The curator is the 3rd book in the Washington Poe series. I regretfully had not read the first two books of the series before diving straight into this one. On the other hand the author does a great job at giving enough background information to read as a standalone. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as a standalone. I think anyone wishing to read should start at the beginning, as I believe I would have got even more from this book if I had. I will now reach for the first two books. The characters are very well constructed and the plot is complex, tense and full of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat and sure to grab your attention from the get go. I would highly recommend this book.

This is book number three in the Washington Poe series, although it can be read as a standalone I highly recommend reading the previous two books to get the back story.

The Curator sees Poe and Tilly Bradshaw from the National Crime Agency teaming up again to crack another complex murder investigation. This time three pairs of fingers have been discovered on three consecutive days in three locations over the Christmas holidays in Cumbria. At the scene of each crime, a piece of paper was found with #BSC6 written on them.

This is another well written, well researched and compelling read. I love the chemistry between the characters and look forward to further books in the series.

Don’t you just love that moment when a new book arrives in one of your favourite series, it’s like meeting up with old, and missed friends.
M. W. Craven’s Poe and Bradshaw series is one of those books, and ‘The Curator’ is the latest adventure into the crime thriller world, and what a crime fighting team! All the books work easily as stand-alone reads, so don’t hesitate to pick up this book if you’re new to the series.
‘The Curator’ – and I love the title – is a tightly plotted and tense puzzle of a thriller read, where a series of crimes is being orchestrated from the shadows. It’s up to Poe and Bradshaw to unravel the threads of some rather gruesome crimes and capture the villain. For me, the highlight of these books are the characters and their interplay, there are lovely personal relationships and an intense dedication to hunting down the culprits. I loved the plot in this book, the idea of a 'Curator' controlling the 'players' was really fun to watch develop.
Highly recommended read, and I can't wait to see what Craven comes up with next!

I had been anticipating this book since Black Summer came out, as MW Craven is my absolute favourite crime author. This book cements that feeling, and it was great to be back in the Poe/Bradshaw universe.
The pacing was great, and it was very intelligent (as are all of his books), and I hope that he never ever lets Poe leave the North because I love Cumbria and all of its quirks.
My only reason for not giving this book 5 stars was because I saw one of the two big reveals coming, and I didn't feel like the second one made as much impact as it could have if it was someone else.
Can't wait for book 4!

Further discussion of this book will be up on my channel in my 'What I read in May' video coming w/c 1st of June.

Plot/Narrative

Washington Poe and Matilda Bradshaw who both work for the National Crime Agency which solves those crimes which are seemingly motiveless, shocking and grisly.

In this book, Detective Sargent Washington And Data Analyst Tilly Bradshaw are called in to assist on a rather bizarre and complicated case.

The plot is just WOW, it is complex, gruesome, shocking, compelling and gruesome. I don't
know how Mike invents such amazing gripping dark but fascinating narratives.

Characters

Washington Poe and Matilda Bradshaw are the BEST phenomenal characters ever written. With each book, they continue to develop outstandingly.

In this book Tilly has come out of her shell a little, overcoming her social awkwardness. But she is an intelligent, funny and witty, caring and a straight talker.

Washington Poe is powerful, Determined and meticulous character and in his job, he will do anything to solve the crime and comes up with many ingenious ideas.

But together they are a profound, Determined and a dynamic working team. But their relationship outside work is just as unique and remarkable and they will do anything and everything for each other and their care for each other is profoundly felt in every word of this series.

Writing Style/Pacing

You can not fault Cravens writing skills. It is no surprise that I absolutely Love this series and Mike brilliant writing.

It is flawless, unprecedented and distinguished. Another cracking gripping nauseous inducing opening scene that makes you dive in headfirst.

Somehow you always come away learning so much as well. The pacing is wonderful and evenly paced but once you start you can not stop at all. I read it in two sittings. You can't wait to read any of these books in the series but you feel you have to savour every single word. And it is frankly torture waiting a year in between each book.

Themes/Settings

Craven describes Cumbria so beautifully and illustrative. I love how he adds so much history/background about Cumbria and the surrounding areas.

Overall Thoughts

It is no surprise that I absolutely love this series and Mikes brilliant writing. The plot is just WOW! It is complex, gruesome, astonishing, compelling and gritty. I don't know how Mike invents such amazing gripping narratives and characters. Washington Poe and Matilda Bradshaw are the BEST phenomenal characters ever written.The pacing is wonderful and evenly paced but once you start you can not stop at all.

