THE HERON’S CRY

As part of BAD September International, BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival presents Sue Turnbull in conversation with Ann Cleeves about her second book in the Matthew Venn series.

When Matthew Venn is called to a crime scene, he finds a murder which seems elaborately staged. Dr Nigel Yeo has been stabbed with a shard from a vase created by his glassblower daughter, Eve, who is a close friend of Matthew’s husband Jonathan. Then a second body is found…

The second book in the Matthew Venn series is set in a hot summer in North Devon. Well-respected Dr Nigel Yeo is found stabbed to death at the home of the group of artists and the murder weapon is a shard from a vase created by his glassblower Eve. Then a second body is found murdered in the same way. What is happening in the heart of this quiet community and how does Matthew deal with the fact that Eve is a close friend of his husband Jonathan. Sue Turnbull discusses this new book and the forthcoming Matthew Venn TV series with Ann, as well as talking about her many other bestsellers and her project to look at the power of reading to improve health and wellbeing in the lives of people struggling with chronic pain, anxiety, stress, depression or loneliness in areas of high social deprivation.

ANN CLEEVES

Ann Cleeves is the author of over thirty critically acclaimed novels, and in 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. She is the creator of popular detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez, who can now be found on television in ITV’s Vera and BBC One’s Shetland. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide. The Heron’s Cry is book two in her new Two Rivers series featuring Devonian Matthew Venn. The first book in the series, The Long Call was published to critical acclaim. It is currently being adapted for television.

Sue Turnbull

Sue Turnbull is Senior Professor of Communication and Media at the University of Wollongong. She has been reviewing crime fiction for The Sydney Morning Herald and the Age for over twenty years. She has been interviewed crime writers over many years, as well as being a crime fiction judge for the Ned Kelly Awards, the Davitt Awards and is an Ambassador for Sisters in Crime Australia. Her academic publications include The TV Crime Drama (Edinburgh University Press 2014) and Media Audiences (Palgrave Macmillan 2020). She is the Chair of the Board of BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival.

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