Blood Like Ours by Stuart Neville @stuartneville @simonschusterUK #BloodLikeOurs #BookReview

Rebecca Carter is back from the dead. Lost and terrified, she is gripped by two desperate urges – to find her daughter, and to sate her ravenous hunger.

Alone in the wild, Monica Carter survives on whatever small prey she can hunt down. But she needs more. One night, drawn by the maddening scent of human blood, she encounters two young brothers, who call to her as Moonflower and tell her that if she comes with them, they will keep her safe.

But Jacob and Willard Hendry are not what they seem. They know all about dying and disappearing – after all, it’s been almost three decades since they did the same.

Rebecca’s hope for a reunion with her daughter turns to terror when she realizes that the brothers aren’t like Moonflower – they chose to be what they are, relishing the slaughter and leaving an increasingly bloody trail in their wake.

But as she chases them west, she isn’t alone on the road. FBI agent Sarah McGrath, haunted by the death of her partner Marc Donner moments after he killed Rebecca, is hot on her tail. McGrath wants answers, and she will stop at nothing to get them. But she never expected them to come from a shadowy figure within the Bureau… 

Blood Like Ours by Stuart Neville is published on 28 August 2025 by Simon & Schuster. I was lucky enough to buy an early copy at the St Hilda's Crime Fiction Weekend in Oxford earlier this month, and get my copy signed by the author. 

I read and reviewed the first in the Blood trilogy; Blood Like Mine, in August last year. It was one of my favourite books of last year and I raved about it to anyone who would listen. 

First, I advise anyone who is thinking about reading this one to read Blood Like Mine first. This is most definitely a follow-on and you get the full and complete back story from reading book one first. Blood Like Mine is out in paperback now, and readily available in all good book shops, and online. 

Rebecca Carter has been separated from her daughter Monica, known as Moonflower. Moonflower has fled, leaving her mother for dead. Rebecca is not only having to deal with a totally new situation for herself, making sure that she's fed (pie and chips will not do), she is also still on the FBI wanted list. So, she's facing a whole host of issues; tracking down her young daughter, keeping herself well and avoiding capture by FBI Agent Sarah McGrath.

Moonflower has never had friends, she and Rebecca always kept themselves isolated, concentrating on keeping Moonflower sustained. Now she's alone and has met two brothers. These are not ordinary boys, they feel like they know so much about her, they understand her. However, their motives are not great and it soon becomes clear that Moonflower is in a lot of danger. Neville expertly weaves the two boys back story into the narrative by using diary entries from a woman in the 1980s, it's clever and often emotional, adding depth and a new dimension to what is already a multi layered and complex story. 

Crime meets horror, meets the occult. Once again Stuart Neville has produced a novel of the finest quality. He never holds back, there's gore and there's violence, but there is also stories of humanity and of love and devotion. 

Magnificent and will be up there on my list of my books of the year. Already desperate for book three. 

Stuart Neville's debut novel, The Twelve (published in the USA as The Ghosts of Belfast), won the Mystery/Thriller category of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was picked as one of the top crime novels of 2009 by both the New York Times and the LA Times. 

He has since published ten more critically acclaimed books, two of which were under the pen name Haylen Beck, and a collection of short stories. 

He has been shortlisted for several awards, including the MWA Edgar Award for Best Novel, the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, the Barry, Macavity, and Dilys awards, and the Irish Book Awards Crime Novel of the Year.

X @stuartneville

IG @stuartnevilleauthor

www.stuartneville.com

The Cut by Richard Armitage #TheCut #RichardArmitage @FaberBooks #BookReview

 

You saw her die

Thirty years ago, one of Ben Knott's schoolfriends was murdered. Another went to prison. The story ended. The village of Barton Mallett tried to move on.

Now her killer is back

As the murderer's sentence ends, the village is chosen as the unlikely location for a feature film by a Hollywood producer, with Ben's son Nathan cast in the leading role.

Can you keep hiding the truth?

As the film takes shape, Ben begins to recognise the storyline - from his own past. As his son becomes immersed in a tale of bullying and retribution, things turn dangerous, and an uncomfortable truth begins to emerge. Ben must choose between the safety of his children and reopening the wounds of the past. How much is he willing to risk to protect his family - and himself?

The Cut by Richard Armitage is published on 28 August 2025 by Faber. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I met Richard Armitage at Harrogate Crime Fiction Festival a few years ago, I'll admit that I didn't have a clue who he was though. His book Geneva was all over that Festival! 

