Book 3 in the Detective Matthew Venn series. Although I loved the first 2 books this one just didn't grab my attention. I didn't really like any of the characters enough to care what happened to them. It still had the twists and dark, atmospheric plot but, for me, it just wasn't as good.


Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.

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.

What can you say? Ann Cleeves is one of britain's best crime writers, and Matthew Venn is a compelling character - troubled and coming to terms with his childhood - he has all the signs of a great detective character, without any of the cliches. The wild and turbulent setting is evoked to maximum effect - you can feel the cold wind and roaring sea on every page

I love Vera, Cleeve's other long running detective series .. but Venn is boring! Maybe the author thinks that because he's gay that's enough characterisation, but we never get to his unique interior .. it's full of cliches .. OK.. setting that aside, the story is great .. a celeb appears in a town he once knew, and a mysterious guest arrives .. and then he's unaccountably dead .. I just have never found the detective v interesting ..

All a bit convoluted and too many characters for me. Not finding this series as interesting as 'Vera' or 'Shetland'. I shall continue though and look forward to the next book. Thanks to Netgalley.

I haven’t read any of this series before, so I was effectively going into this blind.

A small town, deeply distrustful of outsiders, and a local celebrity returns. Then, the lifeboat is called out to a boat in a raging storm to find his body neatly placed.

DI Matthew Venn and his team travel to the town, but for Matthew, this is the town of his childhood, which brings added complications. Fast-paced with plenty of twists and turns, leading to their lives being in danger.

Brilliant from start to finish, a nice twist at the end.

We are back with DI Matthew Venn in Devon, the third in the new series from Ann Cleeves, who is better known for Vera and Shetland. But Venn is certainly earning his stripes and will be up with there with Stanhope and Perez.

When legend adventurer and sailor Jem Rosco suddenly arrives back in Greystone, Devon the local residents are as much excited as they are intrigued. However as quick as he arrived he disappears.

His body is washed up in a dinghy in a place where local legends have been talked about for years. Venn is the investigating officer with his colleagues, Jen and Ross. The storm that is building not just with the case and discovery of the body but the elements of the weather which means the team have to stay in Greystone.

Venn is logical, facts and information, not supposition and superstition. Greystone a place he visited as a child with a community that he has since removed himself from.

Jen is balancing being a working mother of teenagers with a desire to succeed.

Ross simply wants to be better than them all and prove he is worthy of a place in the team.

An interesting trio of detective’s whose relationships with each other develop through this novel as well as their determination to find out exactly what has really happened to Jem Rosco. As they dig deeper it all becomes more complicated as rumour and superstition still seems to be behind it all according to the residents.

Someone will know the truth and it is up to Venn and the team to find it.

A perfect example of a what they call a police procedural novel. It is not full of bodies and graphic images, it’s slow pace in parts reflects that not all crimes are solved in the space of a book or television series. It shows that real life has a lot more twists and turns.

A classic mystery novel which will leave you intrigued and suitably satisfied when you get to the end. Perfect as far as I am concerned!

Detective Matthew Venn is called out when the body of a well known adventurer is discovered in a dinghy. Having only recently returned to the area, Jen Rosco appeared to have no enemies, so who would want to kill him? Venn must battle not only the storms ravaging the coastline, but also the continuing influence of the Barum Brethren, who seem destined to remain in his life no matter how hard he tries to escape.

The Raging Storm is Ann Cleeves third Matthew Venn novel, and while he is not yet so well known as either Vera or Jimmy Perez, he is still involved in exciting adventures. I’m still not sure if the Brethren are intended to be an innocent group or a more sinister presence in the community, but Venn is definitely tortured by his memories of a childhood within the group. His colleagues Jen Rafferty and Ross May are very different characters and the three work off each other well and all are given their chance to affect the investigation.

Another classic Ann Cleeves story.

This is book number three in the D.I Matthew Venn series and whilst it can be read as a standalone I recommend reading the previous books for the backstory.
The Raging Storm is as the title suggests, an atmospheric police procedural set in Greystone, Devon. With a large cast of characters it is difficult at times to remember who is who. Overall I enjoyed the book but felt that the motive fell a bit flat and it took a long time to get there.
I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either, it was ok.

The Raging Storm, is the third book in the Two Rivers series. This was the first book that I had the pleasure of reading by Ann Cleeves. Even though I did not read the first two books in this series, I had no trouble following this story. It can definitely be read as a stand-alone book. I highly recommend it if you enjoy a compelling police procedural, character driven & atmospheric murder mystery. Thanks to PanMacmillan & Netgalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review

The Raging Storm by critically acclaimed author Ann Cleeves is the third in the Two Rivers series of books featuring Detective Matthew Venn. Set in North Devon, it’s a slow burning but atmospheric police procedural novel that increases the tension slowly as the story progresses.

