It’s arty, you have young kids who are from public school who go there to celebrate their exams with surfing and frolicking on the beach and it’s the interaction between these different communities which specially interests me.’ĭo you know how many books you’d like to write for this series as yet?Īnn: ‘Not a clue. It’s a place where artists go – Damien Hirst has a famous statue on the pierhead at Ilfracombe. What is most intriguing about the community you’ve created in the Two Rivers series?Īnn: ‘It’s the variety of different people who either grew up, born and bred in North Devon, or the people who are pulled into it.

I grew up in North Devon so I know it quite well and I like that mix of cosiness – we think of Devon as having cream teas and thatched cottages and there is a little bit of that about it but there’s more rugged and left behind than people realise and because it has Ilfracombe, an old-fashioned seaside town, with big hotels and guest houses, they’ve now become hostels for the homeless, places where drifters and transients come and go and I like very much that mix of different people.’ Places that have different communities within them. Your novels always have such a strong sense of place, what made you choose North Devon for this series?Īnn: ‘I like really complex locations, places that hit you and strike you. I think he’s slightly frightened of failing and he lacks confidence and it takes his partner to give him that.’ You certainly couldn’t call Vera sensitive, he struggles to belong, he’s had bad depression in the past, and coming back now to make a fresh start with a new partner, new house, new job and really wants to make a success of it. How does Matthew Venn differ from Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez?Īnn: ‘Matthew is quite a sensitive character I think. And its quite a difficult time for him because it’s his first time back in North Devon, and he has to face this quite tricky case which involves some important people within the community.’ He grew up in North Devon and became estranged from his family because they’re deeply religious and he’s not. What can we expect from the series and from Matthew Venn?Īnn: ‘Matthew’s coming home. It starts with a body being found on Crowpoint, which is an eerie bit of beach that points into the torrid Torrent estuary and of course the team have to work out who the murderer is.’

Ann: ‘The new series features Inspector Detective Matthew Venn but I hope it will be more of an ensemble piece so we find out a little bit more about his colleagues, Jen Rafferty, who’s a scouser who has escaped an abusive marriage and moved down to North Devon, and very much local boy Ross May.

The long call cleeves