The Long Call cover art

The Long Call

Two Rivers, Book 1

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The Long Call

By: Ann Cleeves
Narrated by: Ben Aldridge
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About this listen

Now a major ITV series, The Long Call, adapted for television by screenwriter Kelly Jones and starring Ben Aldridge, who also reads this updated audiobook.

The Long Call is the No.1 bestselling first novel in the Two Rivers series from Sunday Times bestseller and creator of Vera and Shetland, Ann Cleeves.

In North Devon, where the rivers Taw and Torridge converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father's funeral takes place. The day Matthew turned his back on the strict evangelical community in which he grew up, he lost his family too.

Now he's back, not just to mourn his father at a distance, but to take charge of his first major case in the Two Rivers region; a complex place not quite as idyllic as tourists suppose.

A body has been found on the beach near to Matthew's new home: a man with the tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death.

Finding the killer is Venn’s only focus, and his team’s investigation will take him straight back into the community he left behind, and the deadly secrets that lurk there.

The next book in the series is The Heron's Cry.

This audiobook is an updated recording by Ben Aldridge.

©2019 Ann Cleeves (P)2021 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd Crime Thrillers Fiction Genre Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Small Town & Rural Thriller Thriller & Suspense Crime Exciting Suspense

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Critic reviews

"As a huge fan of both the Shetland and Vera series of books, I had high expectations for Cleeves’ latest. She easily exceeded those expectations with The Long Call. Matthew Venn is a keeper. A stunning debut for Cleeves’ latest crimefighter.2 (David Baldacci)

"Clever, compassionate and atmospheric, with a great cast of new characters to love. I am already a Matthew Venn fan." (Elly Griffiths)

"Brilliant, thoughtful and deeply engaging." (Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author of the V.I. Warshawski series)
All stars
Most relevant
There is so little tension and the narrators voice is so gentle it is just right for inducing a snooze. I got so soothed I felt I was lying on marshmallow. The story passed by as a warm summer afternoon with the peace being broken only by the necessity to wonder if there was anything going on in the background, I dreamed of Vera in her scruffy mac, eating from a poke of chips and longed for twang as Tyneside.

Slow, Oh so Slow

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struggled to complete, very little happens. The reading is dull, story very slow. ending poor

Boring

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Brilliantly written and brilliantly read by the main actor in the TV adaption. Really excellent story and I am really happy to to recommend it to anyone who likes a 'who done it' crime drama with lots of empathy and atmosphere.

Better than the TV adaptation, though that was also very good.

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I hesitated over buying this book based on some negative reviews about the narration. I’m so pleased I did buy it, I thought the story was excellent (I didn’t find it slow at all) and thought the narration was very good. Someone else reviewed that the narrator simply read the book without any differentiation in the characters. We must have been listening to different versions, as this isn’t the case. In fact my one gripe is the Liverpudlian accent which I found a bit annoying. My first book by this author, would buy more.

Very enjoyable

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The recording was very slow and annoying to listen to but easily put right by increasing the speed.

Another good story from Ann Cleeves

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