The second book in the series (and the third I‘ve read so far) feels so very different from the first one and I am delighted by it. Still set in the lovely landscape of Cumbria, detective Washington Poe finds himself confronted with a former case - six years ago star chef and narcissist Jared Keaton had been convicted for the murder of his daughter Elizabeth, who now turned up alive, DNA proving that she is telling the truth. Haunted by this turn of events and still convinced of Keaton‘s guilt, Poe recruits his friend and brilliant analyst Tilly Bradshaw to figure out how the charismatic chef managed to pull off this feat. The ensuing high-stakes investigation is urgent, gritty and full of twists and turns, especially when Poe ends up in the crosshairs of his fellow inspectors. My only grievance with this otherwise amazing read was that there was significantly less interaction between our beloved characters, the book therefor missing some of the levity of its predecessor.

Reinstated Detective Sergeant Washington Poe is called back to Cumbria, where a body has turned up–very much alive! Elizabeth Keaton was believed to have been murdered by her narcissistic father, Michelin-starred celebrity chef Jared Keaton, six years ago, though her body was never found. But when she vanishes again soon after, Poe suspects the whole thing may have been staged by Jared to get out of prison and take revenge on him. There‘s just one problem: Elizabeth‘s DNA matches. Poe needs Tilly once more to uncover what really happened! M.W. Craven is definitely one of the best crime fiction writers I‘ve come across. I loved that the investigators had to rely on proper police work to catch the culprit–no chasing red herrings only to be saved by some lucky coincidence, like in many other books in the genre. Poe and Tilly‘s second case was even better than their first. Once again, I enjoyed their dynamic and how well they complement each other. The brilliant storyline and clever twists had me so invested I kept telling my family and friends what was happening. I mean–what other murder mystery starts with someone NOT being dead? And who knew truffles could play such a massive role in a book? A well-deserved 5-star read.🌟