Storytelling at its finest!

With Poe & Tilly M.W. Craven has created a team that goes so far beyond clever investigation into such heartlifting friendship with all the brilliant banter to accompany it. Add in Estelle, Flynn & the rest of the team & you've got a winning formula.

The story, or stories, are so intelligently plotted & completely captivating that I could have read this in one sitting. How he comes up with these ideas I don't know, I only hope they keep coming.

M W Craven is one of those authors whose new instalments I await with genuine excitement. I love this series of books and The Botanist was no exception. Hugely enjoyable.

This is by far one of my all time favoirite book series. I can safely say this book sits easily in my top 10 reads of the year.

M W Craven has an outstanding tallent when it comes to writing. His story telling is second to none. The storylines keep you hooked with enough going on throughout to stop you wanting to do anything else until you finish the book. Its then an issue when you do finish it as it always leaves you wanting more.

The Botanist is Book 5 in the Poe and Tilly series.

These two characters have been written about brilliantly and getting to know them over 5 books has been amazing. You almost feel like you know these characters personally and that whatever journey they are going on, you will be right there by there side.
Dark, full of suspense and thrilling, you will not want this book to end.

Well, it was amazing as ever to be back with Tilly and Poe. I’m not sure I can put into words how much I love this series. Everything works so well from the brilliant characters, the witty writing and the tangled plots that always keep me guessing. The Botanist is another perfect example of how this series captures my attention every single time.

It’s safe to say that Poe definitely has his work cut out for him in The Botanist. With two cases dividing his attention, each case is equally intriguing but one in particular has a more personal connection. I couldn’t wait to see how it would all play out.

I loved being kept on my toes as the locked room type mystery played out. It was written in a way that left me wonderfully confused and trying to think up different theories. I’ll be honest and say I was stumped. For me the dark edge of the murders combined with the characters engaging interactions created a solid and addictive story. I honestly couldn’t decide whether to race through it and read it in one go or try to make the book last as long as possible. I loved it that much!

If you are yet to meet Tilly and Poe, I really hope you find the time to pick up this series. I don’t think I stopped smiling at the pair of them throughout this book. They may have completely different personalities but they really do make the perfect team. While reading it’s very easy to feel as if I’m right there with them. Although I don’t think I’d be much use!

The Botanist has easily made its way onto my top book picks for this year. It is such a cleverly crafted story and an addictive one at that. I’ll say it again, I loved it!

Another fantastic book in this series!

I always love reading about Tilly and Poe. They are the most fantastic characters and I absolutely love following their journeys!

The plot was executed perfectly and kept me guessing right until the end. A real page turner with the perfect pace. Superb.

5/5 - would recommend!

M. W. Craven is a long-standing favourite author of mine and #TheBotanist did not disappoint in the slightest.

As the latest instalment in the Poe & Tilly series, this novel is an Estelle Doyle story which I was really happy about as she has been such an intriguing character in previous books, it was a pleasure to get to know her better!

I’m a huge fan of this author so I pre-ordered this book as soon as I knew about it. Once again the author has written a gripping, twisty book that was hard to put down.

It was great being back with Tilly and Poe following them as they tried to catch another murderer. The Botanist has to be one of the worse villains I’ve come across in a book. Not because he was particularly cruel or violent but because of how cold and calculated he was. He seemed to have absolutely no regard for people he considered below him (most people as it turned out) and this sent a shiver down my spine as I read. He seemed impossible to catch which I found very interesting and I enjoyed following Tilly and Poe as they investigated.

As always the fab police team was very entertaining to follow throughout the book. I loved the easy banter and in jokes that exist between them which helps break up some of the darker moments in the book. I felt like I was part of the team at times which I really enjoyed, especially as I recognised some of the in jokes that are mentioned from previous books.

