In Praise of M W Craven ...
In Praise of M W Craven ...
M W Craven has a brand new novel coming out later this year. It's callled THE MERCY CHAIR, and it's sure to be brilliant. Anyroads, if you haven't read any of Mike Craven's books, here's my brief overview ...
In M W Craven’s The Puppet Show, disgraced cop Washington Poe is dragged into the investigation of a serial killer known as The Immolation Man when his name is discovered carved into a victim’s chest. Poe is soon digging below the glittery veneer of local high society to reveal its dark secrets.
The Puppet Show is just great. A gripping, breathless, twisting and turning crime thriller that is gritty but never grim, despite its dark subject matter. The Puppet Show‘s characters are all really well-drawn and the interactions between them are marvellous. The book is also very funny and choc-full of empathyl
In Black Summer and The Curator, Poe and Bradshaw are back again. It’s been a very long time since I read two novels by the same author one after the other, but Black Summer was such a joy that I immediately moved onto The Curator. Both books are a skilful blend of whipcrack-thriller and police procedural that had me racing through them but what really puts meat on their bones-sorry Tilly! – is the characters and how they interact with each other. The cast of all three books are like a surrogate family of misfits and are all well-drawn, realistic and likeable, even when they can sometimes be annoying. Extra points for a cracking villain in Black Summer– too! Highly recommended.
Poe and Tilly are back again in Dead Ground, and this time they become embroiled in the murky world of the secret service. Some great new characters are introduced, the story twists and turns like a corkscrew and it is, of course, highly recommened.
Isn’t there some quote or other about ‘the company that you keep’? I might Google it later and find out. Probably won’t, mind you.
Anyway, it’s always a great pleasure to be in the company of Washington Poe, Tilly Bradshaw, and the rest of their crew. These are recognisably realistic characters who really are great fun to spend time with, no matter how grisly the crimes that they are investigating are. The Botanist is the fifth book in this brilliantly written series, and it may well be the best yet as Poe and his cohorts try to catch a super smart serial killer at the same time as one of their team is arrested for murder.
The Botanist is a truly gripping read from beginning to end and, as always with Craven, despite the gritty subject matter, there is a lot of natural warmth and humour in the book. So, yes, The Botanist by M W Craven is very highly recommended indeed.
As a massive fan of MW Craven’s Tilly and Poe series (in case you haven't noticed), I was more than somewhat pleased to discover this short, sharp story collection. Cut Short is a great read. Every story is a dark gem: smart, gory, and packing a strong emotional punch. Cracking stuff!
M.W. Craven - Les Bolloque Du Chien!
(c) Paul D. Brazill