This is most certainly a review of two halves. Not the halves of the book, but of my reading experience. There is no doubt that Armitage can write and write well, his ability to conjure a place is so well done. I felt as though I was walking the streets of Barton Mallet; the large village in which the novel is set. The sense of place is fabulous, the whole village is brought to life through colourful and vivid language. 

He's also great at character building. Each one of the main characters felt real, and it was really interesting to see them grow through the different eras of the novel. 

The premise for the plot is really clever; with a murder from decades ago that was solved, linking into a film being made in the area in modern times. The use of the then and the now is great way to tell a tale. 

It's a mystery story but is also marketed as a 'thriller'. I have to disagree with the thriller label. The crime and mystery element is most certainly there, in this tale of obsession and revenge, but I wouldn't call it a thriller. The first seventy or so pages are very slow, I was desperate for something to happen, and soon.  It took quite a while!  I'm usually a fan of a dual time line but in this case it didn't work for me. I don't think it really flowed as well as it could. There were times when it all felt a little muddled and I wasn't sure which time zone we were in. 

I really wanted to love this one, and there were parts of it that I enjoyed. I'd certainly try another book by this author and I'm sure that The Cut will have many fans. 

Richard Armitage is a multi-award-winning stage, screen and voice actor best known for his roles in Peter Jackson's trilogy of The Hobbit,  Captain America, Alice Through The Looking Glass and Ocean's 8.

His debut novel, Geneva, was a top five crime debut for 2023 and a number one Audible bestseller. 

X @RichardCArmitage

Instagram @richardcarmitage

Chapter One by Michael Wood #ChapterOne @MichaelHWood @0neMoreChapter_ #BookReview

 

Since being left for dead in a brutal attack, crime writer Aidan Cullen hasn’t left his house. For five years his paranoia and fear have confined him to the walls of his rural home with just his dog for company. Not even his hugely successful, much-longed-for publishing career could tempt him from his self-imposed prison.

But when a murder happens so close to Aidan’s home that he can see the lights of the police cars and the white suits of the forensic team, even his elaborate security system and iron gates can’t keep the world out.

Aidan finds himself at the heart of DS Katherine Marshall’s investigation, as a string of seemingly unrelated murders start to show a terrifying pattern, a pattern that only he can see. As Aidan starts to feel his world closing in on him, his paranoia grows – is someone out to get him, or is it all in his mind?

Chapter One by Michael Wood was published on 14 August 2025 by One More Chapter. My thanks to the author who sent my copy for review. 

Michael Wood is the much respected author of the DCI Matilda Darke series and the Dr Olivia Winter series. He's also written a few stand alone stories, and Chapter One is the third of these. 

Oh my goodness, I was totally invested in this story line from the very first page. The reader meets Aiden Cullen as he gets a large publishing deal for his debut crime novel, his excitement is palpable. Fast forward to publication day and Aiden has invited some friends to celebrate with him. The evening really doesn't go as planned, his friends are lovely, but don't seem really interested and the evening only really kicks off when Luke, one of the friendship group announces his engagement. 

Things get worse and Aiden is brutally attacked as he makes his way back to the car. Stabbed and left for dead. 

Five years later Aiden is a successful crime author, with best sellers under his belt. However, his life is one of self imposed isolation. Since the attack he has changed. He lives in a beautiful house in the wilds of the Derbyshire countryside with just his dog for company. The only other person he allows into his life is Luke, often working away from home but alway there to support him. All of his other business is done via the phone, or Zoom. 

When a murder happens nearby, Aiden has to let the police in and when another one happens, it soon becomes clear that Aiden, and his stories, may be connected to the deaths.  Michael Wood's depiction of Aiden's paranoia and his unsettling behaviour is perfectly done. This is not an explosive, fast moving narrative, it is a wonderfully paced and intricately balanced psychologically chilling story. 

There are various, quite unusual themes to this book that give it depth and a sense of individuality. The fact that the lead character Aiden is fairly unlikeable, even though the reader understands his behaviours, it can be difficult to agree with him.  I'm also impressed by the author's use of various chapter ones from Aiden's books - explaining the title of the book and also an incredibly clever way of explaining the crime scenes - a really masterful touch! 

A novel thick with dread and intense claustrophobia, it is a gripping, dark and thrilling read. Highly recommended by me. 

Michael Wood is a freelance journalist and proofreader living in Newcastle. 

