Jem Rosco shows up in a small village called Greystone. He is a sailing celebrity of sorts but has been away for decades. He keeps his reasons for visiting a secret until his naked lifeless body is found on a small boat in hidden cove. Now Matthew Venn investigates his death and leaves no stone unturned in this man's life, revealing not only his secrets but those of villagers. This is an enjoyable installment of a new series by Ann Cleeves.

This is book # 3 in the Two Rivers/Detective Matthew Venn series by Ann Cleeves. I have not read the other two books in the series so I was a little lost regarding the main character backgrounds. The mystery was solid though and I definitely recommend the read.

Jem Rosco was a rogue sailor and local hero in the small town of Greystone. He came from a humble background but made a name for himself with his famous expeditions.

When he suddenly lands back in town, Jem brings intrigue along. Stating he is waiting for a mysterious guest to arrive, people speculate about who he means. When he disappears suddenly, they assume his guest arrived.

Unfortunately, Jem is found dead in a dinghy that is anchored in Scully Cove, a place that holds its own superstitions.

Detective Inspector Matthew Venn is assigned to the case and it brings him back to Greystone, where he visited as a child. It’s an uncomfortable case for Matt but he is determined to find out what happened to Jim. Can he and his team get to the bottom of this mystery before another victim emerges?

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Raging Storm
By Ann Cleeves
Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
Minotaur
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
* mystery * crime
I loved this methodical police procedural. I was glad the pace speeds up in the last part of the book. I highly recommend this book, the next one should be a doozy.
4 stars

While I can’t say I “like” Venn as a character and while I realize his former religious upbringing will haunt this series I do enjoy most of the detective work. Definitely not as strong or cozy like Vera-more brooding. Lots of potential killers in this title and the back stories for character development were interesting. I wasn’t totally absorbed in the story and read it off and on. No urgency in determining the killer this time.

I’m not sure that I’ll ever be as fond of one of Cleeves’ detectives as I am of Shetland’s Jimmy Perez but her newest character, Matthew Venn, is certainly a contender. In the third of the Two Rivers series, Venn and his team investigate the murder of a hometown hero who returns to a small seaside village.

As always, the characters we meet throughout the investigation all feel real. Cleeves’ talent for building complex relationships between fictional characters is a gift for the reader. The small village dynamics are fascinating. It was less about the whodunnit for me and more about connecting these characters, their shared histories, and growing resentments.

I missed Venn’s husband Jonathan in this one, as he only flitted in and out of the plot, but I think readers will have more time with him in the books to come.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. When a man is found dead, it is up to Detective Matthew to find the suspect. With little to go on, everyone becomes a suspect. I could not put this book down, after the first page. I cant wait to read her next book

When a celebrity adventurer is murdered in the small port town of Greystone, DI Matthew Venn and his team are sent to investigate. They soon find the,selves trying to wade through local secrets and superstition. Then another murder occurs and still without a clear motive or suspect, the team may have to put themselves in danger to draw the killer out.

The Raging Storm is the third book in the Two Rivers series by Ann Cleeves and it is a smart, well-written and compelling tale that kep me guessing throughout. The characters are three-dimensional and the mystery kept me glued to the page. My only quibble is with the eventual reveal at the end which seemed somewhat hard to accept but, despite that, I found this book very enjoyable and entertaining.

I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and the publishers exchange for an honest review