This story drew me in from the start and I quickly found that I couldn’t put the book down. There was always something happening to keep my attention either from the case or from the teams antics. There were lots of twists and red herrings that kept me guessing and I honestly couldn’t figure out how the botanist was doing it until the characters figured it out in the book. It was nice to see a different side of Poe too and for him to get a win in his personal life for once. The double twist ending was brilliant, and unexpected as I thought the story was winding down. Highly recommended from me!

This is the latest in the incredible series featuring Poe and Tilly and if you follow my blog you will see that I read book 4 a few days ago and immediately started book 5 The Botanist which was read in under a day because it’s quite simply THAT BLOODY GOOD!

The Botanist is, in my humble opinion, the BEST book so far of this cracking series and I literally inhaled it from start to finish. Yes it can be read out of order, but I always recommend reading the books as the author intended and getting to know all the characters properly.

Once again Washington Poe and Matilda “Tilly” Bradshaw are facing a twisted and disturbed killer, called The Botanist, who is targetting high profile victims without leaving a trace. The fact that his victims are either corrupt, misogynistic or vile racists is appealling to the public and he is seen as a hero rather than a vicious serial killer.

Poe is also trying to deal with the arrest of pathologist, Estelle Doyle who has been charged with the murder of her own father and the evidence does not look good.

Juggling two high profile and confusing “locked room” cases has Poe and Tilly running backwards and forwards determined to stop anymore deaths and prove the innocence of Estelle.

I said it in my previous review on Dead Ground, but Poe and Tilly’s friendship is amazing, I was continuously laughing out loud at the exchanges between them. This book delves deeper into their personal lives and I absolutely LOVED it.

The Botanist is a book full of brilliant banter with highly original and complex cases and tea with breastmilk. What more can you ask for?

THE BOTANIST
Susp-Poe/Tilly-UK-Contemp
By M.W. Craven – 5th book in series
Constable, 2022, 433 pages
Rating: Poor/D

First Sentence: There were bastard trees and there were wait-awhile trees and there was a building that didn’t exist.

Pathologist Estelle Boyle’s father has been fatally shot, twice in the head. Traces of gunpowder are on Estelle's hands and her footprints are the only ones leading into the house where he was found. Estelle is arrested for his murder, all she will say is “Tell Washington Poe.” In the meantime, someone the press has named “The Botanist” is sending poems and pressed flowers to celebrities prior to their deaths. Despite the security measures that are taken to protect them, the killer succeeds in his goal. It’s up Washington Poe and the Serious Crimes Unit to stop the killer, as well as prove Estelle’s innocence.
The first four books by Craven were a complete treat, making anticipation high at beginning of “The Botanist.” The promise of a locked room mystery, and the hope Craven was moving away from another serial killer plot was particularly exciting. Instead, he took what could have been a clever, intriguing story, placed the most interesting character in jail, and went back to formula was very disappointing.
Washington Poe, a supposedly brilliant detective, now comes off as arrogant, insolent, and a bit of a bore. Tilly Bradshaw, a fascinating character and true genius, was mostly mainly off stage with her talents underutilized. The solution to the locked-room puzzle was both over-the-top and obvious. It was something Tilly should have been able to solve in minutes.
The best serial killer books create empathy for the victims and even sometimes the killer. In this aspect, the author fails. With the threat that unknown innocents may die, one instinctively knows it won’t happen, negating the sense of danger. Sadly, the one rather clever scene mimics a scene from “The Thomas Crown Affair.”
When starting a new book, one hopes for something original, creative, and compelling, not a rehash of things done before, whether by the same author or someone else. Whether one calls the opening a prologue or chapter one doesn’t matter. It is still an unnecessary, irrelevant device and information one quickly forgets.
THE BOTANIST might have been interesting were one a science/biology nerd. Instead, it was at least 100 pages too long, with an Agatha Christie pronouncement that jumped between two time periods--are we not done with the device of time jumping?--and little tension. Every author has an off book. This was Craven’s. Here’s hoping his next book is shorter, tighter, and far better.

Knowing how quickly Mike Craven writes it feels like I’ve been waiting for this for ever. Although I have my special physical copy arriving, I was thrilled when I was accepted for an ARC.

