Cranston Public Library

When a performer at the annual Burns dinner at Thornford Regis is found dead under suspicious circumstances, town vicar Tom Christmas uncovers generations-old secrets in his quest for the truth.

"A novel set in the Devon countryside in England, in which a man, the son of a dairy farmer, has to cope with the recent death of his brother, a soldier in Iraq; repair his relationship with his wife; and cope with the complicated legacy of his family's past"--

"Ann Cleeves-New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows-returns with The Heron's Cry, the extraordinary follow-up to The Long Call, soon to be a major TV series. North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coastline. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists. What he finds is an elaborately staged...

"When the Duke and Duchess of Kent rent a nearby house for the winter, the Summers sisters are called upon to host three of the royal couple's male staff in their seaside cottage--but soon they realize they've invited mysterious secrets into their home. With the arrival of their new guests, the sisters face surprising romance and unexpected danger."--

As the Great War continues to take its toll, headstrong twenty-one-year-old Emily Bryce is determined to contribute to the war effort. She is convinced by a cheeky and handsome Australian pilot that she can do more, and it is not long before she falls in love with him and accepts his proposal of marriage. When he is sent back to the front, Emily volunteers as a "land girl," tending to the neglected grounds of a large Devonshire estate. It's here that...

"Everyone's welcome. But not everyone leaves... Nick and Amber Miller are splitting up and selling their Devon family home. But despite the desirable location, the house isn't moving. Not a single viewing so far. When their estate agent suggests an open house event, Amber agrees, even as she worries about their gossiping neighbours attending and snooping around their home. But Amber has more to worry about than nosy neighbours. Because thirteen people...

"Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions. When Jem Rosco--sailor, adventurer, and legend--blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own. This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector...

"Leo is on a journey. Aged thirteen and banished from the secluded farm of his childhood, he travels through Devon, grazing on berries and sleeping in copses. Behind him lies the past, and before him the West Country, spread out like a tapestry. But a wanderer is never alone for long, try as he might - and soon Leo is taken in by gypsies, with their waggons, horses and vivid attire. Yet he knows he cannot linger, and must forge on to Penzance, towards...

A woman with a troubled marriage returns to a childhood home. "When Jeanne had spent her summer holidays there as a child with her schoolfriend, Parson's House, on the cliff top, had been a seaside haven, the small Devon village a sleepy, tranquil place where nothing much ever happened. Now, years later, returning there from Canada, divorced and with twin four year old daughters, she could hardly expect the place or the people to be the same. But...