As a journalist he covered many crime stories throughout Sheffield, gaining first-hand knowledge of police procedure. 

He also reviews books for CrimeSquad, a website dedicated to crime fiction.

X @MichaelHWood 

Facebook MichaelWoodBooks

Instagram @michaelwoodbooks

Secrets In The Dales by Diane Allen BLOG TOUR #SecretsInTheDales #DianeAllen @panmacmillan @RandomTTours #Competition #Prize #Giveaway #Win

 

Set during WW2 in the Yorkshire valley of Dentdale, Secrets in the Dales is a heartfelt story of family, romance and one woman's determination in hard times.

In the sleepy Yorkshire Dales, the peaceful existence of Sally’s family is shattered by the outbreak of the Second World War. With her father navigating the challenges of wartime farming, and her mother striving to keep the home fires burning, young Sally is determined to do her bit.

The war brings unexpected challenges, but none so disarming as Luca – an Italian POW who introduces Sally to a love that threatens to unravel everything she holds dear.

As secrets threaten to surface and the war rages on, Sally must face a battlefield of her own, torn between love and duty. Will her choices lead to heartbreak or hope?

Secrets In The Dales by Diane Allen is published by Pan Macmillan on 14 August 2025. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour, I have one copy to give away today. Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget in this blog post. UK Entries only please

GOOD LUCK! 

One copy of Secrets In The Dales by Diane Allen

Diane Allen was born in Leeds, but raised at her family's farm deep in the Yorkshire
Dales. 

After working as a glass engraver, raising a family and looking after an ill father, she found her true niche in life, joining a large-print publishing firm in 1990. 

She now concentrates on her writing full time, and is Honorary Vice President of the Romantic Novelists' Association. 

Diane's novels include A Precious Daughter, The Girl from the Tanner's Yard and The Miner's Wife.

Diane and her husband Ronnie live in the Dales market town of Settle, and have two children and four beautiful grandchildren.

Of Mountains and Seas by Emily Renk Hawthorne BLOG TOUR #OfMountainsandSea #EmilyRenkHawthorne @RandomTTours #BookExtract

 

For some, the only way to possess magic is to steal it from others.

Born without magic, Davis is an outcast in his own shapeshifter family. Yearning for his father’s approval, he sets down a path that intertwines with Iris, a girl whose own ambitions are hindered by a mysterious illness.

Their quest leads to Yuras, one of California’s smallest towns, unremarkable until they discover a cave of magic-transferring stones. Now they have a chance to change their fates. But they’re not alone.

When Nivi, a Yuras local, stumbles upon the cave, she unknowingly sets into motion a series of events that threatens to expose Davis’s past as well as her own.

As dark truths surface, one question endures: How much are they willing to take in their quest for power?

A multigenerational mystery told across converging timelines and from multiple points of view, full of adventure and political intrigue.

Of Mountains and Seas by Emily Renk Hawthorne was published by Hawk Ridge Press in January 2025.  As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour, I am delighted to share an extract from the book with you today. 

Extract from Of Mountains and Seas by Emily Renk Hawthorne 

PROLOGUE

Winter 1935

The first glimmers of consciousness seeped in, and with a start, Randall Sun realized he couldn’t see. At first, he thought it was a moonless night and he was at home in bed. But the feel of his hot breath against a cloth, the binds around his wrists and ankles, and the whirring of the car beneath him proved otherwise. He pulled against the restraints. They must be magic. Like all magic things, he could feel their power, whether it was the warm glow of another Shifter or the hum of the restraints that tingled against his skin at that moment. He doubted either of his powers would affect magical restraints, but he would try.

The car rumbled to a stop. Voices murmured to each other from the front seat. Doors opened, and the crunch of footsteps came to his door. 

A vague, recent memory surfaced in Randall’s mind. He had been leaving the casino when a woman and a man approached him, but that was all he could remember. Based on the situation he was currently in, one of them must have the power of magical binding, and the other must have some sort of sleep-inducing power. Randall sighed. Alcoholic fumes accumulated beneath the cloth and burned his nostrils and eyes. Maybe that second part was his own doing.

The door next to Randall opened. Hands yanked him out onto the ground and dragged him a few feet before forcing him onto his knees. A sharp pain shot through his left leg, and something clattered next to him; most likely his cane. At least they hadn’t thrown it away. One of the people removed the cloth sack from his head, and he was momentarily blinded by the car headlights. He squinted and turned his head. Past the glare of the headlights, vague outlines of trees towered around them. Aromas of pine and dirt blended with the alcohol on his breath and the gasoline from the car. The man and woman approached from each side, becoming looming silhouettes in front of the car. Randall took his chance and transformed.