Building on the foundations set by The Long Call and The Heron’s Cry, this time DI Matthew Venn and his team are on the hunt for a killer after the body of local legend and celebrity Jem Rosco is found in a dinghy after a raging storm, anchored off Scully Cove, a place filled with legends of its own.

Just like Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez before him, DI Matthew Venn is yet another multifaceted creation from the pen of Ann Cleeves, and is a character I find more and more interesting with every book. The Raging Storm is an intriguing and well plotted murder mystery that really does keep you on your toes throughout, the pieces of the puzzle slowly slotting into place as the investigation continues.

DI Matthew Venn and his team are in charge of the investigation, working hard to get to the bottom of what happened to the charismatic Jem Rosco. Now settled back in North Devon with his husband, Jonathan, Matthew knows he needs to tread carefully, especially as Greystone, the remote village where the murder took place, is a community populated by the Barum Brethren that he parted ways with twenty years before.

But then another body is found and, as the storm rages and the village is cut off, Matthew finds his judgement clouded. As the team continue their investigation into the murders, little do they realise that their own lives could be at risk…

The Raging Storm is an excellent police procedural thriller that is not only a murder mystery with all the intrigue and suspense you would expect, but is also very much a character driven story, with DI Matthew Venn, DS Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May all playing an important role in the narrative.

Ann Cleeves is a writer who certainly understands her audience and the Two Rivers series just keeps on getting better and better with every book – and I love it!

A brilliant police procedural thriller that I would highly recommend.

I enjoyed the latest instalment in this series. Matthew Venn and his husband Jonathan are a lovely stable couple despite their difficulties with their parents and they provide a wonderful antidote to the vicious murders that Matthew has to solve in his work.

Four stars rather than five from me, as the characterisation of the suspects made it very clear quite early on who was behind the murders, and although the specifics of the relationships between the conspirators came out only towards the end, the broad brush of the plot was transparent - very unusually in an Ann Cleeves murder mystery. Normally she keeps us guessing until the last couple of chapters. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’m still really glad to have read this novel, and grateful to NetGalley and the publisher.

Three Word Review: sailing club exploits.

Loved the setting for this book. The North Devon coast with its wild stormy weather produces the background to a mysterious death. The police team investigating the murder are well developed characters. So well written and a pleasure to read.

Minor celebrity Jem Rosco is causing a stir as he comes to stay in the small Devon coastal town of Greystone. He tells the locals that he is expecting a visitor at some point, and will remain in Greystone until their arrival. The locals speculate that the mystery visitor will be a woman, and imagine a secret romance for him.
However, Jem disappears, and is late found drifting out in Skully Point. He is dead.
Matthew Venn and his team are called in to solve the case. However, a storm is looming, and they find themselves trapped in the village as roads are cut off.
Mystery and intrigue follow, plus more unexplained deaths. Are the team safe?

Another great story from Ann Cleeves!

That this is a well written police procedural is no surprise. Anne Cleves really managed to get the feel of a close knit community. I really enjoyed the characters and an original plot but it got a little far-fetched at the end.
However I couldn’t place the orientation of the coast and villages within the area the novel is supposed to be set and I think I was getting distracted by trying to fit these locations within the area.

The Raging Storm by Anne Cleeves
This is the third outing for Anne Cleeves detective Matthew Venn a cerebral detective living in the South West with his husband. The murder takes place near his childhood home and the religious groups still hold sway in the village. A local boy, Jem Rosco, who became a world renowned sailor is found dead in a dinghy in Scully Cove and Matt and the team have to establish who wanted him dead. The suspects are well drawn and Matthew’s team are developing well as the series builds.
The differences in style in the way the investigation is pursued are interesting and Matthew’s quiet determination ultimately uncovers the guilty party. The village forms a large part of the story and the weather itself takes on a big role. An entertaining read and one which I am recommending to my various book groups. Many thanks to Anne Cleeves, the publishers and to Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review.

Ann Cleeves knocks it out of the ball park every time! She really has the best way of using the nature and land, the geography of the context, an integral part of the story. I am enjoying Matthew Venn’s character and thought processes-he’s quite introverted- he’s definitely grown on me over the series. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Ann Cleeves always writes a cracking book and this is no exception. The first Matthew Venn book I have read (going to now read the first 2 in the series), this book is fine as a standalone read. A great detective story with interesting characters and setting by the Devon coast. Highly recommended.

There is something comforting in knowing that when you pick up a book it is guaranteed to be great! Ann’s books are always written superbly, with great plots, main protagonists that you root for and a satisfying conclusion! This was definitely the case for ‘The Raging Storm’ and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it! This is the latest book in the Two Rivers series set in atmospheric North Devon and features her gay DI, Matthew Venn. Although this is the third book in the series you can read it very easily as a standalone!

