This was a great addition to this wonderful series. I liked this story even more than the previous two and love the mystery and intrigue the characters are involved in.

Brillant, engaging, a page turner.!! It is another brilliant book by Ann Cleeeves.So well done, and the characters so deep and engaging. It's as if you know them as neighbors. Excellent!!

Ann Cleeves as is Louise Penny are masters at creating flawed but lovable characters with complicated relationships. The setting always plays a starring role . I like this series and the intersection of faith that she portrays in this book . Another stellar mystery by a fantastic author
Thanks yo Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur for an ARC copy of this book

Ann Cleeves is a master at creating and fleshing out a setting. It's evident in all her books. This bood is the 3rd in her Detective Matthew Venn/Two Rivers series. Matthew is a top notch detective who often feels out of step with his colleaugues. Matthew was born and raised in the Brethren, a strict Christian sect. He left and was excommunicated when he chose to come out. He's now at the helm of a sucessful police team and married to a lovely man, but sometimes it's hard to keep all three seperate.
The Raging Storm sees Matthew and his team sent to a small coastal village where the body of Jem Rosco has been found. Jem grew up in the village but left as a young man. He became a highly successful adventurer beloved by the public and tabloids, He recently returned to the village, renting a small house, and told all those who asked he was waiting for someone to show up. Did that someone kill him?
It's an excellent, fast paced book. There are recurring characters with backstories so I do recommend reading the previous two novels. 4 out of 5 stars and can't wait for the next installment.

Celebrity adventurer Jem Rosco returns to the isolated area where he grew up. He is there, so he says, to meet someone and will not be there long. Just as the town gets used to him being part of their lives he disappears only to turn up naked and dead in an anchored dinghy on a stormy night.
Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team comes to the village of Greystone to find the murderer but the residents of the insular town are not too cooperative with outsiders and, more importantly, non-believers who are not members of the church the majority of them belong to. Matthew, who left the church long ago, is uncomfortable as several of the townsfolk are people he knew as a child through the church. The town’s distrust of outsiders coupled with Jem’s secrecy about so much of his life make this a challenging case and then there is a second death.
Our recurring characters are well fleshed out and are showing signs of growth from book to book. Sergeant Jen Rafferty, a divorced single mother with two teens is a vital part of the investigation while Ross May, the other member of the team, is impatient and to a degree not very likeable. Matthew is a bit of a tortured soul - a former member of a very conservative church, almost a cult, he is coming to terms still with breaking away, coming out as gay and marrying a man. His husband, Jonathan, is very different from Matthew and we are also seeing him grow and learning more about him.
The murder is well plotted and I did not suspect who the murderer was until just before Matthew came to the same conclusion. I am enjoying this series and look forward to the next book. Highly recommended

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting novel about murder in a remote seaside village. The cast of characters are realistic and raw. The storylines will leave you pondering whether love exists at all.

About a year and a half ago, I gave five (well deserved) stars to The Heron’s Cry, which was the second in a series featuring Detective Matthew Venn (following 2019’s The Long Call, where we first met Matthew). I was eager to read the next in this series (even though I’d not been a fan of Ms Cleeves, Vera, etc.), so I was pleased to receive a copy of Matthew’s latest adventure, The Raging Storm, from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Although this is the third in a series, each one can be read as a standalone, and despite the fact there is a regular cast of characters who grow and develop, it isn’t like a major beloved character is killed which affects the subsequent books in the series (I’m looking at you, Elizabeth George, but you are still my favorite author!). So, Matthew is still a detective, working to solve a murder on the Devon coast, alongside people who are fully developed characters, including Jen Rafferty, “…the best detective he’d ever worked with.” who “…knew that she tried too hard with the men she met, was too desperate and she scared them off.” There is also the overeager Ross, an ambitious young member of the squad who aspires to have Matthew’s job.

Greystone is a small town that once again takes Matthew back to his painful past as he “lost his faith” and married a terrific guy named Jonathan. As a lapsed member of The Brethren, Matthew gets the nuances of religious differences and cult membership as he investigates the death of celebrity Jem Rosco, whose lifeless body was discovered “in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.”

Greystone is a place Matthew visited as a child, and things get uncomfortable for him when another body is found, and he finds his judgment clouded due to his past association.

Once again, I’m a fan of Ms. Cleeves (and looking forward to seeing her at this summer’s Bouchercon!) and look forward to more from Detective Venn. Four stars (only lower than five because I found myself checking to see how much of the book was left, rather than getting lost in the story and thinking “already?” when I reached the end, as is often the case for me when reading favorite authors).

I am so glad that I got to read this book early. I've read most of this author's series. I think this is the best one in this series yet. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

When Jem Rosco—sailor, adventurer, and legend—blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own. This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Venn finds his judgment clouded. As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets. This is a highly enjoyable slow burn of a read. I’m a huge of this writer and all her characters. So well developed and the story itself is tightly plotted. I hope there will be more of Venn in the future. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Can you believe that before this Matthew Venn series, I had never read a book by Ann Cleeves? I love this series and one day when I catch up on all my ARCs, I’m going to read more of her books.
Jem Roscoe is a celebrity in the sailing world or was. Now that he’s older, he just seems to avoid both people and the limelight. But when he visits Greystone, no one really knows why. He won’t divulge any information to the locals. When he is found dead, it seems Matthew and his team will have their hands full trying to figure out whodunnit and why.
Another great mystery and one that I guessed the who after the 80% mark, but not the why. It was a twisty story as usual, and the ending set Matthew and his husband up for hopefully the next book. I really like all the characters and I’d like to spend more time with Jonathan.(maybe in the next book?). A great addition to the series.

