Fantastic book, I loved it. The plot was very good and kept me guessing right to the end. The characters were very real and I could imagine them in a series on TV. Please author write another with the same characters.

A little over a year ago I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing a book called Body Breaker written by Mike Craven (that's Mike Craven as in M.W. Craven, if you were wondering what odd tangent I was meandering off at!), and it was an absolute joy to read from start to finish. I pretty much fell in love with Craven's protagonist, DI Avison Fluke. Then I heard Mike was about to release a new book called The Puppet Show, featuring a brand new detective with a brand new publisher (to Craven, that is). Now I openly admit, I was intrigued. After all, what crime fiction fan wouldn't be? Particularly when I heard the main character of The Puppet Show is called Washington Poe (what a name! Where does this author get inspiration from for his character's names? He appears to err on the unusual which is a rather splendid thing IMHO). Then, as if by magic (I pressed a button on NetGalley) a copy of The Puppet Show arrived on my Kindle and the deal was sealed. Washington Poe and I were destined to meet...

And truth be told, I flipping love him as much as I love DI Fluke. Craven certainly knows how to write and develop a character to the point where they jump off the page at the reader. I was smitten from early on; particularly as we meet Poe after he has shunned modern life and is living with his loyal pet dog, Edgar, in a semi-converted shepherd's croft in the middle of nowhere (for 'nowhere' read Cumbria or the Lake District! Please don't hurt me Cumbrians, it does sound pretty vast, lonely and desolate from Craven's illustrative descriptions and I've never visited ).  Suspended from work following his last (bodged) case and awaiting the result of an internal investigation and an IPCC inquiry, Poe has pretty much decided that his past is very much behind him and that his future lies in Herdwick Croft with Edgar, and the sheep.  But that was before Cumbria's latest serial killer, The Immolation Man made matters personal.  Whether he wants to or not, Poe must return to the Serious Crime Analysis Section (SCAS) and to a case that could easily be the death of him.

I have a bit of a thing for serial killer novels.  They're my favourite, particularly if they are a smidge on the gory side as well (which this book is).  I also thoroughly enjoy books which make you think the plot is heading one way and then totally flip things over and make you gasp in surprise when you end up somewhere you didn't expect (which again, this book did).  Another thing I love is a cast of well-written, individual, stand out characters who all add something to the story (yup, that's The Puppet Show).  I loved this book.

As I've mentioned Washington Poe's supporting cast it would be rude to ignore them.  First and foremost, Tilly Bradshaw is a shining star and will appeal to nerds far and wide.  Her intelligence and her awkwardness are a delight to read and I hope she makes future appearances with Poe as her sidekick!  Beleaguered DI Stephanie Flynn is now her ex-bosses boss (!) which makes things somewhat tricky between her and Poe at times.  He's a little reckless and likes to follow the evidence anywhere, whereas Flynn likes to play by the book.  I would LOVE to read a prequel to The Puppet Show and see the dynamic between the two of them before Poe was demoted from DI to DS and Flynn was promoted.  Not dropping any hints here, Mike...

Would I recommend this book?  I would, most definitely.  If you're a fan of crime fiction, if you can stomach a drop of blood or a pool of melted human fat (OK, it is a little grisly in places and you may need a slightly stronger stomach than I've alluded to in this paragraph, but for me I loved the gruesome touches to this book.  Plus the author provides a wealth of information about burns and the effect of fire on a human body) then you will enjoy this well-written, engrossing crime thriller.  I struggled to put it down and I'm left wanting more Washington Poe and more Tilly Bradshaw.  I can't wait for the next instalment.

Five out of five stars.

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Puppet Show.  The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Oh my goodness this is definitely one of the best books that I have read this year – I loved it!!

It is one of those books that I will be recommending over and over again. I was completely hooked from the first few pages and really didn’t want to put it down.

Poe and Tilly were absolutely brilliant characters and I loved their interaction, reading their conversations always left me with a smile and I loved how Tilly developed as the book went on.