Welcome back Poe and Tilly, you’ve been missed. The Botanist is possibly Mike’s most challenging serial killer to date. The killer knows all there is to know about plants, poisons and how to use them. It’s up to Poe and Tilly to find and stop them. This book, like the others, does not let us down. One minute I thought I’d worked things out, but then we’re thrown a curveball. I’m not sure what would be a spoiler or not, so that’s all you’ll getting about the plot.

Although you do not have to have read the previous Poe and Tilly books to enjoy this one, it seems a shame not to. As well as getting to know them more intimately, there are other characters who play a huge part in their lives. For example, it was great to see Estelle play a bigger role. Mike has a way of linking previous cases and people throughout his books until they seamlessly overlap - brilliant.

I cannot recommend this highly enough. Poe and Tilly do not disappoint.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for my ARC

An Absolute blinder of a book.

If you haven't read any of the first 4 Poe & Tilly books, this is the best yet, go back and start from the begining, you cant not you'd be missing out.

This time Poe needs to hunt down a serial killer, who's leaving them clues as to who he's killed, but they just cant catch him! Even with Tilly's amazing skills.

Just Devine reading!

A new book by MW Craven is always a treat - usually a gory, gruesome, twisty treat, but a treat nevertheless!

This book - the fifth featuring Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw - is another excellent addition to the series. Regular readers will not be at all disappointed, but if you haven't made the acquaintance of Poe and Bradshaw before then I'd recommend that you start with Book 1, 'The Puppet Show'. This novel makes total sense as a standalone, but you really don't want to miss the rest of the books!

This book sees Detective Sergeant Washington Poe and his analyst sidekick Tilly Bradshaw investigate some impossible murders. Threats are sent (accompanied by a flower - hence 'The Botanist), the victims go into hiding or protection...and then die anyway! Poe finds himself in a very tricky situation, failing to protect some high profile victims who are all also really terrible people - something that is giving the Botanist kudos amongst the general public. Think corrupt politicians, spreaders of 'fake news', dodgy businessmen - Poe finds himself trying to protect some awful people while also trying to clear the name of his friend, pathologist Estelle Doyle, who is embroiled in her own problems.

As with the previous books in the series, the charm is in the relationship between Poe and Bradshaw. He's the tough, maverick cop who plays by his own rules, while Tilly provides the humour and warmth. She may be a genius with technology who can access any systems anywhere, but her lack of social guile is legendary. Her gaucheness and naivety bring out Poe's protectiveness and provide some brilliantly hilarious conversations as Tilly launches in with no social awkwardness at all. She's a fabulous character and they make a duo that I'd be happy to read about even without all the murders!

The plotting, as always, is clever and pacy - there is never a dull moment as the Botanist works his way through victims at quite a rate. The dual plotline (the Botanist and Estelle's story) also adds interest, especially as the latter brings things closer to Poe's personal life and makes the stakes higher. The ultimate solution is credible and well-presented, even if I'd kind of worked out a little bit of it in advance. There's so many twists along the way that I doubt anyone could work it all out!

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys clever, pacy and lively crime thrillers. The stakes are high, the plotting is tight and the banter between Washington and Tilly as funny as ever. Clear your diary as you won't want to put this one down.

An incredible story with an ingenious plot, twisted murders and a story that had me in the edge of my seat. The months of waiting for this book meant it was built up so high I feared it couldn’t possibly meet my expectations. It more than met them, it surpassed them.

In the space of a year or 2, M.W. Craven has forced himself right to the top of my reading pile. When he releases a book, ill drop what I’m reading and devour his latest offering. The same was true when The Botanist dropped (and his short story The Cutting Season a few weeks before).

The latest Tilly and Poe novel is, as expected, a work of genius. Craven is right up there with the best crime writers in the world right now. In this book, we get our duo investigating not 1, but 2 locked room mysteries. And with his intelligent writing, Craven is able to entwine both mysteries into one, keeping the reader turning pages and guessing right up to the end. And then he still throws in a surprise or 3.

