The Heron's Cry

In the scorching summer of North Devon, Detective Matthew Venn is thrust into a perplexing murder investigation that strikes unnervingly close to home. The victim, Dr. Nigel Yeo, a respected public servant, is found fatally stabbed with a shard from one of his glassblower daughter's vases at a rural artists' community. The seemingly idyllic setting belies a darker undercurrent. Complicating matters, Dr. Yeo's daughter is a close friend of Jonathan, Matthew's husband, adding a layer of personal involvement to the professional duty. As Matthew delves deeper, a second body is discovered, killed in a similarly macabre fashion, suggesting a serial element to the crimes. Matthew finds himself navigating a treacherous landscape of hidden truths and festering lies within his tight-knit community. With the investigation becoming increasingly personal and complex, Venn must untangle the dark secrets that threaten to unravel the lives of those he cares about, all while confronting the hidden darkness beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect summer.