The Heron's Cry Summary
Ann Cleeves

The Heron's Cry Overview

The Heron's Cry, a novel by Ann Cleeves, takes place in England where Detective Inspector Matthew Venn is called to the scene of a murder. The first victim sends Matthew and his team into the lives of two local families who are grieving the suicidal deaths of other family members. During the investigation, they discover that one of the men was actually pushed to his death by his sister, Janey, who then killed others to cover her crime. Meanwhile, a local health official has been pushing people on the brink of suicide, encouraging them to kill themselves. As the novel ends, Matthew and his team wrap up the case by arresting Janey and her dad. The main themes of this novel are the effects of death, the demands of police work, and the role of authority figures and rules.