Great stuff from a modern master, bring on the next one.

Craven is rapidly proving himself to be the contemporary master of the locked room mystery and in The Botanist, we have two distinct locked room investigations going on simultaneously .
As always, his characterisation os fabulous and I looked forward to the various Tillyisms and was not disappointed - pure genious to create that character and of course, big irrascible Poe and long sufferring, straight talking Flynn aren't so bad either.
I found this an adictive read and so the pages turned themselves as I was drawn ever deeper into the plot. The only slight nag was the amount of time they spent driving between Cumbria and London - I'm exhausted after a trip to the supermarket never mind a cross country trawl. however, the journies did allow for more Tillyisms en route.
Another triumph

When a poisoner called The Botanist starts bumping off some of the country's most reviled people, in ways which seem totally indetectable, the National Crime Agency is brought in to investigate. Detective Washington Poe and analyst Tilly Bradshaw are back on the case.

You don't read a Poe & Tilly novel for sparkling dialogue, but for ingenious plots with twists you can't possible see coming. But even by those standards, I found the prose style of The Botanist a slog. As an example, the below excerpt:

'Why would you want to do that Poe?'
'Yes Poe,' a voice behind him said. 'Why would you want to do that?'
He spun round.
It was Detective Chief Inspector Tai-young Lee.
'What are you doing here, Sergeant Poe?' Detective Chief Inspector Tai-young Lee said.

I found this affected my enjoyment of the book, which would have benefitted from a more thorough edit. Neverthless, the plotting remains top notch and the friendship between Poe and Tilly will ensure I return to future books.

Another cracking book in the Washington Poe series. I love that the characters are really the focus of the story now. Poe, Tilly, Flynn, and now Estelle are each a layered and fascinating character that I would want to read about over and over again.
I loved that this story really brought them all into play.
I was convinced this book was going to be the first in a sequel. No way did I think Craven could pull out an ending with so little pages to go, but credit to him, he tied it up pretty nicely!
There are of course many things in the book that will continue to the next in the series and I for one cannot wait to read it!

Just another genius novel from MW Craven. Being reunited with Poe, Tilly, Flynn and Estelle always feels like coming home.

Two locked room mysteries in one novel. Craven, a writer of sparkling dialogue and the most realistic characters, demonstrates his ability for setting up seemingly impossible mysteries and bowling the reader over with their resolutions.

I always finish an MW Craven novel in awe of his writing, and The Botanist is his strongest yet.

An absolute tour de force in crime fiction! I loved every moment of The Botanist.

First of all, the villain is wonderfully morally ambiguous. He's clearly an awful person, but the people he is killing are also incredibly repugnant. Do they deserve to die? Maybe not. Would I mourn any of their passing? Maybe not. This added a very interesting layer of complexity into the crimes.

Then there's the methodology. The Botanist is essentially a series of locked room mysteries, each one more complex than the last. It was fascinating watching Poe and Tilly struggle to solve them, while also being completely baffled myself.

One of the things I really like about the Washington Poe mysteries is the character development we see from book to book, and this has some really cool developments for Poe's personal life. There's a layer of sexual tension here that is absolutely delicious! I loved it. There's less focus on Tilly and Flynn, but I felt like that was a necessary sacrifice to give Poe the spotlight. And Tilly is still superb in every scene she is in. Her insistence on managing Poe's diet was hilarious.

And then everything comes together in a really fun and satisfying conclusion, one I saw just as it was about to be revealed, which really is the best time. It's not so much about who the killer is, but about how he is caught, and the finale of the book played it out beautifully.

Then there's the epilogue, and it was an absolute thrill to see one of my favourite bookshops, Forum Books in Corbridge, getting featured so prominently. The way these books tie into the real world around us gives them an edge of authenticity that I really enjoy.

I read this as a standalone as I hadn't read previous installments in the series and I found it easy to do that. It was gripping and twisty and I couldn't put it down.