When Jem Rosco, famous local man, a sailor and adventurer enters the pub in Greystone one night, the locals are seduced by his charms. He is staying at a cottage in the village and is awaiting a mysterious visitor. Rosco disappears and when his body is found floating in a dingy at Scully’s Cove the locals are stunned. DI Matthew Venn and his team are called to investigate and from the off Matthew believes the murder is strange and definitely staged. Greystone is familiar to Matthew as when he was a child he was brought here for summer holidays, spending with other members of the religious sect, the Barum Brethern. The sect dominates the local community and there are members that he recognises from his past, a past which he has now left. As Matthew struggles with a wall of silence he is also cut off as storms rage along the coastline causing rolling blackouts and blocked roads.

Matthew is now an established character and a regular reader of the series will know that Matthew likes to delve into the past and the histories of people and the area. He has his own style of working and processing information. I like it. He is steady, and doesn't rush ahead with preconceived ideas or judgements. He likes to contemplate, and internalize things. It might frustrate his colleague DC Ross May but I like it!

This is a book packed full of mystery, murder, twists and turns, deep secrets and a nod to the past! I devoured it in one day and loved every minute of it. It has a superb sense of location, brilliant characters and a narrative that kept me guessing!

Let me know if you pick this one up.

Coastal locations in novels leave me cold, especially when they’re buffeted by storm and sea which they invariably are. But if anyone’s going to make that sort of location work, it’s Ann Cleeves. So I approached The Raging Storm, third in the Matthew Venn ‘Two River’ series set in North Devon, with real anticipation. Storm starts sharply and though there’s a long lull (albeit with an accompanying staccato of driving rain) the tide’s rising quickly again by the end of the novel.
Our experience of Cleeves is strictly Shetland plus The Heron’s Cry so we know she does a sense of place. People reacting against or with their surroundings is what it is all about. In The Raging Storm, though, Cleeves seems more interested in exploring human geography. There’s a sense of community, of people interacting with each other. What we really get here is how boundaries are formed: there are clubs, there are faith groups, there’s the pub, there are the lifeboat people, and there are families. Everywhere there are ways in which people are included or excluded for reasons of class, sophistication, gender or religion.
In my review of The Heron’s Cry I made far too many references to Venn diagrams (Matthew Venn! Geddit), and I apologise, obviously, but I can’t be expected not to take delight in the various references to various potential suspects being referred to as mixing in different circles (Venn diagrams! Geddit) from other suspects. But if The Heron’s Cry was about power - let’s face it, most books are about power - The Raging Storm has the air of humans having far less agency both against their enemies and their elements. People are drawn back to this godforsaken corner of North Devon. It’s the sea, see. This one’s about a sense of place, too, just like the others. But this place is a home for stories and myths as tall as the worst wave, with man-made superstitions based on the murdering smugglers of the lore of generations yore. Here, it’s not about the yolo but the loyo.
Oh no. There’s just something about the character Matthew Venn (together with his sidekicks Jen and Ross) that makes me want to be flippant. I like Venn, even though I know he is quite an acquired taste. He is considered, though not always considerate. His inner thoughts are almost shocking in their self-awareness. He has a finely tuned sense of guilt, such that he can torment himself over his slightly vindictive streak and often-evoked irritations. He lost his faith quite young and very publicly and in so doing lost his community and his family. But it also means that he’s ideal for thinking through who is in and who is out. We’ve been here before, with Jimmy Perez finding himself shut out of the confidence of the inhabitants of certain islands. But here Venn’s understanding of his outsider status is multi-faceted. Jen’s hyper-aware of being judged - as a single mother, as a Scouser, as a single Scouse mother. Ross is a man with little imagination, or so Venn thinks, but Ross still has a dream and it involves making good.
With all this going on, it doesn’t really matter what the mystery is all about, but there are enough twists and turns to keep us involved. There’s a sequence in particular where Venn manages to put first Ross, then Jen into danger. The scenes are tightly written and we can feel the menace in the air. But once the issue is settled (as, let’s be honest, we kind of know it will be) there’s little other than a nagging unhappiness for Venn to confront. A character such as Venn needs to be confronted. When the next Two Rivers instalment is out, that’s what I’ll be looking for. In the meantime, The Raging Storm is a fine exploration of close-knit relationships in communities that are one phone call away from a lifeboat. Any lifeboat.

#TheRagingStorm #NetGalley This DI Matthew Venn series is turning into another excellent series from the very talented Ann Cleeves. Although the third in the series it is capable of being read as a standalone but it is interesting to know some of the back story of the main characters. Full of drama and suspense and lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing until near the end. I very much look forward to the next installment of this exciting series!