Will be another NUMBER ONE Crime thriller of the year!!

Another instalment of the Tilly & Poe series and again another which you will find impossible to put down, I have to say I love the relationship between Tilly & Poe which I think attracts me just as much as the story itself. When amputated fingers are found over the days of Christmas in very creative ways, this leads to a very complex investigation for Tilly & Poe and the twist and turns along the way are nothing short of fantastic. When you think you have it all figured out… c’mon you should know better, all will only be revealed when the author is good and ready but such an ending is worth the wait. If you haven’t started this series yet, you should put it on your TBR, it never fails to disappoint but word to the wise, you need a strong stomach to read this series!

Thank you Liitle, Brown Book Company and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
Where do I start? Another Poe and Tilly classic from the beginning, with fingers and not as you can imagine to an unexpected twist at the end which I really didn’t see coming!! Poe and Tilly’s relationship just gets better and better and as for Flynn, well I won’t say anymore. The whole series is great and I would highly recommend. How long until book 4???

The Curator is the third book in the Washington Poe crime series featuring Detective Washington Poe and his socially awkward side kick Tilly Bradshaw. The author gives enough background within this story for it to read as a standalone but I would highly recommend reading the previous books simply because they are brilliant.

With a great opening to get us hooked, the author doesn’t let up with a gripping and steady pace throughout. All the elements I have loved from the previous books are as present in this one. Poe’s springer spaniel Edgar, threatens to still the lime light as usual and he is a great asset to the series, even though he sadly only has minor parts. Tilly is her usual intellectually brilliant self and the working relationship between her and Poe is made of award winning stuff.

The case is a complicated one with body parts turning up with a code which will only ever be a matter of time for Tilly to crack. The investigation takes twists and turns as Poe and Tilly close in on finding out just who the Curator is. I have to say the who and why makes for some seriously jaw dropping reading and the ending, well it just makes me love Poe that little bit more for standing by his morals.

The Curator is a story that will grab your attention from the start and never lets go. I’ve said it before and I will say it again with my reviews for this series, the characters are what make it the compulsive reads that they are. With an intellectual case with each offering, this is yet another book that I struggled to put down. A page turning, unputdownable read at the top of it’s genre.

a dark, witty, shocking and really compulsive read. It is packed with tension and twists (you know that they will be there but these really surprise you) and it really will keep you turning page after page until you are disappointed that the story ends. I said in my review of Black Summer that is was impressive, exceptional and phenomenal, well I have no words left to describe The Curator – you will just have to read it for yourself and let me know!

Definitely the must-read crime thriller of the year.

I am so happy Poe and Tilly are back!!
The Curator is the third instalment of their story and, in my opinion anyway, the best so far.
The team are set the task of solving another grisly case that needs their particular expertise. On the three days over Christmas, three seperate sets of amputated fingers appear in different locations throughout Cumbria. And so starts a complex and twisty case that got more and more gripping as it went on, leaving me holding my breath for about the last 20%!
I don't think I will ever bore of these! As dark as the stories and crimes can get, the offset of Poe and Tilly's relationship and humour is perfect.
I can't wait to see what happens next!

What a rollercoaster of a book! Washington Poe and his singular analyst Tilly are drawn in when a series of fingers are found in odd locations, plus a body. The story then takes them on a trail to find the killer, who appears to be involved in some gruesome online 'game' to meet challenges by killing. However, all is not as it seems.

Just when you think you have the killer in your sights, the plot shifts and everything changes.

The only thing that was unbelievable was the idea that Stephanie Flynn would be allowed to continue on active police service when 8 months' pregnant.

A great read, keeps you gripped as you follow the twists and turns, including the trip to the incredibly beautiful Cumbrian island.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's been a whole year since I read Black Summer. Oh how I've missed Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw! But they're back with a bang in this latest book in the series. I read The Puppet Show and didn't think Mike Craven could better that, but Black Summer was amazing, but this book is the best in the series …. so far!

I loved the Christmas time setting for this one (even though I read it in May) The plot is complex and draws you in straight away. Some of the technical stuff just went over my head and I know just how Poe feels when Tilly is explaining complex stuff to him! Nevertheless it's obvious Mr Craven has researched the book well. The story moves quickly and the conclusion had me biting my nails and holding my breath. But although the book is tense there is, as in previous books, plenty of black humour running through.