His bones and joints cracked as they lengthened and spread, a sensation that was second nature for him. Thick, coarse fur sprouted from his skin, absorbing his clothing. His nails elongated into long, yellow claws, murderous yet useless against the magical restraints. He glared at the two silhouettes that looked half their size before his growing body while snapping at the binds and bellowing to no avail.

The woman laughed. In an instant, her body elongated from her neck down, her arms and legs fusing into a serpentine body. A monstrous human-headed snake stood before him, scales glistening in the headlights. The tip of her tail lashed out, smacking Randall across the face.

“Even a grizzly won’t be able to break those.”

Randall huffed from the blow. He knew that voice and that Shifter form. Susan Bai. But who was the man with her? He almost laughed when he realized. How cute, Mrs. and Mr. Bai, a wife and husband gangster duo. What was his name again? It didn’t matter. Susan was the one in charge. The humor faded. They wouldn’t get away with this. 

He shrunk back to his human form. His bones realigned and his fur resorbed into his skin as his clothes reformed. He looked down at his hands. White cords twisted around his wrists, shimmering like snakes coiling around and around. He couldn’t break through the binds with sheer strength, but maybe he could burn through them or at least hurtle a fireball at his captors. A tingling sensation arose from his inner core and intensified as it moved toward his hands. In less than a second, sparks leaped from his palms, burst into flames, and coalesced into a bright, burning ball. The restraints remained intact, so he prepared to shoot the fireball at one of the silhouetted figures. At that moment, a ball of water struck the fire. Steam sizzled into the air until both elements were nullified.

This time, Mr. Bai laughed. “Did you think we didn’t do our homework on you, Randall?”

That was right. Susan could summon and manipulate water. So that must mean Mr. Bai had the power of magical binding, and the somnolence had been his own fault, after all. Randall swore under his breath and made a half-hearted promise not to drink as much. He thought about forming another fireball but knew that even in a best-case scenario, that would only lead to a standoff of fire against water, and he was outnumbered here. But he had a secret weapon that most other Shifters did not, another secondary power. Thrusting his hands down onto the ground, he simultaneously melted the ground in front of him and built it back up. He intended to build a wall and then tunnel himself to safety, but suddenly his arms were jerked up from the ground. Another white rope had formed from between his wrists to a branch overhead. It pulled his arms up and away from the ground. His stonemasonry was useless if he couldn’t touch the ground. 

“As I said, we did our homework on you.”

Randall cleared his throat. “What do you want?”

“The same thing as you,” Susan said. “Purity of our kind. To remove the weaknesses of the Statics from the Shifters.”

“No one wants that more than me,” Randall said.

“Yet you have done little to change the situation,” Mr. Bai said. “Even in your position of power and influence, your promises remain empty.”

Emily Renk Hawthorne is a general dentist who works with underserved populations.  

She grew up in Southern California and now calls the Central Coast her home.  

She's always loved reading fantasy and wanted to reflect her Chinese heritage and California home in her own writing.  

Of Mountains And Seas is her debut novel.

www.emilyrenkhawthorne.com

Instagram @emilyrenkhawthorne

No Safe Place by Hannah Brennan BLOG TOUR #NoSafePlace #HannahBrennan @AvonBooksUK @Bookish_Becky #BookReview

 

You can't hide from the past…

Fifteen years ago, five vulnerable teenagers took part in a life-changing study of OCD. Now, their psychologist has been brutally stabbed and left for dead.

DCI Liz Field and her team have barely started their investigation when there is another frenzied attack. This time, the victim is one of the former patients. Are the others now in grave danger – or dangerous?

But as the DCI is pulled deeper into the disturbing case, it starts to hits too close to home. To outwit the murderer, Field must venture into the last place she wants to – her own buried past…

This page-turning crime thriller debut is perfect for fans of Nadine Matheson, Sam Holland, and Helen Fields.

No Safe Place by Hannah Brennan was published on 31 July 2025 by Avon Books and is the author's debut novel. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour 

No Safe Place is the first in a planned series to feature DCI Liz Field; a female police officer with many years of service behind her. Field has her own issues to carry around as well as dealing with a particularly nasty and brutal crime. She's a great character, with depth and feeling. Concerned about her team, her family and most of all, about the fact that there's a killer on the loose. 