The plot is great and it deals with some really tough subjects very well and I found myself sympathising with the killer on more than one occasion.

The pace was perfect and I read the book over two nights and have to say that I devoured every single page. The writing style was superb, perfectly suited for this genre and it was a genuine delight to read it.

I haven’t read any other books by this author so definitely need to change that and I hope that there are a lot more books in the Washington Poe series.

No hesitation in giving this one a massive five stars – I cannot recommend it highly enough!!

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

I sped through this dark and twisty crime thriller. Everything about it was engrossing and gripping. The murders were deeply disturbing and the main characters were an eclectic bunch who were all interesting in their own different ways. I sense that this will a great series to become absorbed into.

Now Breathe!!!! If you only read 1 book in 2018 This is the book you need to read! "The Puppet Show by M W Craven".........what a Fantastic, harrowing brilliant mystery thriller. and well written book with so much detail throughout!

I was gripped from the first page. There's a serial killer who is named The Immolation Man, is setting alight to their victims, they are still alive when they do it, in the prehistoric stone circles in the Lake District. They leave no clues and the police are helpless in solving this case.
But, their third victim has a name carved onto them "Washington Poe", who is currently on suspension from the NCA.
Why was his name carved onto his latest victim?
Is it personal?
Is he the next victim of this serial killer?
With no other options Washington Poe suspension is lifted and is bought into an investigation that he does not want to be a part of.
This is when you get to meet Washington Poe properly. You will either Love or hate him - just like Marmite. I just loved him.
Poe is Just relentless as he pursues the killer, he is unmanageable to his superiors etc. ignoring all obstacles to find the killer especially with people who are in his way. He wants to find this killer before they kill again or Kill him?!

He is teamed up with a character who is totally opposite to him, in every way called Tilly Bradshaw, She is very naive innocent young lady, who has had a very sheltered life from the world and sadly a target for Bullies. Tilly is the best analyst in the NCA. She has 2 PhDs from Oxford, with brilliant abilities in computer skills, pattern recognition, programming, statistics, data, and so much more. Tilly is Obsessed with computer gaming etc. They are like chalk and cheese but work well together. Poe looks out and protect Tilly in this big world throughout the book and become good friends and have a brilliant working relationship together.
So, Poe, Tilly and DI Stephanie Flynn travel to Cumbria to support the local investigation on The Immolation Man

The puppet show has lots of twists and turns, very gruesome murders, very emotional in parts, gripping, and all the characters are just first class throughout this Brilliant book.

Just a Fantastic Book. Highly recommend this a Must read for 2018!

Plus the last few chapters of The Puppet Show OMG just the best ending to a book I have ever read! Washington Poe what a dilemma you had and Tilly you are a "Super"hero!

Big Fat 5 Stars for this Wonderful Book. Looking forward to Black Summer by M. W Craven............

I would like to thank M. W. Craven, Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for and advance copy of The Puppet Show.

The Puppet Show by M.W. Craven

The Lake District has more prehistoric stone circles than almost anywhere else – a bounty indeed if you’re the type of serial killer who likes to display your incinerated victims in the middle of one.

Detailed scans of the remains of one victim reveal a name cut into his chest, the name of Washington Poe, a former Detective Inspector in the National Crime Agency and now demoted to sergeant following a scandal that has left him suspended for a year now. Poe has spent the year in peaceful retirement, with his dog, in an isolated croft in the Lake District. He doesn’t want to go back to work. But when Stephanie Flynn, his former sergeant now promoted to his former job, asks him to come back and investigate ‘The Immolation Man’, Poe realises that he wants nothing more. Especially when the clues suggest that the fifth victim is to be Poe himself, and they’ve already found victim number three.

The Puppet Show marks the beginning of a new crime series by M.W. Craven and it is absolutely fantastic from start to finish. This is such a great story, with gory crimes committed by a truly nasty killer that nevertheless take place against one of the most dramatic and beautiful backdrops in Britain. Cumbria is a delight in this novel. We explore so much of it with Poe and his dog. The weather, its isolation, its community, the ancient landscape, all play their part.