As always the landscape of Cumbria plays a huge part in the story, and I loved the fact that this book is partly set on a remote island off the Cumbrian coast.

Poe and Tilly are my favourite crime fighting duo ever! Their friendship goes from strength to strength and their banter is just hilarious.

This is THE must read book of 2020. Can't wait for the next installment!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of The Curator, the third novel to feature Detective Sergeant Washington Poe and Civilian Investigator Tilly Bradshaw of the Serious Crime Agency.

There appears to be a serial killer on the loose in Cumbria if the body parts found around the county are any indication. Poe, Bradshaw and their boss, the heavily pregnant DI Stephanie Flynn are sent to assist the investigation.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Curator which is a tense read, full of twists and turns. It is told from Poe’s point of view (hurray) so the reader knows nothing more than he does and can attempt to solve it themselves, although I defy any reader to pick apart the various developments and reach a conclusion before Poe. It is too full of surprises and unexpected twists and it had me glued to the pages from start to finish, apart from some of Tilly’s more technical descriptions which made my eyes glaze. That is one of the joys of the novel, Tilly does the geek speak and Poe interprets it for us non speakers.

I feel as if I am repeating myself to mention the plot twists again but they are integral to the read. To be honest they are exciting and add another dimension to what is essentially a serial killer novel but I can’t help but feel that in this novel they are overly convoluted for what turns out to be a less than sterling motive.

I love the dynamic between Poe and Tilly. She’s a genius with poor interpersonal skills and he’s the everyday detective with a bent for lateral thinking. I think of them as the dynamic duo as they are a powerhouse team who will make you laugh.

The Curator is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Well, what can I say, I am loving this series and I was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to be able to curl up and read the next instalment and from the first few pages I was hooked.

I loved being back with the old team of Flynn, Poe and Tilly, it was another fab storyline with some great twists and some great analogies that I can now use in my every day life!

This is a superb series and I loved this book so much that I had to slow down how fast I was reading so I could stop and savour it. If you haven't read this series already then you must and if you have read the others then this book is a must purchase!

Oh, I do love a good Poe and Tilly story, and this is a most excellent Poe and Tilly story. Take a little snow, an impending Christmas holiday and some of the most grim seasonal offerings or secret Santa gifts you could ever hope to happen upon, and the scene is set for a story which is intrigue, confound, excite and surprise you in equal measure. With a little touch of ewww for good luck. It is an M.W. Craven story after all.

The story starts in typical Washington Poe style - with a scene that immediately grabs your attention and leaves you with so many unanswered questions. Thankfully that is exactly why they employ Poe and Tilly and all of the team at the National Crime Agency. Only this case has them flummoxed too, largely because they don't have 'whole' victims, and the staging of the bits they do find are so very varied and extreme that it is clear a very devious mind is at work.

The story draws upon an idea that I find fascinating - whether or not it is possible to incite strangers to act entirely against character. Looking at the psychology of the dare, of backing people into a corner in which they are left with only one choice seems incredible and yet is also very believable. That whole idea of online challenges, the need to feed it, to accept increasing;y challenging, and often illegal dares,is hardly knew but is used to good effect here in a way that is very difficult to talk about without giving far too much away. Let's just say that they initial investigation that Poe is called in to partake in is really just the very small tip of a much larger and far reaching iceberg. And it is an iceberg that the team are set for a potentially catastrophic collision with.

Littered with the usual dark humour that we have come to expect from the series, it really lifts what could otherwise have been an overly intense read. There is a very disturbing truth at the heart of this novel, one that might well shock you and certainly something I didn't see coming - not directly anyway. I had some suspicions over one character's behaviour but certainly not that.

I do love the dynamic between Poe and Tilly. They really should not work as a team, and I know I say that every time I review these books, but that's only because it is true. They are so opposite in character, Poe sarcastic and gung-ho whereas Tilly is factual, straight talking (even if unintentionally - irony does not compute) and driven by the science. She keeps Poe grounded, finding the evidence of the links that has instinctively knows are there. There is one scene where she acts completely out of character, at least in Tilly terms, but it shows how Poe is rubbing off on her, as well as showing her fighting spirit which we first saw in. evidence in book one.

