The Mercy Chair by M W Craven

The Mercy Chair by M.W. Craven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 485

Publisher - Constable

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin . . .

Washington Poe has a story to tell.

And he needs you to listen.

You'll hear how it started with the robber birds. Crows. Dozens of them. Enough for a murder . . .

He'll tell you about a man who was tied to a tree and stoned to death, a man who had tattooed himself with a code so obscure, even the gifted analyst Tilly Bradshaw struggled to break it. He'll tell you how the man's murder was connected to a tragedy that happened fifteen years earlier when a young girl massacred her entire family.

And finally, he'll tell you about the mercy chair. And why people would rather kill themselves than talk about it . . .
Poe hopes you've been paying attention. Because in this story, nothing is as it seems . . .



My Review

Book six in the Tilly and Poe series, we open with Poe talking to a mental health professional after he has had a traumatic case. Whilst Poe takes us back to before, during and after the incident, in between reliving it and back and forth to the doctors office. A religious fanatic/leader is found murdered, tied to a tree and stoned to death. Poe has to figure out who targeted him and why kill him in such a way. Someone new is assigned to the team and following Poe and co as they delve into the case, Poe is untrusting as is his way and actually quite funny (and rude) to the new guy.

I love Tilly and Poe, no secret at all they are polar opposites and work so so well together. Now on the case they have to look into the past and the dead mans community/followers - secrets, shady behaviours galore so walls flung up at every corner.

Some of the backstory and things Poe discovers is pretty shocking, hate filled, bile, horrific like I can't go into it without spoilers but absolutely shocking hate/violence/torture/homophobia. As usual Craven is really good at weaving a twisty tale but prepared to be angry/outraged. 4/5 from me this time, not sure where Craven is going to take the story next but we look forward to it!

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The Curator by M W Craven

The Curator by M.W. Craven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Constable

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

It's Christmas and a serial killer is leaving displayed body parts all over Cumbria. A strange message is left at each scene: #BSC6. Called in to investigate, the National Crime Agency's Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are faced with a case that makes no sense. Why were some victims anaesthetized, while others died in appalling agony? Why is their only suspect denying what they can irrefutably prove but admitting to things they weren't even aware of? And why did the victims all take the same two weeks off work three years earlier?

And when a disgraced FBI agent gets in touch things take an even darker turn. Because she doesn't think Poe is dealing with a serial killer at all; she thinks he's dealing with someone far, far worse - a man who calls himself the Curator.

And nothing will ever be the same again...



My Review

You guys know I LOVE Tilly and Poe so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one, if you haven't read them before The Puppet Master is book one, go back and start there. You can pick up from here as a standalone but you miss so so much so do yourself a favour and go read one and two first. Heads up - the books are graphic and have horrific dodgy killers so not for the faint hearted.

A killer who seems to be taunting the police, fingers left in very prominent places, one body easily found, others hidden. Not gender specific, drugs found in the system - no what, how or why. Poe and Tilly get on the case and soon hear rumours of "The Curator" a killer so difficult to find purely by their modus operandis and equally hard to identify how victims are chosen. Teamwork, danger and getting into the heart of it, as per, the team may be facing their biggest most threatening challenge.

You can't help but be drawn into Craven's stories (must be something in the name eh!) I love the team, the bad guys are always horrific and give you the absolute boak, graphic, deadly, dangerous and you are left with no illusions of exactly what has transpired. Always gruesome and boggin, fans of dark crime will love it and if you have read Craven before, you know what is coming and you won't be disappointed, 4.5/5 for me this time.

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Black Summer by M W Craven

Black Summer by M.W. Craven
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 352

Publisher - Constable

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

After The Puppet Show, a new storm is coming . . .

Jared Keaton, chef to the stars. Charming. Charismatic. Psychopath . . . He's currently serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of his daughter, Elizabeth. Her body was never found and Keaton was convicted largely on the testimony of Detective Sergeant Washington Poe.

So when a young woman staggers into a remote police station with irrefutable evidence that she is Elizabeth Keaton, Poe finds himself on the wrong end of an investigation, one that could cost him much more than his career.

Helped by the only person he trusts, the brilliant but socially awkward Tilly Bradshaw, Poe races to answer the only question that matters: how can someone be both dead and alive at the same time?

And then Elizabeth goes missing again - and all paths of investigation lead back to Poe.




My Review

Tilly and Poe are BACK! An old case of Poe's comes back to bite him and he needs help. Calling in Tilly - Poe has to investigate, delicately, whilst having to answer to his colleagues, judgement and the horrific possibility he got it wrong and an innocent went to jail.

Poe is a good cop, he has great instincts and he knows he put a bad guy behind bars yet proof has come to light he got it wrong. The dynamic duo, Tilly & Poe have to work together to investigate how this could happen.

Chapter one, oh dear Lord, I had the boke! There is a scene in a restaurant and they talk about a dish that is barbaric to the animal in the prep of it. If you struggle with animal cruelty you may want to skip past when they start talking about it, it will stay with me a long time. I thought how lobsters were done was bad, this is the thing of horrors, be warned. That said, there isn't much in the way of animal cruelty after this and we get back to the meat of the story.

The uniqueness that is Tilly Bradshaw and her friendship with Poe is one of my fav things about these books. Tilly is a one of a kind, socially inappropriate at times, funny, caring, innocent, super smart and fiercely loyal. I love their interaction and when the story kicks off I was hooked pretty quick wanting to know how, how could this happen. I think if you snag your reader quickly you know you have a winning formula, Craven seems to have this knack, certainly with this series. I need to check out his other books! Fast paced, interactions with a psychopath, police investigations and the long awaited Tilly & Poe bantz, 4/5 for me, roll on book 3!

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