But even more than the story and the setting, this is a novel that sings with life due to its brilliant characterisation. Poe and Flynn are wonderful people to get to know. There might be a little tension due to their reversal in roles but it doesn’t affect how they work together. In fact, Flynn seems far better suited to the role of sergeant despite the fact that there are times when he goes off and chases his own theories with no thought to others. Well, no thought to others except Tilly, the team’s analyst. And Tilly is the particular joy of The Puppet Show. This young woman with Aspergers is a delight, completely adorable, unpredictable, funny and precise. For some reason Tilly and Poe become an inseparable team and I will make sure I read anything in the future that they appear in. I also loved the contrast in their policing methods, with Tilly always looking at the details while Poe thinks instinctively. I am so pleased to hear that Tilly will return to play another major role in the next novel.

I love M.W. Craven’s writing. It’s witty and humourous, at times chilling and disturbing, and he tells his story with such art and skill, filling it with people you want to get to know while giving us a baddie that scared me to bits while letting me enjoy the scenery. This is one of those crime thrillers that ticked all of the right boxes for me. More, please!

Loved this book, the main character says what he thinks, I couldn't put it down until I'd finished it, Washington poe I hope you are staying around,

A serial killer is burning people alive and leaving them across the Lake Districts’ stone circles. The police are at a loss as there seems no connection between the victims until a name is carved into the chest of the most recent victim.. This debut novel is spectacular and the introduction to two wonderfully engaging characters. The first is,Washington Poe, who is a former DI of NCA who’s on suspension and has been disgraced but,is brought back in to help solve these gruesome killings as he is known to think and act totally out of the box. Secondly, Till Bradshaw a genius mathematician who is socially awkward yet engagingly honest, she’s an analyst for the team who’s able to soft, collate and use data in ways that most police officers can’t. Tilly and Poe’s relationship is central to the novel and makes this thriller so superb. As they take apart evidence and review findings so the muster is solved .
A wonderful first novel that engaged me from the opening chapter and left me bereft when I finished. I cannot wait for the next, I believe I’ve found my next crime thriller obsession

What a great start to a new series of crime thrillers! The characters are well drawn, the story absolutely compelling and the writing sublime. The partnership between Poe and Tilly Bradshaw is unique and endearing.
I can't wait to read the sequel!
Highly recommend!

Washington Poe, a detective on suspension, is brought back to investigate a serial killer who has involved him by name in their horrific crimes. His developing friendship with Tilly brings lightness to the somber nature of what they are investigating. As a team they are intriguing to observe as the plot twists and turns to a compelling conclusion. Addictive reading, refreshingly honest character and plot, and when the realisation hits it hits you with a bang, what a brilliant ending. No spoilers from me, read it for yourself, it’s a blinder.
Netgally advance review copy.

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

This books was so perfect for me it could have been written specially! A dark and unsettling story gradually unfurls drawing the detectives into a 26 year old mystery that has current repercussions. I loved the main characters and the interaction between Poe and Bradshaw was beautifully written, giving sweet moments in an otherwise gruesome tale. Perfect for those who enjoy a well crafted police procedural with a darker side to detectives and criminals alike. More please!!

It was stunning! This novel was dark and twisty in all the right places, after all, they are hunting a terribly vicious serial killer, but it also has laugh-out-loud and heartfelt moments. The cast of characters really bring this novel to life; especially the dynamic between misfits Detective Poe and very socially awkward civilian analysist Tilly Bradshaw. They are delightful, one of the best crime partnerships I've come across in years. Combined with the perfectly picked setting and the vivid descriptions and you become totally invested urging the team to discover all the clues and follow the right leads so they can find this monster. If there is one thriller you pick up this year, make is this one you won't regret it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the Little Brown Book Group for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

There is a serial killer on the loose, he is burning people and leaving no clues and the police are no closer to solving the case. On one of the victims, Washington Poe’s name is carved into his chest, so he is brought back to help with the investigation after being previously suspended. He works alongside Tilly Bradshaw who is socially awkward but is brilliant at what she does, and they work together to uncover what had happened and what it has to do with Poe.

