by Ann Cleeves
First published 2019
Detective Matthew Venn stands outside a church in North Devon, watching his estranged father's funeral from a distance. Years ago, when Matthew left the strict evangelical community that raised him, he lost his entire family. As he turns to walk away once more, his phone rings. His team has discovered a body on the nearby beach where two rivers meet the sea. The victim is a man with an albatross tattoo on his neck, killed by a knife wound. The investigation forces Matthew back into the world he abandoned, where he must navigate the people and places he left behind. Hidden secrets emerge from the tight-knit religious community, threatening to destroy lives and expose long-buried truths. Matthew's carefully constructed new life collides with his past as he works to solve the murder while confronting the family and faith that rejected him.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: North Devon, United Kingdom
Period: Contemporary
400 pages · ebook · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: emotional-abuse