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AudioBook information:
Author: Ann Cleeves
Narrated by: Jack Holden
Release date: September 29, 2026
Audiobook Duration: 10 h 33 min
Summary:Â DI Matthew Venn peels back layer upon layer to discover the dark secrets one family is keeping in this searing new novel, brimming with energy and taut with claustrophobic tension.
“Holden masterfully conveys the inner struggles of Venn and his team, rounding out the humanity of the investigators. With its twists and turns, the plot keeps listeners engaged.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Raging Storm
A scorching heatwave marks the start of the summer in Devon. Detective Matthew Venn is called in to investigate a puzzling death, when the body of a young woman, Lottie, is found in the swimming pool of a luxurious holiday home. The girl’s best friend, Hannah, whose family owns the house, is missing. The girls had arrived a few days earlier to celebrate the end of their school exams, quickly stirring unrest in the small community with incendiary social media videos mocking the place as parochial.
When further tragedy strikes, Venn and his team begin questioning a community filled with secrets. The fact that Hannah’s father, Paul Armstrong, is a rising political star with powerful enemies draws intense media scrutiny to the case.
With the summer heat come holidaymakers, and it emerges that some of them may have stronger connections with the Armstrong family than first thought. Venn knows all too well that the real answers lie not in what people say, but in the silences that they keep.
Taut, atmospheric, and brimming with suspense, this searing new novel finds DI Matthew Venn caught between a powerful family’s secrets and a powder keg of local tensions.
“Everything Ann Cleeves writes is incredible.” —Richard Osman
Reviews:
“Continuing to portray Venn as the antithesis of a hard-hitting, cynical cop, the prolific Cleeves solidifies the approachable appeal of her introspective, self-deprecating detective in the fourth installment in her popular Venn series, following The Raging Storm.”―Booklist
“A sophisticated, fast-moving novel that many readers will relish.”―firstCLUE (Book of the Week)
“In The Dying Light, we say hello once more to Detective Matthew Venn in a twisty, solemn case involving the murders of two very different teenage girls with lots of potential suspects and motives set around a touristy town that also holds its own secrets. Ann Cleeves routinely makes the difficult look easy, and here the plot sails along with purpose and gravitas, the characters shine and manipulate, and the prose is as first-rate as ever. Whatever Cleeves comes up with next, I will be reading it. And so should you.”―David Baldacci
“Everything Ann Cleeves writes is incredible.”―Richard Osman
“In Matthew Venn, Ann has created a complex, daring, subtle character.” ―Louise Penny
“Matthew Venn is a keeper.”―David Baldacci
“Brilliant, thoughtful and deeply engaging.”―Sara Paretsky
“Ann Cleeves is a phenomenal talent. Her instantly iconic Detective Matthew Venn is a treasure―and we will all follow him anywhere.”―Hank Phillippi Ryan
“Cleeves’s true strength lies in her descriptions of the natural world, gorgeously captured.”―New York Times Book Review
“[Cleeves’s] newest detective―buttoned-up, gay, married, ex-evangelical Matthew Venn―is a righteous successor.”―People
“Venn remains an appealing lead every bit as memorable as the author’s Vera Stanhope or Jimmy Perez. Cleeves’s fans and newcomers alike will be hungry for the next entry.”―Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“[Cleeves] tells a captivating story.”―Wall Street Journal
“If there is a writer who does atmospherics better than Ann Cleeves, I don’t know who it is. . . her grasp of character is impeccable.”―Globe & Mail
About the Author:
ANN CLEEVES is the multi-million copy bestselling author behind three hit television series―Shetland, Vera, and The Long Call―all of which are watched and loved in the United States. All three are available on BritBox.
The first Shetland novel, Raven Black, won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger for best crime novel, and Ann was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger in 2017. She was awarded the OBE in 2022 for services to reading and libraries. Ann lives in the United Kingdom.