The Raging Storm

A Detective Matthew Venn Novel

By: Ann Cleeves

Narrated by: Jack Holden

Long-listed, Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year 2023

"Holden masterfully conveys the inner struggles of Venn and his team, rounding out the humanity of the investigators. With its twists and turns, the plot keeps listeners engaged. An added bonus is Ann Cleeves speaking directly to listeners about the origin of the Venn series."—AudioFile

"Jack Holden demonstrates his full talents in this mystery, bringing the extensive cast of characters in this small and close-knit community in Devon to life with his strong narration...His spot-on timing helps keep the story moving toward its surprising end, resulting in a thoroughly enjoyable listen."—AudioFile on The Heron's Cry

Ann Cleeves—New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—returns with The Raging Storm, the extraordinary third installment in the Matthew Venn series.

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.

“A friend of mine once joked that the work of Ann Cleeves is the closest the crime fiction genre comes to evoking ASMR—the euphoric, pleasant, spine-tingling sensation that’s all the rage on YouTube. The books never get too dark, never venture too far into dangerous territory, but aren’t outright cozy, either.”—The New York Times

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2023 Ann Cleeves (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Wonderful tale

Memorable characters in a strange world centered around the maritime life.

Wonderful new detective to care about. I enjoyed it very much
(And especially the post script narrated by Ann Cleeves herself. Brava! Keep on writing!)

Sense of place

This story was awfully slow moving, and I returned to it only for company as I rode a stationary bike and kept believing Anne Cleves wouldn’t disappoint. In the end, the characters and their crimes remained rather unconvincing and the story weak.

Normally a Fan

I, too, waited with anticipation for this book to come out, and I've been very disappointed with the lackluster performance and the writing, which is not what I would expect from Anne Cleeves.

Looking forward to the 4th installment

I’m delighted to see a sympathetic portrayal of a policeman who happens to be gay. The writing is pure Cleeves magic. Here’s hoping there are many more in the series.

Great story, great writing, great performance

Heartbroken that’s it’s over already! Such great characters and the writing!!! Wish I hadn’t read it so I could read it again for the first time!