Two violent stabbings that at first appear to be unrelated, but are very soon connected by Field and her team. David was a very well respected child psychologist and the second victim; a young woman called Sam had been his patient fifteen years ago. 

There's also a link to the person who found Sam, and it all becomes so tense and complex as the story progresses. 

There was a paper found on David's body; a research project that he was involved in and Field, and others, are convinced that the five patients in the study are at risk. The assailant needs to be tracked down, and quickly, before any more blood is shed. 

The author concentrates on the varying effects that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has on people. Each of the participants in the study have this mental health condition and each of them display very different symptoms. It's clever and written with such authority. It's interesting to find out that the author draws on her own personal experiences to write this 

Whilst the plot is compelling, this is most certainly a character driven novel, the multi-perspective narration adds a depth to the novel that kept me intrigued and guessing throughout. 

Gritty, emotional with a strong female lead character, this is a fabulous beginning to a new series. Recommended by me. 

Hannah Brennan was born in and still lives in South East London, and studied English Literature at Durham University. 

She is one of the organisers at the Greenwich Writers writing group. 

Hannah is also a trustee at the Royal Association for Deaf people. 

Hannah has had OCD since her teenage years, although she is now happily in recovery. 

She has previously volunteered for and regularly attends groups at the charity OCD Action. 

No Safe Place is her debut novel.

Instagram @hannahbrennan_author

Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdottir BLOG TOUR #HomeBeforeDark t. Victoria Cribb @OrendaBooks @evaaegisdottir #BookReview #Iceland

 

November, 1967, Iceland. Fourteen-year-old Marsí has a secret penpal – a boy who lives on the other side of the country – but she has been writing to him in her older sister's name. Now she is excited to meet him for the first time.

But when the date arrives, Marsí is prevented from going, and during the night her sister Stína goes missing – her bloodstained anorak later found at the place where Marsí and her penpal had agreed to meet.

November, 1977. Stína's disappearance remains unsolved. Then an unexpected letter arrives for Marsí It's from her penpal, and he's still out there…

Desperate for news of her missing sister, but terrified that he might coming after her next, Marsí returns to her hometown and embarks on an investigation of her own.

But Marsí has always had trouble distinguishing her vivid dreams from reality, and as insomnia threatens her sanity, it seems she can't even trust her own memories.

And her sister's killer is still on the loose…

Home Before Dark by Eva Björg Ægisdottir was published by Orenda Books on 17 July 2025, and is translated by Victoria Cribb. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour 

Eva Björg Ægisdottir is an award winning Icelandic author. Her 'Forbidden Iceland' series has won major awards in different countries. She is a force to be reckoned with, one of the best crime authors currently writing. I was delighted to hear that Orenda would be publishing the English translation of her stand alone thriller Home Before Dark. I have not been disappointed, this is a tense, masterfully written story set over decades with such an immersive sense of place and history too. 

This is a dual time line story, with events from November 1967 being narrated by Strína, a teenage girl who goes missing. The story set in November 1977 is told by Strína's younger sister Marsí who has returned to their home town for the anniversary of Strína's disappearance. 

Back in 1967 Marsí had a secret pen pal, she'd told nobody about him and had arranged to meet him one evening. She didn't make their meeting but that was the night that Strína vanished, leaving behind only a blood soaked coat. Marsí has kept the secret about her mysterious pen pal for all of these years, and she's just received a letter from him ... 

What follows is a intense and chilling story about the distortion of truth and how memories cannot always be relied upon. Marsí is an interesting character, multi layered, with numerous issues and doesn't know as much about Strína's life as she believes. The reader, on the other hand, knows far more about Strína, being privy to her thoughts as she narrates the part of the story that concerns her disappearance. 

The translation of this novel is superb. The author's descriptions of landscape is stunning. I was especially intrigued by 'the situation' - events from Icelandic history that are quite shocking yet are perfectly blended into this story line. 

Dark, creepy and gripping, Eva is a magnificent writer with brilliant plotting skills. 

Born in Akranes, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir studied for an MSc in Globalisation in Norway before returning to Iceland and deciding to write a novel. 

Her debut, The Creak on the Stairs, was published in 2018, becoming a bestseller in Iceland and going on to win the Blackbird Award and the Storytel Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year. It was published in English by Orenda Books in 2020, and became a number-one bestseller in ebook, shortlisting for Capital Crime’s Amazon Publishing Awards in two categories, and winning the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger. 

