With The Dying Light, Ann Cleeves invites readers back to North Devon—a coastline community in Southwestern England—for a visit with popular protagonist, Matthew Venn and the individuals who make up his sphere of influence. Like many crime fiction writers before her, Cleeves wastes no time—literally less than three pages—before dropping a dead body into the environs and spins out a compelling storyline that elucidates the impact of this discovery on everyone involved.
As The Dying Light opens, Hannah Armstrong and her best friend Lottie decide to head to the Armstrong family’s holiday home early to celebrate the end of school exams. There’s an outdoor music festival on the grounds of a nearby farm over the weekend and being “parentless” for a few days sounds too good to be true. But before Hannah’s parents can arrive later that week, Lottie will be found floating dead in the pool and their daughter, Hannah, has vanished. The case falls squarely into the hands of Detective Matthew Venn and his dedicated team of investigators.
Ann Cleeves is a veteran crime writer, so she knows how to populate the story with a host of viable suspects. The family who owns the farm have a son who was the secret boyfriend of Hannah; some out of town guests for the music festival have an unexpected connection to the Armstrong family; Hannah’s father—a rising political star—has made more than his share of enemies; and many of the villagers took issue with the girls’ rebellious behavior.
Meanwhile, Matthew and his team are all dealing with personal challenges as well. Matthew has recently found out that his husband Jonathan—who was adopted—has located his birth mother and wants to meet her. But Matthew, whose own family history is challenging to say the least, fears this spontaneity could backfire. His second in charge, Jen, struggles with work/life balance, and the youngest member of the team, Ross, is both impulsive and ambitious—a risky combination. They must learn to compartmentalize these problems as they interview the various witnesses and suspects germane to the current case.
A master at pacing, Ann Cleeves allows both the professional and personal storylines to unspool at realistic speed. The Dying Light is a true police procedural so the investigation dominates—as it should—but the backstories of these characters create a compelling counterbalance throughout the novel. Longtime fans of the series will be justly rewarded with some longed-for developments, as well as some brief visits with characters from past investigations.
The Armstrong case is full of secrets and rooted in the complicated history of this family. When the truth is finally revealed, it is both inevitable and shocking, simultaneously. Across her celebrated career, Ann Cleeves has never lost sight of the emotional impact of death on those left behind and that’s never been truer than with The Dying Light. Four books into the “Two Rivers” series and these novels just keep getting stronger. Ann Cleeves is most known for creating Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez, but the more readers get to know Matthew Venn, the more capable he is of holding his own next to those crime fiction icons.
BUY LINKS: The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves
Disclaimer: Print and e-galley copies of this title were provided to BOLO Books by the publisher. No promotion was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.
