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jen_meds_book_reviews's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Well ... What in the heck did I just read? I've seen this described as the darkest book in the Washington Poe series yet, and that is not an incorrect statement. And anyone who has read the shocking scenes in book one alone knows that this is quite a high bar to exceed. And yet, in a story which is as unapologetically packed with witticisms as it is tension, M.W. Craven has taken us, and our beloved Poe and Tilly to the very edge. It's a story that is going to take some time to recover from, and not just me with an undoubted book hangover. Its events are going to resonate long and hard with the characters too.
Now, I don't want to say too much about the story as the beauty of this one really is in the reading. There is something which marks it out as a somewhat unusual and unexpected from the very beginning, a set of circumstances that the most avid of Poe lovers would initially right off as highly improbable. And yet ... within just a few short pages M.W Craven manages to establish the tone of this book, and also the deviation in narrative that we would normally expect from the series. Yes, we are following Poe and Tilly as they investigate a somewhat heinous murder. But no - not in the typical way you might expect. Listen with Mother this is not, but Poe is telling us a story, one which has a really dark heart and that becomes more abhorrent and shocking the more that we learn.
I really did like how the author has framed this book - a story within a story - and the way it allows him to explore the profound affect that this case has on Poe in particular. It is clear from the very way in which the book starts that this is no ordinary case, and it would take an impossibly hard heart not to be impacted by what comes to pass. If there is anything we have learned about Poe over the course of the series, it is that, beyond the sarcasm and dismissive luddite tendencies when it comes to technology, very much Tilly's domain, there beats a heart of gold. He is a man driven by a desire for justice and a passion for fighting for what he considers to be right. And in this particular case there is a plethora of injustice that needs to be avenged, even if it is to come at a very high cost to the team.
Now this book is dark - proper black hole level dark, dark - but rest assured that M.W Craven has not forgotten Poe's true nature at all, nor the dynamic that has made this team so very special. Tilly is on fine form once again, in her naive, direct, speak as she finds approach to life. She is so refreshing, unhindered by life's construct of false nicety, as she has literally no concept of what is offensive and what not. She has no filter. She is everything you'd like to say, but wrapped in a truly likable, forgivable, bundle of technical geekery that remains irresistible. Poe - well, he's equally as unfiltered, his sarcasm shining through in a way that even he may well live to regret this time. And they are joined by a third team member. Not DI Flynn, whose presence is a lot less, well, present this time around, but a man with an agenda Poe can't quite put his finger on. He's allegedly there to conduct an audit, but Linus Jorgensen, given the all too appropriate nickname of "Snoopy" by Poe, is certainly keeping his cards close to his chest. It makes for some interesting, and amusing, scenes as Poe delivers the requisite amount of abuse towards his new 'intern'.
In a case that is driven by fanaticism and extremist attitudes, you can feel the darkness building all around them, and from the beginning it is clear that nothing good is going to come from this case. It's perhaps not the darkest way in which the author has ended a book, but it certainly the most shocking, and with the jeopardy levels massively off the scale, it's the kind of book that captures your attention and holds it in a vice like grip right to the very last page. Do not make any plans when you start reading as you'll find theurge to cancel them will be very, very strong. Dark, intense and charged with tension and apprehension from the very beginning this is another absolute winner of a story. Is this the book that changes everything? Why yes. I think it is, and actually quite excited about that fact. Bring on book seven!
Now, I don't want to say too much about the story as the beauty of this one really is in the reading. There is something which marks it out as a somewhat unusual and unexpected from the very beginning, a set of circumstances that the most avid of Poe lovers would initially right off as highly improbable. And yet ... within just a few short pages M.W Craven manages to establish the tone of this book, and also the deviation in narrative that we would normally expect from the series. Yes, we are following Poe and Tilly as they investigate a somewhat heinous murder. But no - not in the typical way you might expect. Listen with Mother this is not, but Poe is telling us a story, one which has a really dark heart and that becomes more abhorrent and shocking the more that we learn.
I really did like how the author has framed this book - a story within a story - and the way it allows him to explore the profound affect that this case has on Poe in particular. It is clear from the very way in which the book starts that this is no ordinary case, and it would take an impossibly hard heart not to be impacted by what comes to pass. If there is anything we have learned about Poe over the course of the series, it is that, beyond the sarcasm and dismissive luddite tendencies when it comes to technology, very much Tilly's domain, there beats a heart of gold. He is a man driven by a desire for justice and a passion for fighting for what he considers to be right. And in this particular case there is a plethora of injustice that needs to be avenged, even if it is to come at a very high cost to the team.
Now this book is dark - proper black hole level dark, dark - but rest assured that M.W Craven has not forgotten Poe's true nature at all, nor the dynamic that has made this team so very special. Tilly is on fine form once again, in her naive, direct, speak as she finds approach to life. She is so refreshing, unhindered by life's construct of false nicety, as she has literally no concept of what is offensive and what not. She has no filter. She is everything you'd like to say, but wrapped in a truly likable, forgivable, bundle of technical geekery that remains irresistible. Poe - well, he's equally as unfiltered, his sarcasm shining through in a way that even he may well live to regret this time. And they are joined by a third team member. Not DI Flynn, whose presence is a lot less, well, present this time around, but a man with an agenda Poe can't quite put his finger on. He's allegedly there to conduct an audit, but Linus Jorgensen, given the all too appropriate nickname of "Snoopy" by Poe, is certainly keeping his cards close to his chest. It makes for some interesting, and amusing, scenes as Poe delivers the requisite amount of abuse towards his new 'intern'.
In a case that is driven by fanaticism and extremist attitudes, you can feel the darkness building all around them, and from the beginning it is clear that nothing good is going to come from this case. It's perhaps not the darkest way in which the author has ended a book, but it certainly the most shocking, and with the jeopardy levels massively off the scale, it's the kind of book that captures your attention and holds it in a vice like grip right to the very last page. Do not make any plans when you start reading as you'll find theurge to cancel them will be very, very strong. Dark, intense and charged with tension and apprehension from the very beginning this is another absolute winner of a story. Is this the book that changes everything? Why yes. I think it is, and actually quite excited about that fact. Bring on book seven!
echitchins's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
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