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley.
I have read various novels in the Shetland series and in the Vera series. And while I love Vera, I have to admit a good portion of that love is because I came to the series via Brenda Blethyn’s role in the adaptation. Yet, I have to say I like the Venn novels – the Two Rivers series - the best. It could be because they are the ones that I have read all off and in order, but it’s more than that. Venn is at once more open and more closed off than the others. He is assured in terms of his job, but he is more unsure, and more honest about that unsureness, than Vera or Perez. It could also be that I just like the supporting cast far more.
In this entry in the series, Venn, Ross, and Jenn (my fave) travel to a small port town to solve the murder of a famous boatsman. Of course, what unravels are long kept town secrets and rivalries.
It’s a good read. In particular because of how well drawn Matthew, Ross, and Jenn are. Too often when two characters are at logger heads; it becomes quite clear that one of them is better than the other. That really isn’t the case with Ross and Jenn. You may not like Ross all that much – I don’t – but he isn’t a bad guy. He doesn’t sell out Venn or Jenn, and because Cleves allows the reader into Ross’ though processes, we can see that he wants Venn’s approval, most likely more than Venn knows. He also does love his wife. Why this isn’t Ross’s book per se, he does exhibit some growth – there is a scene where someone thinks of something that Ross would do, and as a reader we nod our head, but then Ross doesn’t seem to do it – it was a good touch. The important thing is that Venn is aware of Ross’ favorite status with Venn’s superior, Ross is a good bloke and deserves to be where he is.
Jenn too is a delight, and she, like Venn, deals with ghosts from her past – in this case a development in the life of her ex-husband. Like Venn, this case connects to former stomping grounds and places long remembered. Jenn’s reaction to her husband’s news is realistic as are her thoughts about it over the course of the novel. I also love the fact that Jenn has a close female friend who is there for her. Unlike some books, Jenn does not exist in an all-male vacuum where she is the sole woman who can do anything. She doesn’t have to prove herself as much to the reader, and she is given far more introspection than Ross, but her challenges are ones that women do face. What is important here is that Cleves handles that in a very real way. There is acknowledgment on Jenn’s part is that sometimes some thoughts are irrational, but they still hurt. It’s nice to see a character struggling with that truth that we all struggle with.
Venn, as always, is center stage and here too we get more conflict between his world with Jonathan and his work world. Jonathan, as well, gets some development by the end of the book, though he seems far more absent than in the first two novels. Venn’s conflict about his then and his now is still present. Venn’s unsureness allows him to connect with most of those he questions. He doesn’t have Vera’s folksy clueless façade; there is something far more honest about him. With Venn, you always have a sympathetic ear.
The supporting characters are well drawn and even offer a surprise or two to our heroes. The question of fame and how one feels about is addressed more than once as does the idea of class and money. You can actually see the action, feel the coldness of the town in the storm as well. There is a bit more physical action in this volume (ideally, it seems this book leads itself more readily to be filmed than the first).
A good fun read.

I'd already read the previous Matthew Venn books (and the short, "The Girls on the Shore") before I requested this ARC, and I enjoyed them despite some misgivings not particularly relevant here. It had been a while, though, so I listened to the audiobooks before I started reading The Raging Storm.

Whereas a good audiobook narration usually makes up for at least some shortcomings in dialogue and general prose, with the Two Rivers stories the narration, which was quite good, somehow brought those shortcomings more sharply into focus. So I wound up being more aware than I otherwise might have been of clunky dialogue and awkward characterizations. I'm not sure Ann Cleeves really meant to make Ross May as irksome as all that, for instance, and she has Matthew remember his husband, Jonathan Roberts, saying something startlingly ungenerous about Matthew's sense of guilt, inculcated by the religion he grew up in -- startlingly ungenerous, because it just doesn't fit with what we've seen of Jonathan's ways so far.

Although Cleeves's novels are ensemble pieces, the heart of the Two Rivers series is DI Matthew Venn and his relationship with Jonathan -- for me, more interesting than the mysteries themselves is how Matthew's history, the wounds he suffers from, inflect his thinking about a case and the way he interacts with Jonathan. A running theme of all 3-1/2 books is how members of the conservative Christian sect Matthew grew up in are thick on the ground in his patch of North Devon, and how his encounters with them salt the wounds: of growing up gay, of losing his faith and being cast out, of having a breakdown and leaving university. (I really hope we hear more about that last, and maybe get some glimpses of Matthew in therapy.)

