Devon's summer begins with a heatwave. Lottie and Hannah decide to celebrate the end of their school exams by going to Hannah's family's beach house a few days early.
Lottie's body is found in the swimming pool; Hannah is missing. Matthew Venn is called in to investigate and finds a community filled with secrets, politics, and social media controversy. As he and his team dig deeper, Venn knows that the real answers they seek do not lie in what people say, but in the silences they keep.
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Readers are seldom able to devour a book in one sitting. It's a fact of life. But some books, when they must be set aside, refuse to remain quiet. Ann Cleeves' The Dying Light is one of those books. As I performed the tasks I had to do, my mind kept going back to the book, piecing clues together, and wanting to find out what happened to Lottie and her friend, Hannah.
Unlike other characters created by the gifted Cleeves, Matthew Venn is more difficult to warm up to. His upbringing in a very strict religious group as well as his sexual orientation have made him feel like an outsider looking in. He stands back, watches, and he's a master at listening. His team has picked up on that, which means their working together is smoother, more intuitive.
There is some excellent misdirection in The Dying Light, so much so that I hadn't deduced the villain and was annoyed when I discovered the person was right in front of my nose the entire time.
Isn't it great when a writer can do that to a seasoned crime fiction reader?
The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves
eISBN: 9781250836816
Minotaur Books © 2026
eBook, 384 pages
Police Procedural, #4 Matthew Venn
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley
Isn't it wonderful when a book lives up to the author's reputation, Cathy? I have to say, I've never been disappointed in a Cleeves book. She writes so well, and crafts her settings so well. And I'm already intrigued by the characters. I've not even come near the book and I already want to know what happened to the two girls.
ReplyDeleteWonderful! I hadn't even realized that she had a new book out in this series, so it's a pleasure to know it's a good one.
ReplyDeleteI've been really looking forward to this book. Have read the others in the series and agree with your description of Matthew Venn. Thanks for whetting my appetite even more, Cathy! :-)
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