This is a really well written story, it is set in the stone circles of Cumbria and has lots of little twists throughout. The characters are very well developed and my favourite has to be Tilly, who has Aspergers. She says and understands things literally, takes time to adapt to different situations and is bullied for it by others. Watching her develop a working relationship with Poe was fantastic throughout the book, really making me smile.

I hope Poe and Tilly return in a second book soon.

I cannot wait for another dose of Washington Poe, a most engaging detective. The story here is set in the Lake District and the Immolation Man haunts its pages, a great tale well told. Great descriptions and a well paced tense story, there is also a good mix of characters amongst the detectives from the newly promoted Flynn to the socially awkward but brilliant Tilly Bradshaw. I hadn't encountered Mike Craven who is now being marketed as M W Craven but I will seek out the older novels and await the next instalment.
#ThePuppetShow #NetGalley

I loved this book and can’t wait for more in this series.
The body of a man is found burnt at the stake in a stone circle and DI Flynn is investigating the murder. Another body then turns up and the cuts on his burnt chest spell out Washington Poe.
Flynn knows Poe but knows he’s currently not working due to a case that went badly wrong a few years ago.
Poe is asked to join the team but the powers that be want him kept on a very short leash. Poe works closely with Tilly and they have a great relationship, full of banter and misunderstandings! (Those of you who have read this will know exactly what I mean!)
I loved this about the book and it really adds to the story.
This is a fantastic first book in this series and I will definitely be buying the next one.
Thanks to The Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I'm so very pleased to say that The Puppet Show is a fabulous book! I had high hopes, and you know high hopes high falls, so I'm especially glad when I realized not only is the book engrossing to read, it features two new favorite characters Detective Washington Poe and very socially awkward civilian analyst Tilly Bradshaw. Oh, their working relationship makes me think of Ash Henderson and Alice McDonald in Stuart Mcbride's series about Ash Henderson. Poe and Tilly just click, and there are so many wonderful moments, both funny and more serious.

Anyhow, this is a crime novel so of course, there is crime happening. In this case, brutal murders, with the emphasis on brutal. Yes, being a man reading about the mutilations must be hard. I love the setting of the story, I really get a rugged landscape before my eyes and those stone circles that have been there so long time that no one knows what they are for. Now they are used for human sacrifices and Poe has to figure out who is killing these men and why and the investigation starts to reveal hints that the answers lie in the past...

The ending is great, I started to have my suspicions towards a certain person towards the end and I was one the right course. It was such a fabulous ending, at one moment I was afraid it would end with a cliffhanger, and in a way it did, but in a good way. The book ended with me feeling satisfied and eagerly awaiting the next book!

This book is exceptional, i really struggled to put it down and feel empty now i’ve finished it. The partnership between Poe and Tilly is fresh and exciting and I am hoping that there are future books in the series. It kept me enthralled to the very last page and i highly recommended it.

Washington Poe is an intriguing new character from Mike Craven, who wrote the entertaining Avison Fluke books. Poe returns to the National Crime Unit after a suspension, when one of the bodies in a series of macabre killings, is marked with his name. His partnership with Tilly, his autistic sidekick analyst produces some memorable dialogue, due to her guile-less honesty. Tilly's friendship with Poe is established when he slaps down bullies that plague her, and her loyalty is assured after she meets "Edgar", Poe's dog. (I'm looking forward to meeting a pet called "Allen" in the next book!)
There are so many twists and turns in this book, it was impossible to guess the motive and the identify of the killer until the reveal. Poe discovers some heart-breaking information about himself at the climax of the book, in an incredibly moving sequence.
This was an extremely enjoyable book and I highly recommend it.