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  • The Heron's Cry

  • Two Rivers, Book 2
  • Written by: Ann Cleeves
  • Narrated by: Jack Holden
  • Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (57 ratings)

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The Heron's Cry

Written by: Ann Cleeves
Narrated by: Jack Holden
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Publisher's Summary

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

The number one Sunday Times best-selling 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 best seller The Long Call.

©2021 Ann Cleeves (P)2021 Macmillan Publishers International Limited

What the critics say

"Jack Holden demonstrates his full talents in this mystery, bringing the extensive cast of characters in this small and close-knit community in Devon to life with his strong narration. This is particularly apparent as he seamlessly moves between a variety of British regional accents in many of the dialogue scenes. Holden's characterisations of both the male and female characters are strong and he creates a likeable and believable pair in the DI and his husband. His spot-on timing helps keep the story moving towards its surprising end, resulting in a thoroughly enjoyable listen." (AudioFile)

"Matthew Venn is a keeper...stunning." (David Baldacci)

What listeners say about The Heron's Cry

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awful narrator

The narrator reads extremely fast and very choppy. He makes it sound as if there are masses of really short sentences which is not Ann Cleeves style. It quite interferes with the story. I love Ann Cleeves writing but he has ruined the experience. I won’t be getting any more books that he narrates.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

FINALLY, characters who just happen to be gay, or intellectually disabled :-) :-) :-)

This is a GREAT book, with a great plot and complex characters.
ALSO, it has a SUPER-AWESOME feature: the gay characters and the intellectually disabled characters just HAPPEN to be gay or intellectually disabled. FINALLY, a story which doesn’t revolve around those character aspects that are different from the majority of society’s members! These people are important characters in this novel, but the qualities that make them “different” are portrayed the way that they should be in real life: normal aspects of some of the members of a typical community. :-) :-) :-) :-)

P.S. In England (& the rest of the UK?), intellectual disabilities are called “learning disabilities”. SO, what are things such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, etc. called?!? And, that rather HUGE difference between what “learning disabilities” means to residents of England vs. what the term means to residents of Canada and the U.S. must make for some INTERESTING interactions between the two groups!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good entertainment.

Cleeves draws you into the complicated lives of her characters. No ones life is ever perfect, nor is any problem insurmountable.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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  • d
  • 2022-03-06

I want even more

as always Cleeves characters are so nuanced you just want to go live in the village and get to know them better over a cup of tea. I enjoyed every sip but want to know more of the aftermath.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Enthralling

This book had me captured right away. Kept up the pace until the end, which was a roller coaster.

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Wholly enjoyable!

An incredibly mindful and delicate means of showcasing people’s mental health struggles and the stigma and repercussions of people’s mindsets surrounding this area. I so enjoyed the depth shown of each character’s traits and the story line itself. Well done Ann Cleaves!

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super read or listen

Love this and all that Ann Cleeves writes. As always you never guess who has done it.

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Great Thriller!

Really enjoyed another Ann Celebes- weaving the detective case with descriptions of the beauty of the North Devon coast. A must read for fans of British Murder Mysteries.

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