The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves

THE DYING LIGHT is the latest Detective Matthew Venn novel from prolific author Ann Cleeves (in her fortieth year as a published author). This new mystery follows The Heron’s Cry and The Raging Storm, both of which were also narrated by Jack Holden. Once again, he does a superb job of conveying the emotions and backgrounds of Venn and his team, Sergeant Jen Rafferty and DC Ross May, supplying local accents as needed. In this case, the police are investigating the death of two seventeen-year-old girls, Hannah Armstrong (daughter of a UK politician) and Lottie Cauldwell (who craved attention as her parents are divorced). Cleeves excels at introducing well-rounded characters, including the grieving parents, local business owners, school friends, and Hannah’s boyfriend and his family. It’s a jumble of motives and relationships, laced with resentment and secrets which Cleeves’ many readers will enjoy. I am already looking forward to the next in this series.