From Sunday Times no. 1 bestseller Ann Cleeves comes the fourth Matthew Venn mystery, in which a tragic death at the luxurious holiday home of an ambitious politician puts Venn and his team in the media spotlight

The deadliest truths are those in the shadows . . . Detective Matthew Venn is called in to investigate a puzzling death. The body of a young woman has been found in the swimming pool of Tide House, a luxurious holiday home in North Devon, and her best friend is missing. The property belongs to rising political star Paul Armstrong and the case quickly draws intense media scrutiny. As a scorching heat wave rages and further tragedy strikes, Venn and his team begin questioning a community brimming with secrets. The dead woman and her friend had been spotted at a nearby music festival the day before, an event which brought locals and outsiders together - some of whom may have been more connected with the Armstrongs than first thought. Caught between a powerful family's secrets and a powder keg of local tensions, Venn must navigate a treacherous path. Knowing that the real answers lie not in what people say, but in the silence that they keep . . .

Details

ISBN13: 9781529077803
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 384
Edition:
Publication Date: 29 Sep 2026
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 24.5(H)x15.7(L)x2.9(W)474
Weight (gm): 474

Author Biography

Ann Cleeves is the author of forty 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, Jimmy Perez and Matthew Venn, who can be found on television in ITV's Vera, BBC One's Shetland and ITV's The Long Call respectively. The TV series and the books they are based on have become international sensations, capturing the minds of millions worldwide. Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before she started writing. Ann also spends her time advocating for reading to improve health and wellbeing and supporting access to books. In 2021 her Reading for Wellbeing project launched with local authorities across the North East. She lives in North Tyneside where the Vera books are set.

Reviews

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, author of The Thursday Murder Club
Ann Cleeves is a stone-cold genius -- Marian Keyes, My Favourite Mistake
The Queen of the detective novel, thrilling millions of readers * Daily Express *
One of the best natural writers of detective fiction * Sunday Express *