The Puppet Show
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Description
'Fantastic' Martina Cole
'Dark, sharp and compelling' Peter James
'A thrilling curtain raiser for what looks set to be a great new series' Mick Herron
A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District's prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless. When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of . . .
Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant, but socially awkward, civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it.
As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he's ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive ...
Find out why everyone loves The Puppet Show
'A page turner' Sun
'So dark and twisty' Elly Griffiths
'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint hearted!'
David Mark
'A gripping start to a much anticipated new series' Vaseem Khan
'Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read' Michael J. Malone
'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' Matt Hilton
'Dark, disturbing and so very clever. Highly recommended' Anne Cater
Book Information
Posts
Off to a great start with a BRILLIANT series featuring unconventional investigators!
Disgraced detective Washington Poe is called back into service to investigate the case of ‘The Immolation Man‘, a serial killer who burns their victims. With few allies left in the force, he teams up with young, neurodivergent analyst Tilly Bradshaw—who begins to thrive once she‘s out from under the wing of her overprotective mum. Poe‘s relentless criminalistic intuition combined with Tilly’s razor-sharp mind, makes them one of the most interesting crime-solving duos since Jussi Adler-Olsen‘s Department Q or Stieg Larsson’s Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander! But it‘s not just the main characters that make this book stand out. The “The most gripping thriller you’ll read this year”-sticker on the cover is bang on! After a few minor hiccups at the beginning, the plot quickly picks up pace and is, for the most parts, refreshingly unpredictable. It doesn’t feel like one of those crime stories you‘ve read a thousand times before. Even the final showdown was well-staged and convincing, tying everything together in a satisfying way. The humour is dark and dry and very British and I absolutely adored it. (Poe actually reminded me of my old science teacher at times🤣) A shame I didn‘t discover this series sooner, but on the plus side, I‘ve got 5 more books out to enjoy this year☀️😎
Beginn einer neuen Lieblingsserie
Hochrangige Mitglieder der Gesellschaft werden in Steinkreisen in Nordengland verbrannt, nachdem sie zuvor gefoltert wurden. Als auf einem der Opfer der Name des suspendierten Polizisten Washington Poe gefunden wird, wird dieser eilig in den Dienst zurückgeholt. Ist er das nächste Opfer? ‚The Puppet Show‘ ist so ein Reihenauftakt, wo einem tatsächlich die Superlative ausgehen. Schon lange habe ich keinen so guten Thriller um einen Serienmörder gelesen, wie diesen hier. Hervorragend konstruiert, mit düsterer Geschichte und tief im moralischen Graubereich, auch des eigenen Denkens als Leserin. M. W. Craven jagt einen durch ein klassisches Ermittler-Puzzlestück; temporeich, intelligent, genau dahin, wo Washington die Beweise hinführen. Gleichzeitig lebt der Roman aber nicht nur von der hervorragenden Story, sondern auch von den Personen, allen voran natürlich Poe und der unvergleichlichen Tilly. Der eine dunkel, mit sarkastischem Witz und mit einem moralischen Kompass, der ihn nicht immer auf der richtigen Seite des Gesetzes hält. Die andere so gut und hell, wie man einfach nur gut und hell sein kann. Tilly muss man einfach vom ersten Moment an lieben und wie die beiden sofort eine Verbindung zueinander finden ist einfach nur herrlich zu lesen. Die Reihe wird für mich auf jeden Fall sehr bald weitergehen und ich kann sie absolut und aus tiefster Überzeugung empfehlen!
Probably the best crime fiction book I‘ve read in a very long time.
I am a crime and thriller lover, but after you‘ve read a lot of them, the genre tends to become a little dull - and most authors rely on psychological or physical brutality and depraved killers to sell their books. M. W. Cravens „The Puppet Show“ was a breath of fresh air. Sure, the murders are cruel and hard to stomach, but everything around them felt like a puzzle that rewards you with great satisfaction, once another piece falls into place. The characters were great, I loved how multi-faceted Poe, Flynn and Bradshaw were and enjoyed their interactions. Despite the heavy topic, the novel has it’s funny moments due to the very dry and deadpan British humor and the budding friendship between Poe, a morose, disgraced detective, who fled to the countryside and the autistic data analyst Bradshaw, who‘s never left the safety of her desk and takes almost everything at face value. Add Flynn to the mix, formerly Poe‘s subordinate, now his boss, fiercely protective when it comes to Bradshaw and entirely fed up with everything Poe-related, you get a dynamic trio that compliments each other well and is a joy to follow through the investigation. Interwoven with the investigation is a deeper story about morals and integrity, power and people who abuse it and the difference between coldblooded revenge and retribution. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am thrilled to continue the series.
