Book Review: The Raging Storm, The Two Rivers Series Book 3, Ann Cleeves
Mystery: The Raging Storm, The Two Rivers Series Book 3, Ann Cleeves
Blog Tour September 1, 2023
Matthew Venn and his team are summoned to investigate the death of a local celebrity. Jem Rosco had made a name for himself as a world traveler and adventurer. He has returned home, though, telling everyone he was waiting for someone. Instead, his body is found in a small fishing boat anchored at sea, bobbing in the waves of a storm.
What struck me about this book was the storm as both a fact affecting the investigation and as a metaphor describing people and relationships. Venn is quiet, almost taciturn, but inside his stoic exterior is a heart filled with storms. Raised in a fundamentalist church, his family rejected him when he came out as gay. At the gentle insistence of his husband, Venn has begun reconnecting with his mother, but the relationship is still fraught with tension.
Venn’s team members face their own storms. Both of them ambitious, both of them eager to win Venn’s favor and a good recommendation when they apply for a promotion, they see each other as rivals. This rivalry may not affect their work, but it certainly affects their equanimity.
The storm itself is almost another character in the book. Every part of the investigation is hindered by the weather. Possible evidence is washed away. People are stuck in their homes. The wind and the rain make everyone tense, making it impossible to read their expressions and to determine if someone is tense because of guilt or because of the weather.
In the midst of all of these storms, Venn doggedly pursues the truth. Of course, when you’re pursuing a killer, there is the possibility that the killer will turn around and pursue you. Hunter, hunted, the swirling and changing wind and rain making it impossible to know whether you are on the killer’s trail or if the killer is stalking you.
Ann Cleeves is not merely a good genre writer. She is an eloquent storyteller, layering characters and plot and scenery enough that I could almost feel the storms chilling my own skin. Her novels are filled with intricate detail, almost lyrical prose, and a deep sensitivity for her characters. I have never read a Cleeves book that failed to capture my imagination, nor do I think I ever will.
Our thanks to Ann Cater of Random Things for our copy of The Raging Storm, given so we could write an honest review as part of this blog tour. The opinions here are solely those of Scintilla. For other perspectives, check out the other bloggers on this tour.
Book Review: The Raging Storm, The Two Rivers Series Book 3, Ann Cleeves
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