The Long Call / Ann Cleeves

DI Matthew Venn is convinced that there's a link between the fatal stabbing of a man found on a beach and the disappearance of a woman from the Woodyard, a local community and day centre. His suspicions seem to be confirmed when another woman goes missing during a shopping trip with her father; surely, the fact that both have Down's syndrome isn't a mere coincidence. More and more clues point in the direction of the Woodyard, and Venn may be headed for a conflict of interest, since the centre is run by his own husband...

How refreshing to read about a detective who, although emotionally damaged, is a happily married gay man, solid, reliable, relatively well adjusted (save for periods of low confidence and barely contained anger at minor annoyances), with no obvious addictive behaviour on display! I also liked that we're shown people with disabilities portrayed as individuals, with their own at times contradictory personalities, having conversations, interacting with their families and the community, instead of serving as mere passive props.

As always, Ann Cleeves sets her story firmly in a very specific locale — here the North Devon coast — and introduces us to an extensive cast of characters. While her reliance on dialogue allows us to get intimately acquainted with them, it can tend to overshadow the plot's action scenes, which appear somewhat stilted. Although I enjoyed the major part of the novel, I found the conclusion a bit rushed, vague, and ultimately unsatisfactory. Still, I think this novel, the first in a new series, will please Cleeves fans.

I was provided with a free electronic copy of this book through NetGalley by the publisher, Pan Macmillan [link], in exchange for an honest review.

rating: ***