Not only do you get great characterisation, as expected, but you also have the beauty of setting with the author using the landscape of the Lakes and Shap area to full effect here. Whilst some of the locations in the story are fictional, it did make me more intrigued about the area. I'll admit I have never been to the Lake District and, having read these books I'm not sure if I am more or less inclined to do so now, but the passion the author has for the area is very evident. He recreates not only urban landscape of a city, but the perfect isolation of the countryside, from Poe's idyllic and remote home, to the extreme of the island hideaway out in the Irish sea where one of the killer's potential victims resides. It certainly fascinates me and leaves me with a sense of longing to see the area for myself.

The pacing is fast even if sometimes it seems progress on the case is frustratingly slow. With the added disadvantage of the weather and tidal systems working against them it all serves to create a climax that is as thrilling, unexpected, nerve jangling and bloody satisfying as they come. All through this book you will have scene's where you think you know, but you'll probably be wrong. Even up to those high-stakes, jeopardy laden final scenes you will probably be second guessing yourself. Misdirection is rife, the suspect pool almost endless, and with a seasoned killer in play you know that it could all well end in tragedy. And then when you think it really is all over there is that ending. Quite what that means for the future of the team, one of them in particular ... Well I, for one, cannot wait to find out. Most definitely recommended but be prepared to lose and entire day to the book as once you start reading, you won't want to stop.

This is the third book in this clever crime thriller series and is being published in July 2020.  I was fortunately enough to receive an early proof copy from Netgalley and started it immediately after finishing book two Black Summer (see my review here).

The Curator sees Washington Poe and Matilda Bradshaw from the National Crime Agency team up again to crack another grisly and complex murder investigation.  Over a period of a few days 3 sets of fingers have been found in different locations all with the hashtag #BSC6  inscribed close by.  With 3 unknown victims, Poe is struggling after suffering with "man-flu" and Tilly is out of her comfort zone trying to track down the link and the killer before a 4th victim is found.

Another highly entertaining and fast paced thriller with grisly murders, a wonderfully mismatched duo and a clever but complex crime to solve.  Can't wait to read book 4.

Why have three pairs of fingers been discovered in Cumbria over the Christmas holidays? Poe, DI Flynn and Tilly have been called in to help the Cumbrian police. With no bodies, only the fingers, pathologist Esther Doyle doesn’t have much to work on.
Before long an unpopular FBI agent contacts Poe as she believes this has all been set up by someone called The Curator.

As serious as the storyline is, there is still humour, usually from Tilly - not that she has a clue! I can’t help but laugh at her inappropriate recalling of conversations that shouldn’t be repeated!
Poe and Tilly’s friendship goes from strength to strength and they have a wonderful bond.
This is a complex plot that had me on the edge of my seat and the ending had me flabbergasted.

My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for a copy of this ARC.

Elite entertainment from a crime maestro, which had me astonished and thrilled from start to finish. Craven is making outstanding seem normal with the revelatory Poe and Bradshaw series.

Finding human remains in your Christmas gift doesn't fill anyone with festive cheer. Add them to those found in a church and small food shop and it's clear Cumbria police need the services of the National Crime Agency. Washington Poe doesn't mind, he lives in the area and once partner and best friend Tilly Bradshaw joins him and their very pregnant boss Stephanie Flynn he is good to go.

Working through the evidence, finding hidden clues, and interpreting them in their own inimitable way is what Poe and Tilly specialise in but even they aren't prepared for what they find or for what happens next. Searching for vital but elusive leads, and with the weather closing in, nothing is quite as it seems but will they realise that in time to save the vulnerable final victim before it's too late?

Although The Curator is the third book in this series it is the first I have read and to begin with I found it a little confusing but once the story took hold everything came together. The storyline was satisfyingly convoluted and its highs and lows are detailed in a realistic manner. I liked the main protagonists with Poe and Tilly coming across as dedicated, focused and with a realistic friendship which was clear in everything they did.

There were a couple of iffy moments which, although vital to the plot, seemed a little contrived. That said I was totally surprised by the identity of the main antagonist and, although I remember the real life case behind the fiction, shocked by their motivations.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed the series so far or wants an enthralling mystery to solve.

The Puppet Show was excellent

Black Summer was superb

The Curator is outstanding

Poe & Tilly return in the third book of this outstanding series.

All I can say is get hold of a copy and read it