Infinite Books

The residents of Greystone, a small fishing town in North Devon, England, like to keep their problems hidden from outsiders. But when the celebrity sailor and adventure seeker, Jem Rosco, is found dead, his body lying in a boat in the legendary and feared Scully Cove’s water, they have no choice but to accept the police presence. DI Mathew Venn and his team – Sergeant Jen Rafferty, a divorced mother with two teenagers, and Ross May, a young and impatient man – are assigned to investigate the high-profile murder.

“The Raging Storm,” similarly to other Ann Cleeves mysteries, while still concentrating on the investigation, portrays the closely knit community very well. This is the town where people gather at the local pub for a pint. Nature teaches them to be respectful of the sea and wind. Some residents are members of the Brethren church, which was also the church Matthew Venn attended when he was a child. Now, he is a successful detective and happy with his husband, Jonathan. Still, the old ghosts don’t die quickly, and Matthew is slightly uncomfortable around people who remember him.

I enjoyed this novel very much. It has the best of two worlds – an exciting murder investigation and the fascinating background of the place that is very different from the hustle and bustle of a big city. People know each other there. The old sins are never forgotten, but the good deeds are also remembered, and the town can get together for a good cause, such as charity events to help a sick boy get treatment. Each character is skillfully described, and at times, I almost felt like I was there, looking from the cliff at the raging sea or observing people at the pub. And being so immersed in a book that it takes me to a different place is something I treasure the most in a novel.

THE RAGING STORM by Ann Cleeves, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur, 2023