Review of "The Raging Storm: A Two Rivers Mystery" by Ann Cleeves

In this addition to the "The Two Rivers' series, Detective Inspector Matthew Venn investigates the murder of an adventurer. Venn is a cerebral and introspective detective who thinks hard about every aspect of his work.

This is the third book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone.

*****

Jeremy (Jem) Rosco grew up in the North Devon town of Greystone, where - as a youth - he loved to sail. No one in Greystone anticipated Jem would become the youngest person to sail around the world single-handed, and go on to visit both Poles and the Amazon. Over the years, Jem became a world famous adventurer, frequently seen on television.



After being away from Greystone for many years - during which he became wealthy and renowned - Rosco strolls into Greystone's Maiden's Prayer pub one rainy night, toting nothing but an oilskin bag. Rosco has two pints of rough cider, says he's staying in town to await a visitor, and retreats to the little cottage he's rented.



For several weeks after that Jem drops into the Maiden's Prayer pub every evening, has a couple of pints, chats with the locals, and drifts back out. Then one day, Jem doesn't show up for his two pints.

Later, during a tempestuous storm, an alarm goes out for the Greystone lifeboat, helmed by Mary Ford.



Mary loves her position as lifeboat captain, but can only be on call when her father is visiting. Mary's school-age son Arthur has a serious degenerative illness called Jasper Lineham Disease, and the boy needs constant monitoring.



Mary and her lifeboat crew are launched into the water, and find Rosco's naked body in a dinghy anchored in Scully Cove - a waterway with spiritual significance to the citizens of Greystone.



Jem has been brutally stabbed, and Detective Inspector Matthew Venn and his team, Detective Sergeant Jen Rafferty.....



.....and Detective Constable Ross May, come to Greystone to investigate.



Greystone has particular significance to Venn, because it's one of the hubs of a strict religious sect called the Barum Brethren. Venn grew up as a member of the Brethren, but rejected the order's beliefs as a teenager. Still, Venn feels he has an understanding of the Brethren that might help with the police inquiries.

Matthew also gets incidental assistance from his husband Jonathan.....



.....whose schoolteacher friend Guy taught Jem Rosco many years ago. In fact Guy helped young Jem join the Greystone sailing club, which led to Rosco's fame and fortune, and maybe to his death.



The detective team proceeds to interview Greystone residents, collect evidence, and look into Rosco's life elsewhere. The squad learns that Rosco had a number of women in his orbit, including a high school girlfriend, an ex-wife, a housecleaner, and a current lady friend. The investigators also discover that Jem was a bit wily and manipulative, and that some people envied his fame and success.



Things get murkier when another body is discovered in Scully Cove, though it's not immediately clear whether this was an accident, suicide, or murder. In any case, Venn realizes something is very wrong in town, and after a violent incident, Matthew figures out exactly what it is, and why Rosco was killed.



Meanwhile, Jen Rafferty and Ross May must meld their police careers with their private lives: Jen is a single mom to two teenagers, and Ross and his wife Mel are ambitious and upwardly mobile. In this regard, Ross sees his colleague Jen as a professional rival, and he's constantly trying to 'best' her as a detective. (This gets quite annoying. 😏)

The book is a good police procedural with a roster of engaging characters. As always, it's interesting to peek into the lives of the Barum Brethren, who must meld their traditional values with their lives in the modern world.



I enjoyed the story and look forward to the future investigations of Venn and his colleagues.

Thanks to Netgalley, Ann Cleeves, and Minotaur Books and Macmillan audio for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars