Two Rivers Books in Order
Part ofAnn Cleeves Books in OrderSee the Two Rivers books by Ann Cleeves in order, with story summaries, background on Matthew Venn and North Devon, plus tips on where to begin this character-led crime series.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
4 books
The Long Call
by Ann Cleeves
2019
Back in North Devon for his estranged father’s funeral, DI Matthew Venn is drawn into a murder investigation when a man with an albatross tattoo is found stabbed on a nearby beach. The case pulls Matthew toward the evangelical community that rejected him and threatens the new life he has built.
The Heron's Cry
by Ann Cleeves
2021
A rare hot summer brings tourists to North Devon as Matthew Venn is called to a rural artists’ compound, where a respected public servant has been stabbed with a shard of his daughter’s glasswork. When a second similar death follows, Matthew must untangle lies spreading through his close‑knit community.
The Girls on the Shore
by Ann Cleeves
2022
From his kitchen window in North Devon, DI Matthew Venn spots two young girls standing alone on the winter beach, hand in hand. When he goes to check on them, he discovers sisters carrying secrets that could put them in danger if he cannot work out what they’re hiding.
The Raging Storm
by Ann Cleeves
2023
Legendary sailor Jem Rosco blows back into Greystone, a Devon village Matthew Venn once knew as a child, then vanishes during a fierce storm. His body is later found in a dinghy anchored off a treacherous cove, and Matthew must investigate as bad weather cuts the village off from the outside world.
Series background & context
The Two Rivers novels take Cleeves back to North Devon, to the estuary where two rivers meet the sea near Barnstaple. Here she introduces Detective Inspector Matthew Venn, a thoughtful, reserved man who grew up in a strict evangelical community along this coast and was cast out when he could no longer share its beliefs.
In The Long Call Matthew returns for his father’s funeral, standing outside the church where he is no longer welcome, when a call comes in about a body found on the nearby beach. The dead man bears an albatross tattoo, and the investigation pushes Matthew back into the closed world of his childhood church while also threatening the new life he has built with his husband Jonathan and their circle at the community arts hub known as the Woodyard.
Later novels widen the map. The Heron’s Cry opens with an elaborately staged murder at a rural artists’ enclave during an unseasonably hot North Devon summer, while The Raging Storm traps Matthew and his team in the coastal village of Greystone after the body of local sailing legend Jem Rosco is found in a dinghy anchored off a dangerous cove. Weather, folklore and old loyalties all play their part as the cases unfold.
Running through the series are questions of faith, shame and chosen family. Matthew is quieter and more self‑doubting than many fictional detectives, but his moral steadiness, his commitment to vulnerable people and his uneasy relationship with the church that raised him give the books an emotional spine. DS Jen Rafferty, with her messy home life and sharp instincts, adds a complementary voice to the investigations.
The Two Rivers world has already reached television through the adaptation of The Long Call, which brought Matthew, Jonathan and Jen to the screen while keeping the focus on the North Devon coastline and the complex communities that live along it.
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