Jonathan is a shorts-and-sandals-in-any-weather person, arty, sociable, omnicompetent, quick to forgive, and I want to see more of him, too. We see Matthew not knowing how to, or not feeling able to, express the depth of his love for Jonathan; I would love to get a look at Matthew through Jonathan's eyes.

At the end of The Raging Storm, Jonathan has come to a decision about his own history. I have qualms about how Cleeves may handle it; without dropping too much of a spoiler, I can say that so far I've been disappointed by Cleeves's treatment of adoption. Fingers crossed she does better in the next book, which I will, of course, be reading as soon as it exists.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Fans of atmospheric British murder mysteries will enjoy the latest release by master writer Ann Cleeves. The Raging Storm is meticulously plotted, and each scene is fully described with strict attention to detail. There are many characters to follow, red herrings to sort, and lesser-known English coastal towns to pique our curiosity.

Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team take readers on their investigative journey to capture a killer. Although this book is third in a series, it can be read as a standalone. The Raging Storm is not a novel that can be read quickly but is best enjoyed on a rainy day on a comfy couch with cups of a hot beverage. A good read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for providing an ARC to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

Cleeves' books are always complex and exciting, but adding in her latest DI Matthew Venn, definitely ups the ante. Now in his 3rd book of the series and still a conservative, gay, married, ex-church, Venn is definitely a product of his evangelical upbringing in full rebellion.

Devon's local color (and weather) serve Cleeves' almost as well as the turbulent Shetland, and give Venn the reflective atmosphere necessary to solve this most complicated of all his cases. Don't miss it.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Publishing Group for a copy of "The Raging Storm" in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third book in the Detective Matthew Venn series. Adventurer, sailor, celebrity and legend Jem Rosco returns to Greystone, North Devon to wait for a special visitor. He went into the local pub every night and made a point of announcing that he was still waiting for this person. He's have 2 pints of cider and then leave. After a few weeks they noticed that he had not come in.

When a call is made to the lifeboat station Mary Ford responds and they find a naked body in a dingy. Detective Matthew Venn and Sergeant Jen Rafferty respond to investigate. Jem Rosco seems to have led a mysterious life. No one knew where he actually lived and when they find his flat they learn that he hasn't lived there is a long time. His will leaves all his money to a first love. Then another body is found. This leaves Detective Venn wondering if this second killing is related to the first. As the pieces come together Venn finds himself in great danger once he realizes that they have believed the story of a very unreliable narrator.

A very suspenseful story that has the reader turning the pages wondering what will happen next and is anyone actually telling the truth to Matthew Venn?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of Ann Cleeves newest novel 'The Raging Storm'.

When the body of celebrity adventurer Jem Rosco is found lying inside an anchored dingy off the coast of Devon, Detective Matthew Venn immediately suspects foul play. Battling local superstition, a secretive community, and one of the most brutal storms of the year, Detective Venn and his team set up at the local pub to begin unravelling the mystery as to why some wanted Rosco dead and why they staged his body at sea.

I describe this as a light read that can easily be put down and picked up. I haven't read the first to instalments of the Two Rivers series and I don't believe readers would need to as each book covers a separate murder case. I loved Ann Cleeves' 'Shetland' series - I don't personally think this set of characters is as interesting. I didn't particularly like the character Ross May, he didn't have a whole lot of personality. Cleeves describes him as being overly eager and excited by the drama of police work and less keen on actually conducting inquiries where he gets bored of his interviewees. He always seemed to be wanting to go home to his wife - which is fantastic - but during a murder case you want the detectives to be present.

Lots of twists and turns. The writing is great. Lots of characters with motive for murder. I enjoyed following the clues. Some I guessed and some was a complete shocker. It was a good book. I read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is the first Ann Cleeves book I have read but it won't be the last. I've loved the Vera Stanhope and the Jimmy Perez characters on television and I was not disappointed in getting to know Detective Matthew Venn. A murder victim is found in a boat anchored just off shore and there are plenty of suspects in and around Greystone, Devon. The characters are well drawn and the book is tightly plotted. I really liked Detective Venn and Sgt. Jen Rafferty but Officer Ross May had hard feelings about Venn and Rafferty and it was hard to get past that. I had a little trouble keeping the characters straight as the author called the characters by either their first name or last name throughout the book but was not consistent. I loved the descriptions of the the surrounding area, the ocean, and the shore, and I felt like I was there in the wind and storm and waves. All in all, I loved the book and will definitely read more by the author.

