- Paperback: 416 pages
- Publisher: Constable (12 Dec. 2019)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1472127498
- ISBN-13: 978-1472127495
Synopsis
After The Puppet Show, a new storm is coming . . .
Jared Keaton, chef to the stars. Charming. Charismatic. Psychopath . . . He’s currently serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of his daughter, Elizabeth. Her body was never found and Keaton was convicted largely on the testimony of Detective Sergeant Washington Poe.
So when a young woman staggers into a remote police station with irrefutable evidence that she is Elizabeth Keaton, Poe finds himself on the wrong end of an investigation, one that could cost him much more than his career.
Helped by the only person he trusts, the brilliant but socially awkward Tilly Bradshaw, Poe races to answer the only question that matters: how can someone be both dead and alive at the same time?
And then Elizabeth goes missing again – and all paths of investigation lead back to Poe.
Review
After reading The Puppet Show earlier in the year I have eagerly been waiting for the sequel and the return of Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw. When you love the first novel in a series so much there is always the fear that the second book may not live up to your expectation, but Black Summer didn’t disappoint, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it was even better. This book sees Washington Poe called back to Cumbria after the daughter of Celebrity Chef, Jared Keaton, whom Poe put away for her murder, suddenly turns up. Poe has questions to answer which get more complicated when Elizabeth Keaton goes missing again, and he finds himself a suspect in her disappearance. With the help of Tilly Bradshaw they have to investigate how a girl believed to have been murdered six years before can suddenly turn up alive and then disappear again. This is a fast paced, intelligent and thrilling read that can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend you read the first book to get more from the book and characters.
I was so happy when I picked this book up, being back in the company of Poe and Bradshaw felt like meeting up with old friends. Poe, as usual is in trouble and Tilly is the one who he trusts to help him. The relationship between Poe and Tilly is what makes these books so special for me, Poe is sarcastic, charming, dogged and anti authority which is what frequently lands him in trouble with his superiors. Tilly is a genius, highly educated, but has limited social skills that sees her make some wonderful faux-pas and give far too much personal information. Together they make a formidable team, there is a loyalty and respect between them, and their relationship is endearing like father and daughter. Their nemesis is Jared Keaton, charming, egotistical, and charismatic in character but also a psychopath who holds a grudge against Poe for putting him in Prison six years ago.
M.W Craven’s plot line is indisputably intelligent and gripping; it is definitely one of the best crime plot lines I have ever read. The twists, turns and complexity of the investigation in to Elizabeth Keaton’s murder/disappearance had me gripped and there is no way I could have guessed where this story was going or how it was going to be concluded. Set in the beautiful, but harsh at times Cumbrian countryside during a storm adds to the atmospheric feeling of this book, whilst also being a metaphor for the trouble Poe finds himself in.
Black Summer is one of the best crime thrillers that I have read in along time, and I am sure will be on my top ten reads of 2019. Not only does it have a complex, intelligent and fascinating plot but also characters with a depth to them, who bring out different sides to each others personalities, and feel personable. The intensity of the investigation is complimented by the humour, wit and sarcasm of Poe and Tilly that you won’t be able to help but laugh at. This is an amazing read, that had me gripped from the first page and had me on the edge of my seat by the finish; this is simply brilliant, amazing and fabulous!!! I can’t believe I have to wait another year for the next book in the series.
