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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
M.W. Craven’s The Puppet Show opens with a bang—or rather, a blaze—as a serial killer known as the Immolation Man torches his victim in ancient stone circles. Gruesome? Absolutely. The scene sets the tone and shows the stakes are high. But it’s not all gruesome. There’s some humor, too (not much, but still) and excellent pacing makes The Puppet Show unputdownable.
We get a mismatched crime-fighting duo: the no-nonsense, rule-flouting Washington Poe and the socially awkward, but brilliant Tilly Bradshaw. Poe would have a zero interest in solving the case (or returning to the service after suspension) if his name weren’t carved into a victim’s chest. That got his attention. What lies ahead is the sinister web of secrets and lies, more immolated corpses, and excellent twists. Poe relies on his gut instincts and Tilly’s data-crunching skills prove more than useful.
Craven packed the story with twists, turns, and a few red herrings to keep readers on their toes. The solution is there, but good luck actually piecing everything together before the jaw-dropping reveal. The murders are brutal, but not gratuitous, and the focus stays on the hunt.
While it’s a good thriller, characters and their dynamics make it shine. Poe’s gruff demeanor and unorthodox methods contrast with Tilly’s literal-minded approach to life. Their chemistry (non-romantic) is great. Add in Craven’s vivid descriptions of the Lake District and you’ve got a thriller that’s working on all levels (intrigue, mystery, characters, setting).
I love thrillers with clever twists, sharp writing, and characters I actually care about, and The Puppet Show delivered all of those. Even if you usually avoid serial killer stories, give this one a shot. Poe and Bradshaw might just win you over.
Audiobook narration: enjoyable, but nothing spectacular here.
We get a mismatched crime-fighting duo: the no-nonsense, rule-flouting Washington Poe and the socially awkward, but brilliant Tilly Bradshaw. Poe would have a zero interest in solving the case (or returning to the service after suspension) if his name weren’t carved into a victim’s chest. That got his attention. What lies ahead is the sinister web of secrets and lies, more immolated corpses, and excellent twists. Poe relies on his gut instincts and Tilly’s data-crunching skills prove more than useful.
Craven packed the story with twists, turns, and a few red herrings to keep readers on their toes. The solution is there, but good luck actually piecing everything together before the jaw-dropping reveal. The murders are brutal, but not gratuitous, and the focus stays on the hunt.
While it’s a good thriller, characters and their dynamics make it shine. Poe’s gruff demeanor and unorthodox methods contrast with Tilly’s literal-minded approach to life. Their chemistry (non-romantic) is great. Add in Craven’s vivid descriptions of the Lake District and you’ve got a thriller that’s working on all levels (intrigue, mystery, characters, setting).
I love thrillers with clever twists, sharp writing, and characters I actually care about, and The Puppet Show delivered all of those. Even if you usually avoid serial killer stories, give this one a shot. Poe and Bradshaw might just win you over.
Audiobook narration: enjoyable, but nothing spectacular here.
This was a good one! Tilly was my absolute favorite part of this book! She was so delightfully innocent and honest, and I adored her!
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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:
Yes
So, the Poe and Bradshaw books are now my official favourite series.
Man what another wild ride this one was. It kept going until the very last pages and at the same time, for me, has a very satisfying ending.
The characters are complex and good and evil is never black and white.
And I feel that this book reflects that incredibly well. At the finale of everything I wasn't even sure what I wanted to happen. What kind of justice would fit.
The foreshadowing was intense and I do hope to learn more about Poe when I start reading the other books.
While I didn't feel like I missed something while reading the latest book first (The Mercy Chair). Getting a deeper understanding of the friendship between Poe and Bradshaw, was wonderful. I still stand by the fact that you can read the books as stand alones because M.W. Craven fleshes out the dept of the characters really well without making me feel like it is being spoon fed to me.
Man what another wild ride this one was. It kept going until the very last pages and at the same time, for me, has a very satisfying ending.
The characters are complex and good and evil is never black and white.
And I feel that this book reflects that incredibly well. At the finale of everything I wasn't even sure what I wanted to happen. What kind of justice would fit.
The foreshadowing was intense and I do hope to learn more about Poe when I start reading the other books.
While I didn't feel like I missed something while reading the latest book first (The Mercy Chair). Getting a deeper understanding of the friendship between Poe and Bradshaw, was wonderful. I still stand by the fact that you can read the books as stand alones because M.W. Craven fleshes out the dept of the characters really well without making me feel like it is being spoon fed to me.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lang geleden dat ik een politie thriller heb gelezen maar zeker genoten!
Ik vind het altijd heerlijk om met de politie mee te puzzelen en in dir verhaal kan dat heel goed. Beetje bij beetje krijg je meer info doordat Poe ook meer info krijgt en kan je je eigen conclusies trekken. Soms werd ik erg verrast door de wending in het verhaal en soms dacht ik een laar bladzijdes van tevoren: ik denk dat nu dit en dit gaag gebeuren en dan had ik gelijk.
Ik vind de combi van Poe en Tilly heel leuk en ben zeer benieuwd naar de volgende boeken!
Ik vind het altijd heerlijk om met de politie mee te puzzelen en in dir verhaal kan dat heel goed. Beetje bij beetje krijg je meer info doordat Poe ook meer info krijgt en kan je je eigen conclusies trekken. Soms werd ik erg verrast door de wending in het verhaal en soms dacht ik een laar bladzijdes van tevoren: ik denk dat nu dit en dit gaag gebeuren en dan had ik gelijk.
Ik vind de combi van Poe en Tilly heel leuk en ben zeer benieuwd naar de volgende boeken!
Burnt and mutilated corpses start appearing among stone circles in Cumbria, the police suspect the victims are random and it’s nothing but a deranged killer. Suspended detective Washington Poe, thinks otherwise. When his name is found carved into one of the victims chest, he gets the chance to prove if his theories are true. Reinstated, Poe will do anything and everything to bring a criminal to justice, no matter who he has to upset along the way.
This book didn’t get off to a brilliant start with me, with the overdone detective trope, I wasn’t looking forward to reading the conclusion of the book. I was wrong. Yes, at times extremely cliché, but also highly enjoyable. The story was incredibly dark (murder via fire, just the tip of the iceberg.) It takes some time getting into, but once you do it’s a book worth reading. A story that offers plenty of reader input, having you think alongside the police, and trying to solve the crime every step of the way, guessing what was next and reading on to see if you were right.
Washington Poe, yes another suspended detective, who has a hard time following orders and loves a sarcastic remark. Sounds familiar right? Despite being one of a million other snarky detectives, Poe does a good job of ingratiating himself gradually throughout the book, having his character grow from more than just the “snarky detective”. Other than Poe we have several other police detectives who work the case, Tilly being one, a bit more of a unique character, Tilly has an amazingly high IQ, and is incredibly detailed in her work. However, she struggles socially which means she perhaps doesn’t get the recognition her efforts deserve. The dynamic of the two adds to the story, both having an influence on one another throughout the book, growing as you read.
Overall, this book was decent. Complaints I would have would be too predictable at times, with too much cliché, but overall solid and hopefully the next in the Washington Poe series will iron out these creases.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character