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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
4.5 stars: an immensely enjoyable crime thriller. My reading order of Mike Craven's excellent Washington Poe series has been dictated by availability on the Kobo bookstore in Canada. This meant I started with [b:The Curator|53053120|The Curator (Washington Poe, #3)|M.W. Craven|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1587214202l/53053120._SY75_.jpg|73336864] (Poe #3), quickly—and voraciously—followed by [b:Dead Ground|50235448|Dead Ground (Washington Poe, #4)|M.W. Craven|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1623805951l/50235448._SY75_.jpg|75137161] (Poe #4) and [b:The Botanist|58341336|The Botanist (Washington Poe, #5)|M.W. Craven|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1647691479l/58341336._SY75_.jpg|91479438] (Poe #5). Now, almost a year later [b:The Puppet Show|39346652|The Puppet Show (Washington Poe, #1)|M.W. Craven|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521730075l/39346652._SY75_.jpg|60997012] (Poe #1) is finally available and I greedily consumed this origin story of the fierce friendship between DS Washington Poe and wildly quirky math savant and analyst Tilly Bradshaw. Author [a:M.W. Craven|17850464|M.W. Craven|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1572186226p2/17850464.jpg] builds these multifaceted and deeply conflicted characters with rock-steady assurance. The blossoming of Poe and Tilly's friendship unfolds against the backdrop of a series of horrific murders staged in the ancient stone circles of Cumbria. Dialog is believable, frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious and, occasionally, heartbreaking and always serves to modulate the relentless pace of the narrative. There is no sense that this is a first tentative installment; [b:The Puppet Show|39346652|The Puppet Show (Washington Poe, #1)|M.W. Craven|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1521730075l/39346652._SY75_.jpg|60997012] is every bit as good as the subsequent books in the series. That statement is a bit of an act of faith on my part because I now have to rush to read Poe #2, [b:Black Summer|40657648|Black Summer (Washington Poe, #2)|M.W. Craven|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558350628l/40657648._SY75_.jpg|63191392], to complete the series.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a belter of a debut novel and I am already burning (hahaha) for the next in the series! The main characters are so well written and fleshed out that you cant help but like them, especially Tilly. For me she stole the show!
Poe makes an interesting addition to the literary world of detectives, he’s not your typical detective, with his quirks, a tendency to bends the rules and going his own way, teamed up with Tilly and her own quirks they make a unique crime fighting team who at times had me laughing out loud 🙂
As you can guess from the book’s description there are some fairly gruesome scenes throughout the book but not written with the soul intention to gross you out but shows the killers descent into depravity. But these murders are happening for a reason just as surely as Poe’s connection to the case and although there are hints and clues throughout the book, however the ending was still a bit of a shock!
There is a twist at the end that I certainly didn’t see coming and with some of the big reveals they could so easily be a reality in today’s society and one that leave Poe with a moral dilemma that will leave you thinking for a good while after finishing the book.
If you enjoy gritty police procedurals, a touch of the macabre, horror or serial killer thrillers then this is a book for you!
The Puppet Show was published on the 7th June 2018
Poe makes an interesting addition to the literary world of detectives, he’s not your typical detective, with his quirks, a tendency to bends the rules and going his own way, teamed up with Tilly and her own quirks they make a unique crime fighting team who at times had me laughing out loud 🙂
As you can guess from the book’s description there are some fairly gruesome scenes throughout the book but not written with the soul intention to gross you out but shows the killers descent into depravity. But these murders are happening for a reason just as surely as Poe’s connection to the case and although there are hints and clues throughout the book, however the ending was still a bit of a shock!
There is a twist at the end that I certainly didn’t see coming and with some of the big reveals they could so easily be a reality in today’s society and one that leave Poe with a moral dilemma that will leave you thinking for a good while after finishing the book.
If you enjoy gritty police procedurals, a touch of the macabre, horror or serial killer thrillers then this is a book for you!
The Puppet Show was published on the 7th June 2018
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-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
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was not my usual type of book as I read it for my book group. It was, however, a good read with a fast-paced plotline and a good array of characters. This was a bit of a page-turner, with short chapters and a story which moved along and gave the reader just enough to keep them going. It's very similar to many of the television programmes which I enjoy watching. I would be tempted to read more of Washington Poe's adventures.