Description
'Fantastic' Martina Cole
'Dark, sharp and compelling' Peter James
'A thrilling curtain raiser for what looks set to be a great new series' Mick Herron
A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District's prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless. When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of . . .
Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant, but socially awkward, civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it.
As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he's ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive ...
Find out why everyone loves The Puppet Show
'A page turner' Sun
'So dark and twisty' Elly Griffiths
'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint hearted!'
David Mark
'A gripping start to a much anticipated new series' Vaseem Khan
'Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read' Michael J. Malone
'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' Matt Hilton
'Dark, disturbing and so very clever. Highly recommended' Anne Cater
Book Information
Posts
Off to a great start with a BRILLIANT series featuring unconventional investigators!
Disgraced detective Washington Poe is called back into service to investigate the case of ‘The Immolation Man‘, a serial killer who burns their victims. With few allies left in the force, he teams up with young, neurodivergent analyst Tilly Bradshaw—who begins to thrive once she‘s out from under the wing of her overprotective mum. Poe‘s relentless criminalistic intuition combined with Tilly’s razor-sharp mind, makes them one of the most interesting crime-solving duos since Jussi Adler-Olsen‘s Department Q or Stieg Larsson’s Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander! But it‘s not just the main characters that make this book stand out. The “The most gripping thriller you’ll read this year”-sticker on the cover is bang on! After a few minor hiccups at the beginning, the plot quickly picks up pace and is, for the most parts, refreshingly unpredictable. It doesn’t feel like one of those crime stories you‘ve read a thousand times before. Even the final showdown was well-staged and convincing, tying everything together in a satisfying way. The humour is dark and dry and very British and I absolutely adored it. (Poe actually reminded me of my old science teacher at times🤣) A shame I didn‘t discover this series sooner, but on the plus side, I‘ve got 5 more books out to enjoy this year☀️😎
Beginn einer neuen Lieblingsserie
Hochrangige Mitglieder der Gesellschaft werden in Steinkreisen in Nordengland verbrannt, nachdem sie zuvor gefoltert wurden. Als auf einem der Opfer der Name des suspendierten Polizisten Washington Poe gefunden wird, wird dieser eilig in den Dienst zurückgeholt. Ist er das nächste Opfer? ‚The Puppet Show‘ ist so ein Reihenauftakt, wo einem tatsächlich die Superlative ausgehen. Schon lange habe ich keinen so guten Thriller um einen Serienmörder gelesen, wie diesen hier. Hervorragend konstruiert, mit düsterer Geschichte und tief im moralischen Graubereich, auch des eigenen Denkens als Leserin. M. W. Craven jagt einen durch ein klassisches Ermittler-Puzzlestück; temporeich, intelligent, genau dahin, wo Washington die Beweise hinführen. Gleichzeitig lebt der Roman aber nicht nur von der hervorragenden Story, sondern auch von den Personen, allen voran natürlich Poe und der unvergleichlichen Tilly. Der eine dunkel, mit sarkastischem Witz und mit einem moralischen Kompass, der ihn nicht immer auf der richtigen Seite des Gesetzes hält. Die andere so gut und hell, wie man einfach nur gut und hell sein kann. Tilly muss man einfach vom ersten Moment an lieben und wie die beiden sofort eine Verbindung zueinander finden ist einfach nur herrlich zu lesen. Die Reihe wird für mich auf jeden Fall sehr bald weitergehen und ich kann sie absolut und aus tiefster Überzeugung empfehlen!
Probably the best crime fiction book I‘ve read in a very long time.
I am a crime and thriller lover, but after you‘ve read a lot of them, the genre tends to become a little dull - and most authors rely on psychological or physical brutality and depraved killers to sell their books. M. W. Cravens „The Puppet Show“ was a breath of fresh air. Sure, the murders are cruel and hard to stomach, but everything around them felt like a puzzle that rewards you with great satisfaction, once another piece falls into place. The characters were great, I loved how multi-faceted Poe, Flynn and Bradshaw were and enjoyed their interactions. Despite the heavy topic, the novel has it’s funny moments due to the very dry and deadpan British humor and the budding friendship between Poe, a morose, disgraced detective, who fled to the countryside and the autistic data analyst Bradshaw, who‘s never left the safety of her desk and takes almost everything at face value. Add Flynn to the mix, formerly Poe‘s subordinate, now his boss, fiercely protective when it comes to Bradshaw and entirely fed up with everything Poe-related, you get a dynamic trio that compliments each other well and is a joy to follow through the investigation. Interwoven with the investigation is a deeper story about morals and integrity, power and people who abuse it and the difference between coldblooded revenge and retribution. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am thrilled to continue the series.