage is a bloody crime scene.

Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team, Jen Rafferty and Ross May, descend upon the town to investigate Rosco’s past and present to find a motive for murder. There's more trouble brewing in Greystone, though, with another murder complicating the mystery. This is an uncomfortable case for Venn. Greystone is home to the Barum Brethren, a religious sect from which he was expelled after losing his faith and marrying his husband, Jonathan. He is now estranged from his family and church.

The Raging Storm is the third installment in the Matthew Venn mystery series. Cleeves has an uncanny ability to set the scene. You can almost hear the wind howl and feel the sea salt spray on your face. The characters are pretty fleshed out, but Venn could use a bit more pizzazz—he’s too elusive and emotionally distant.

The book isn’t too dark, but I wouldn’t classify it as a “cozy” mystery either. There's plenty of intrigue and atmosphere to keep you hooked, even if the action takes a back seat. I must say, though, that Detective Venn’s belittlement of Christians rubbed me the wrong way. If that's a sore spot for you, too, skip it.

The Raging Storm is a decent read, no doubt, but personally, I preferred the second book in the series, Heron’s Cry. 3.5 stars from me.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a comp of this book. The opinions are my own.

Matthew Venn for the win yet again. I am currently loving unconventional police procedurals as a much needed update to an outdated genre. The team that Ann Cleeves has created for this series is easy to care for and I love the more rural or unusual settings they find themselves in.

I got about halfway through and realized it just wasn’t for me. I found the timeline to jump around a lot from the beginning. It wasn’t a bad book just a little hard for me to follow but still a decent story if you like Ann Cleeve I think this could be for you

3.5 stars rounded up.

My real issue with this book was that the timeline was all over the place. Mary would go out for a walk at lunchtime, then go drop off her kids at school…but reference the lifeboat trip she took in the afternoon of the same day…in the morning after school drop off. In that order. It was impossible to keep straight. Also, I wish we could have gotten to know—really know—some of the main characters more deeply. We learned little things about them, but there were many of them, and it was a lot to keep them all straight—let alone get to know them on a deeper level.

Overall, a good police procedural. There were loose ends, and not everything was wrapped up neatly. This was my first Ann Cleeves novel, so I’m not sure if the prior two books in the series also had unfinished business to return to in future books.

Ann Cleeves Matthew Venn series is one of my favorites. The Raging Storm finds Matthew investigating the murder of local legend Jem Rosco in Greystone, Devon. This place holds memories for Matthew, a place he visited often in his youth, a strict religious community.

Matthew is finding his voice in this third novel, his straight-forward, almost to logical personality seems to loosen a little and I found myself relating to him a bit more.

The plot is complex and twisty, layered with secrets and local community beliefs and speculations; this is often a hinderance in the murder investigation.

As with all of Cleeves books, the atmosphere is richly portrayed and lush. It’s always a joy to go traveling with her!
My thanks to St. Martins Press for this gifted DRC.

My apologies for the lateness of this review, somehow I missed it in my download shelf!

I had The Raging Storm on my shelf for way too long, considering I love an Ann Cleeves novel. But I think I timed it right when I picked it up during our recent atmospheric rivers. I felt very connected to the book as our storm raged outside.
Matthew Venn is a calm and thoughtful Inspector and his team each have traits that complement his style. We are introduced to a cast of locals who are rarely forthcoming as our team meanders through leads. The mystery is good, but I will say that the setting steals the show for me. The characters who have lived there long enough almost become the setting, ss they peer mysteriously behind curtains and have personalities as gray as the cliffs.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I was cold reading this book, the source being the rich descriptions of a cliffside, coastal community with drafty houses and dark lit pubs.
A slow going murder mystery where the reader becomes a part of this little community bathed in traditions and superstitions.
When three murders occur in this quiet town, although there is a primary detective in charge, it becomes a communal interest with a lot of finger pointing. The fact that one of the victims was famous adds another layer of mystique.
It’s a complex story full of interesting characters.

4.5 stars

Matthew Venn and his team are called to investigate a body found floating in a anchored dinghy in cove in Devon. Grey cliffs, dark skies and secrets compound and create an atmospheric, almost claustrophobic bleakness. While Venn grew up in this general area, fleeing once he broke with the Brethern, the extreme religious sect of his parents, he returned as an adult with his partner, Jonathan. Venn's intelligence is challenged by the death of the celebrity adventurer who had returned to his hometown awaiting a mysterious visitor. Each book in this series shares both the palpable sense of place and the characters, detailed and incisively drawn. A stellar series worth reading in order, but this book also would be an acceptable entry to the series. Highly recommended.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Part three of a series. I've read part one a long time ago and do not remember it. This book worked fine as a stand alone. A little on the slower side, which fit the small town setting during a storm.

