The Dying Light

By Ann Cleeves
** Publication Date 29 September 2026 **
4 stars


Ann Cleeves mentions in her acknowledgments that she’s been a published author for four decades. Four decades!!! I feel as though I should have been reading her novels long ago. She is a master of mystery and suspense. This latest novel in the Matthew Venn series is excellent.


Matthew’s personal life is, as always, taking a backseat to his work. This time it is the unexpected deaths of two young women who have just finished their A levels and are off to university. Hannah is the daughter of a minister in the Health Department. Lottie is her longtime friend whose father is a director in Los Angeles and her mother a talent agent in London. They have arrived at Hannah’s family’s summer home in North Devon a few days before Hannah’s family is set to join them. Hannah wants to spend some last days with Lottie before they part for university. Also, Hannah wants to spend time with her boyfriend Jake who lives on an adjacent farm.


When Hannah’s family arrives at the home, they find Lottie floating in the pool and Hannah missing. Matthew Venn is dispatched to the location to take the lead on finding Hannah and solving the death of Lottie. It’s a small community, and some of the locals are not keen on outsiders. As the days pass, more info emerges about the women’s behavior while on holiday and what it means for the locals.


I truly enjoy the DI Venn novels. He’s kind of an uptight guy that is mellowed by his husband, Jonathan. This novel involves Jonathan in many ways, as well as the community in which they live. Social media is touched upon, with Lottie thinking herself an influencer. One of my favorite things about these novels is my inability to pin the crimes on one person. So many people play into the possibilities along the way. The locals who dislike the wealthy Londoners coming to their town and buying up properties. People who are adverse to left wing politics. Politics in general being at play. It’s always a mystery to me until the criminal is revealed. 


While these are the only Ann Cleeves novels I’ve indulged in, I truly believe that she has a gift for writing suspense. I will absolutely recommend this if that’s a genre you enjoy.