Girls Who Lie, Night Shadows, You Can’t See Me and Boys Who Hurt soon followed suit, shortlisting for the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger, the Capital Crime Awards, and the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel. 

You Can’t See Me won the Storytel Award for Best Crime Novel of the Year in Iceland in 2023. 

In 2024, Eva won Iceland’s prestigious Crime Fiction Award, the Blood Drop, for Home before Dark and was shortlisted for the coveted Glass Key. 

The Forbidden Iceland series has established Eva as one of Iceland’s bestselling and most distinguished crime writers, and her books are published in eighteen languages with more than a million copies sold.

X @evaaegisdottir

Instagram @evabjorg88

The Final Vow by M W Craven #TheFinalVow @MWCravenUK @LittleBrownUK @mwcraven.bsky.social‬ #WashingtonPoe #PoeandTilly

 

An invisible killer with a 100% success rate. No one is safe. Not even those closest to Washington Poe . . .

A shooting at Gretna Green. A bride is murdered on her wedding day, seconds after she slips on her new ring. It's brutal and bloody but she isn't the first victim and she won't be the last. With the body count now at 17, people are terrified, not knowing where the sniper will strike next.

With the nation in a state of panic, the police are at a loss and turn to Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw - the only team who just might be able to track down a serial killer following no discernible pattern and with the whole country as his personal hunting ground. Can Poe and Tilly stop an unstoppable assassin, who never misses his mark and never makes a mistake? Or will he find them before they find him...

The Final Vow by M W Craven is published by Constable on 14 August 2025 and is book seven in the Washington Poe series. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

The problem any reviewer has when talking about books in a series is that we begin to run out of words to use to describe how much we enjoy them.  It is no secret that the Washington Poe series from MW Craven is my favourite crime fiction series out there. Poe and his sidekick Tilly Bradshaw are the most incredible duo. Two characters who really shouldn't work well together, but are completely perfect. As the series progresses, so does their friendship. It's wonderful to watch and follow. 

The last book in this series; The Mercy Chair was bleak and dark and really emotional. Whilst The Final Vow still features murder and danger and the author throws things at us that are so shocking, it's not as dark as its predecessor. The darkest wit and the blackest of humour are cleverly interwoven throughout, alongside the introduction of new characters who will bring a smile to the reader's face (Uncle Bertie will make you howl!). 

Washington Poe and his team are brought back together after a period of being forced to work apart. Some sort of punishment, that really didn't work out. When things are tough and there's a sniper serial killer out there who is currently on victim seventeen, with no misses, it's clear that Poe, Bradshaw and Flynn need to be called in. 

This is an utter joy to read. We have Poe and his grumpiness, his love for a pie and his loyal dog Edgar. We see him as he prepares to marry Doyle, and is living on a grand estate so very different to his isolated shepherd's cottage. Tilly is pure Tilly. Using her magnificent brain to work out the mathematical clues to where the murderer may next strike, and also continuing to be innocent, straight talking and often hilariously funny. 

Prepare to feel as though your heart has been ripped out at one point in the story though. Everything will slow down around you as you take in the words on the page. And breathe ...... 

How an author can make a novel frightening, gripping and laugh out loud funny at the same time is just genius. Compelling, inventive and sophisticated, this is crime writing at the highest level. Highly recommended. 

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 degree in social work. 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 the critically acclaimed, best-selling Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw series, was published by Little, Brown and went on to win the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger in 2019. 

Black Summer, the second in the series, was longlisted for the Gold Dagger as was book three, The Curator. 

Dead Ground won the CWA Steel Dagger in 2022 and book five, The Botanist, won the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2023. 

Dead Ground and 2022’s The Botanist were both Sunday Times bestsellers. 

The series has now been translated into twenty-seven languages. 

Fearless, the first thriller in the new US-set, Ben Koenig series, was published in June 2023 by Flatiron Books in the US and by Little, Brown in the UK. 

Fearless will soon be a major TV series.

M. W. Craven lives in Carlisle with his wife, Joanne. When he isn't talking nonsense in the pub, he can usually be found at punk gigs and writing festivals up and down the country.

www.mwcraven.com

X @MWCravenUK

Instagram @m.w.craven

Blue Sky @mwcraven.bsky.social‬

Threads @m.w.craven