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☀️😎

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.