Ann Cleeves' Two Rivers book series in order
All of the books so far in the Two Rivers crime fiction series featuring Detective Matthew Venn, including The Long Call (adapted for television by ITV) and upcoming release The Dying Light.
In North Devon, where the rivers Taw and Torridge converge and run into the sea, things are not quite as idyllic as they seem. Picturesque-seeming villages struggle to hide their closely-guarded secrets from the inundation of outsiders during tourist season, whilst autumn storms expose more than just the coastline once the crowds have gone home. This is the place Detective Matthew Venn grew up. It's what he walked away from when he turned his back on the strict religious community he was brought up in. And it's where he has now returned, with a case to solve.
This is the setting for Two Rivers, the crime fiction series from Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope books which both inspired hugely popular television adaptations. The Long Call, the first book in Ann’s Two River series, followed in the same footsteps, with ITV releasing an acclaimed four-part crime drama series of the same name, starring Ben Aldridge as Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Here are all the Two Rivers books in order.
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Ann Cleeves’ Two Rivers series books in order
The Long Call
by Ann Cleeves
Why read this: Detective Matthew Venn has returned to the area of North Devon where he grew up, and he’s ready to take on his first big case. A man with an albatross tattoo on his neck has been found murdered; stabbed to death on a beach near Matthew's home. The Two Rivers region isn’t as idyllic as tourists might think, and Venn's investigations will lead him back into the strict evangelical community he left behind.
If you're looking for: Detective fiction, rural mystery, atmospheric crime novel, small-town secrets, detective series, LGBTQI+ detective, police procedural.
Great for fans of: Vera Stanhope and the Shetland series by Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths.
What the experts think: 'I had high expectations for Cleeves’ latest. She easily exceeded those expectations with The Long Call. Matthew Venn is a keeper.' – David Baldacci, author of The 6:20 Man. 'Clever, compassionate and atmospheric, with a great cast of new characters to love.' – Elly Griffiths, author of The Frozen People.
The Heron's Cry
by Ann Cleeves
Book two of the Two Rivers series
In this second installment of Ann Cleeves' crime series, North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coastline. In the midst of the heat, Detective Matthew Venn is called to an elaborately staged murder – Dr Nigel Yeo has been fatally stabbed. His daughter Eve is a glassblower, and the murder weapon is a shard of one of her broken vases. Dr Yeo seems an unlikely murder victim and Matthew is unnerved to find that Eve is a close friend of his husband, Jonathan. Then another body is found – killed in a similar way. Matthew finds himself treading carefully through the lies that fester at the heart of his community and a case that is dangerously close to home.
The Raging Storm
by Ann Cleeves
Book three of the Two Rivers series
When enigmatic sailor Jem Rosco arrives in Greystone, Devon, the town celebrates are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But when he disappears and is later found dead during a storm, Detective Inspector Matthew Venn faces an uncomfortable case. Having left the Barum Brethren community in Greystone, Venn's judgment is clouded by superstitions and rumors as another body is discovered in Scully Cove. Isolated by the storm, Venn and his team embark on a perilous investigation, unaware that their own lives may be at risk. This gripping mystery unfolds amidst the winds of uncertainty and danger in a remote coastal village.
Is there a new Two Rivers book?
Yes, the fourth book featuring Matthew Venn, The Dying Light, comes out in October 2026.
The Dying Light
by Ann Cleeves
The latest book in the Two Rivers series (book four)
Detective Matthew Venn investigates the puzzling death of a young woman whose friend is also missing. The victim drowned in a pool at a holiday property owned by an up and coming politician, Paul Armstrong, and when the media gets wind of the story they descend on North Devon. The dead woman and her friend had been spotted at a nearby music festival the day before, an event which brought locals and outsiders together – some of whom may have been more connected with the Armstrongs than first thought. Caught between a powerful family’s secrets and a powder keg of local tensions, Venn must navigate a treacherous path.
