by M. W. Craven (Author)
*WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER AWARD 2019 FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR*
'Fantastic' Martina Cole 'Dark, sharp and compelling' Peter James 'A thrilling curtain raiser for what looks set to be a great new series' Mick Herron A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District's prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless. When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of . . . Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant, but socially awkward, civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it. As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he's ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive ... Find out why everyone loves The Puppet Show 'A page turner' Sun 'So dark and twisty' Elly Griffiths 'A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent. Tightly plotted, and not for the faint hearted!'David Mark 'A gripping start to a much anticipated new series' Vaseem Khan 'Satisfyingly twisty and clever and the flashes of humour work well to offer the reader respite from the thrill of the read' Michael J. Malone 'Britain's answer to Harry Bosch' Matt Hilton 'Dark, disturbing and so very clever. Highly recommended' Anne Cater
Author Biography
Multi-award winning author M. W. Craven was born in Carlisle but grew up in Newcastle. He joined the army at sixteen, leaving ten years later to complete a social work degree. Seventeen years after taking up a probation officer role in Cumbria, at the rank of assistant chief officer, he became a full-time author. The Puppet Show, the first book in his Cumbria-set Washington Poe series, was published by Little, Brown in 2018 and went on to win the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger in 2019. It has now been translated into twenty-one languages. Black Summer, the second in the series, was longlisted for the 2020 Gold Dagger as was book three, The Curator. The fourth in the series, Dead Ground, was published last June, became an instant Sunday Times bestseller and won the 2022 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger.The latest book in the series, The Botanist, published in June, also became an instant Sunday Times bestseller.
Website: mwcraven.comTwitter: @MWCravenUK