belovedsnail's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Solid mystery, not particularly inspired. I had a difficult time getting into it for quite a while.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
inhisbluegardens's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is the first book in the Two Rivers series. I'm pretty particular about my crime fiction but I really enjoy Cleeves' Shetland series, so thought I'd give this a go. I didn't think she could outdo her (and my) beloved DI Perez, but Detective Matthew Venn has now become a firm favourite.
Venn is a fairly compelling protagonist, in my opinion. He is an often reserved, stalwart man, though not in the jaded gumshoe sense. There's a real, believable anger and bitterness to him. He struggles to reconcile his past as a young man cast out of the evangelical community he grew up in and his now settled life with his husband Jonathan many years later. Venn now finds himself leading his first major case since moving back to North Devon and just a stone's throw away from his family and former community. What follows is an intriguing, character-driven mystery, with Cleeves' signature strong sense of place. I always appreciate how she makes the setting almost a character in itself. A great read!
Venn is a fairly compelling protagonist, in my opinion. He is an often reserved, stalwart man, though not in the jaded gumshoe sense. There's a real, believable anger and bitterness to him. He struggles to reconcile his past as a young man cast out of the evangelical community he grew up in and his now settled life with his husband Jonathan many years later. Venn now finds himself leading his first major case since moving back to North Devon and just a stone's throw away from his family and former community. What follows is an intriguing, character-driven mystery, with Cleeves' signature strong sense of place. I always appreciate how she makes the setting almost a character in itself. A great read!
pinecone_mushroom's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the writing, and appreciate how the characters were distinguishable. I felt like the mystery got a bit confused at the reveal, but that might be because I read it at work and had to read it in small chunks.
norrieaga's review against another edition
4.0
Happily devouring mysteries this week. Liked this one.
thecurseofchris's review against another edition
3.0
I was really hyped for this book at first because I had heard a lot of good things about the author, but in the end it just felt very average to me. The mystery was intriguing but eventually it just became stale and overly long to get to the conclusion.
dcmr's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting plot, but the multitude of characters and sluggish pace made this a long slow read.
jackie_beyondthebookends's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I had heard such great things about the author although I have never read any of her books. I loved the character driven story that leads you down a long winding path. I didn’t guess the ending and this murder mystery.