I have loved every book that I have read from this author, and I was sad to see that this is supposed to be the last Matthew Venn story.

Once again Ann Cleeves has given a moody, twisty, turny mystery.

While I haven't read any other Ann Cleeves other than the Matthew Venn series in which this is book three. She has become a father mystery writer of mine for book set in England. And Matthew is one of my favorite book detective. He's how I picture the British police detective.

I got about halfway through this novel and it just wasn’t for me. Idk what it was. From the beginning I found myself wandering. I checked out a few other reviews, many liked this novel, this just wasn’t for me!

I gave feedback for the audiobook since I ended up listening to it. I received the audio edition after I had requested the ebook version. I typically prefer to listen because I can cover more books that way because I can listen while doing other things.

As 2023 is wrapping up, I have to confess I've read fewer books than I intended. That may be partly due to the ease of binge watching British crime shows at night. (I have subscriptions to both BritBox and Acorn). But even with all the binging, Ann Cleeves's VERA remains my favorite. Why it has taken me this long to pick up one of Cleeve's actual novels is just amazing. But I assure you, RAGING STORM (book #3 in the series TWO RIVERS) will not be the last one I read. Despite being part of a series, I had no problem following the sleuthing and personal lives of Inspector Matthew Venn and his assistants Jen Rafferty and Ross May as they investigated the gruesome death of Jeremy Rosco. Rosco, a once-upon-a time celebrity sailor had mysteriously returned to the village of his youth. Yet, when his naked body is found in a dinghy anchored off shore, no one seems to know much about him or how he died. As the three officers peel back layers of the small community and its inhabitants, I was reminded of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache and Three Pines. If you like complex mysteries with the details held close to the author's hand until just the right moment to unfurl the whole story, then I recommend RAGING STORM. But start with the first novel and read all three. I received a copy from Netgalley. All opinions are mine.

Ann Cleeves is one of my absolute favorite British crime writers, who has created iconic lead detectives: Jimmy Perez, Vera Stanhope and now, Matthew Venn. The Raging Storm is the third Venn novel, and you could start reading here and then fill in the gaps with only minor spoiler-y reveals. I didn’t think I could ever love a detective as much as the blustery, brilliant Vera, but Matthew is someone I would enjoy knowing in real life. He’s a courtly gentleman with some repressed emotions and trauma, a gentle reverence for his spouse and a fierce commitment to his work. Cleeves is a master at “show, don’t tell,” so we learn a bit more about Venn and the other North Devon citizens as the novel unfolds. She’s at the top of her game in The Raging Storm, definitely an author you should check out if you love British mysteries, evocative seascapes and clever plots that are neither cozy nor gruesome.

Another great mystery from Ann Cleeves. Set in a small town in the north of Devon, a famous round-the-world sailor is found murdered in a small boat anchored in a hidden cove. Matthew Venn and his team is called in to find the killer. It seems like everyone in the small town could be a suspect at one time or another. The killer's identity remains elusive until the last final twist, then I had to read slowly to remember all the personal relationships and sensibly piece together the story. Inspector Venn is very different from Cleeve's other famous detective, Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope, with a team that competes against each other but works well together. I hope BBC adds this story to their list of mystery dramas.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Another captivating mystery from Ann Cleve's, Inspector Mathew Venn is an excellent addition, love the fact that he is a gay man, it is about time mainstream stories become more inclusive!

Looking forward to more from this series.

“OMG, you guys, this book is intense! It’s about this detective, Vera Stanhope, trying to solve a murder during this crazy storm that’s like, wreaking havoc everywhere. I mean, the way Ann Cleeves describes the weather is like, whoa, you feel like you’re right there, getting soaked and blown away!

Anyway, Vera is super smart and stuff, but also super messed up, you know? She’s got her own issues, but she’s still all about justice and stuff. So, she’s investigating this dead guy, and it turns out he was kind of a sketchy dude, but also kind of a hero? It’s all, like, complicated, you know?

The characters are so real!!! They’ve all got secrets and stuff, and Vera is trying to figure it all out. It’s like, a big puzzle, and you’re like, totally trying to piece it together with her. And the ending is , whoa, I didn’t see it coming!

Anyway, if you like, mystery and suspense and stuff, you should totes check this out. It’s totally engrossing, and you’ll be like, on the edge of your seat, wondering what happens next. For real, it’s an amazing read!”