Ann Cleeves you have done it again!! A book that kept me up all night reading and at some points with chills down my neck and arms. You are the queen of detective crime thrillers!! This is the 3rd in the two rivers series and I think that it is the best and my favorite yet! I love Detective Inspector Matthew. Please give me more!!
I just reviewed The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves. #TheRagingStorm #NetGalley
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Ann Cleeves writes gripping mysteries and this one is no exception.

A mystery man appears in a small town - a town in which he grew up and was not quite accepted. He is found dead in a mysterious boat.

While exploring the complex background of this rather private man, a second victim appears. Suicide or murder?

The writing is superb, I didn't guess who did it (always a plus!) and this is another fine edition to Ann Cleeve's novels.

The Raging Storm is the third satisfying installment in the DI Matthew Venn series. A sailing celebrity returns to Greystone in Devon, but the reasons for his return are shrouded in mystery. Soon enough his body is discovered in a dinghy off Scully Cove. Venn had ties with this community as a child, but he parted ways with it when he left the Barum Brethren and his judgment may be clouded. Another body is found and the team of Venn, Ross, and Jen may be in danger themselves as they work to find who is responsible.

There are a lot of characters, relationships, and questions to keep track of, and the resolution was slightly convoluted, but Cleeves explains it well. Her characters are quite human with flaws and doubts, and the raging storms lend lots of atmosphere to the carefully-written plot. By the way, this book has an excellent cover! I'm looking forward to the next installment in the Two Rivers series.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on September 19, 2023.

I am a huge fan of the Vera Stanhope series. This series is good but characters are not as sympathetic as in Vera series. Lots of twists in this book before finale.

400 pages

5 stars

Ann Cleeves is definitely one of my favorite authors. Her characters are so life-like. They have individual backgrounds and very real feelings and problems. But, they don’t let these things interfere with their dedication to their job.

The reader is transported to the small village where this story takes place. Ms. Cleeves’ descriptions of the scenery and local folk in this story are colorful, and I felt as though I were in Greystone myself.

Detective Matthew Venn and his team are called to Greystone in the midst of a raging storm to investigate a suspicious death. Greystone is on the shore of the sea. Violent wind and waves hamper their progress.

The victim, a local who made good - even famous - Jeremy “Jem” Roscoe was murdered. Who knew that he was visiting the village? Who would want such a seemingly nice man dead?

When another murder occurs, the tension in the story ratchets up. Venn, Jen and Ross are pressed harder to solve the cases.

I am usually pretty good at identifying the evil-do-er in mystery novels. Carefully following the clues, I was glad to see that I was right. The reasoning behind it was lost on me though. I truly enjoyed the path to the solution, though. Ms. Cleeves is a tremendous writer. I will continue to read all of her books.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

An exceptionally well written book. This book is so strong in both atmospheric description and characterization. One thing I love about Ann Cleeves it that she portrays her characters as real people formed by their pasts and lets the characters remain with their foibles and flaws, The plot was well developed and although I can usually guess the murderer I was surprised by the ending of this book. Somehow Ann Cleeves just keeps getting better and better. I highly recommend all of her detective series and can not wait for her next book.

Ann Cleeves is a great writer and storyteller so I knew I had to read her newest mystery. "The Raging Storm" has intriguing, solid characters and its setting of a remote coastal village provides great atmosphere. It kept me engaged until the end with a nice surprise or two. Highly recommended for mystery lovers. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. #TheRagingStorm #NetGalley

I love the Ann Cleeves books and shows, and this latest installment is no exception. As always the puzzle is tricky and the pages fly, and she uses the genre so well, while also remaining so fresh and modern, and making the salt and sea air come alive. Another home run, I say!

Another wonderful book by Ann Cleeves. Matthew is called in with a few of his team to investigate the unusual murder of a celebrity adventurer who mysteriously turned up in a remote coastal village two weeks earlier. Matthew spent time in the village as a child, his parents were part of a religious group that make up a large part of the village population.
The sense of isolation from the storms and from the tightly knit Brethren who don’t easily let outsiders in, the descriptions of the dark granite and old quarry, and the old fears of Scully Cove all serve to make this an atmospheric read. The characters are believable, with plenty of secrets and doubts. I really like learning more about Jen and her story. I didn’t see the end coming, and thank NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advance copy that had me eagerly reading and trying to solve.

The Raging Storm is book 3 in The Two Rivers series by Ann Cleeves.
After finishing this one I’ve got to read the first two on the series.
An interesting, entertaining and very mysterious story.
Detective Inspector Matthew Venn is a strong protagonist.
I really liked the characters, each their own person, unique, interesting.
They were complex but realistic.
A wonderfully written procedural
This story is satisfying by all measures, engaging to the end.
The author's vivid descriptions of the landscape make for an immersive and compelling read.
I was thrilled for the opportunity to read and review this title.
Now I’m off read the first two books in this series.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!