I was happy to receive this ARC copy of the third novel of the Two Rivers series and I was delighted to read a new adventure with Detective Venn.
The plot is quite complex like the other novels, and I really enjoyed reading it. Detective Venn and his team are well described and I loved how they work togheter.
I am looking forward to the next novel in this series. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was really good. The third book in the Two Rivers series starring DI Matthew Venn. This book seems to be setting up something dark for the next book in the series, so can't wait for that. The last Vera Stanhope made me cry, so thankfully this one did not. It was engaging though from beginning to end. Especially since Cleeves included Venn's Brethren in this one, but ones he met and knew when he was a child.

"The Raging Storm" follows Venn's investigation into the murder of a famous sailor and adventurer, Jem Rosco. Jem returns to Greystone where he has not been seen in decades. He says he is waiting for someone. But then Jem is found eventually naked in a dinghy that was let loose on purpose. Venn knows it's murder, but doesn't know why. Investigating Rosco's past though brings up all intriguing things.

It was great to follow Venn, Sergeant Jen, Rafferty and Ross May. Well, not really Ross, he still gets on my nerves. But everyone else was great. I thought it was interesting about Jen's bad marriage being brought up again and some fly in the ointment on that. Also, Venn seems to be very careful of how he treats and talks to Jonathan after the mess he got into in the last book. Ross is trying to be better as an investigator, but seems to be sitting around fuming about thinking Jen is a favorite of Jen's.

The investigation into Jem's background is interesting. I still don't know what was true and what was false. You get to the whodunit and why in the end, and believe me I didn't see it coming. But I did wonder about Jem's life and the things that people said about him.

The residents of Greystone were mysterious and holding so many secrets. I can see why Jen was all, I hope to never see this place again. It definitely felt hollowed out by the end of the book. Not a welcoming place at all. But a place where murder(s) occur.

I thought the ending was great and I just am curious as I said about some of the foreshadowing that Cleeves was playing up here and there.

I love this series and I love this author, but I just couldn’t get into this book. The nautical theme turned me off right away, and here were just too many characters, most of whom I didn’t really care about. This book just wasn’t for me.

In The Raging Storm, Book 3 of Ann Cleeves' Detective Matthew Venn series, Detective Inspector Venn and his team are tasked with finding who murdered a famous personality when he visited a quiet seaside town in hopes of meeting an anonymous friend. While Venn and his group collect the clues and interview residents, another person is murdered. It may be unrelated, but two murders in this small town is highly unusual. As with most Ann Cleeves' murder mysteries, this one is character driven so Venn believes solving the murders will result from digging into the people and their backgrounds, connecting present clues to personal lives. His team spends most of the book talking with characters and their families and a small amount of time analyzing events, almost to the point of considering these subplots--but not really because there is no conclusion to those threads. We the reader get personally involved in children's schedules, hobbies, eating routines, and more.

What didn’t I like? This is a biggie: Names became a problem for me. So darn many were similar--Jen, Jem, Venn, Gwen, Ross and Rosco--my head started spinning. Without Vera Stanhope's well-known crew to anchor me, I got lost often. This is the first Matthew Venn book I've read so I expect (hope?) that after a few, I will have all those names nicely sorted.

Overall, if you like character-driven and atmospheric murder mysteries, this is a great way to spend a few hours.

Matthew Venn finds himself with a strange murder. A body staged in a boat on the sea. The victim goes back years in the history of the town. Finding out the murderer is tough and then.another body shows up. Great read. Love this series!