The Botanist (Washington Poe Book 5) by M.W Craven

Synopsis
This is going to be the longest week of Washington Poe’s life…

Detective Sergeant Washington Poe can count on one hand the number of friends he has. And he’d still have his thumb left. There’s the guilelessly innocent civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw of course. Insanely brilliant, she’s a bit of a social hand grenade. He’s known his beleaguered boss, Detective Inspector Stephanie Flynn for years as he has his nearest neighbour, full-time shepherd/part-time dog sitter, Victoria.

And then there’s Estelle Doyle. Dark and dangerous and sexy as hell. It’s true the caustic pathologist has never walked down the sunny side of the street, but has she gone too far this time? Shot twice in the head, her father’s murder appears to be an open and shut case. Estelle has firearms discharge residue on her hands, and, in a house surrounded by fresh snow, hers are the only footprints. Since her arrest she’s only said three words: ‘Tell Washington Poe.’

Meanwhile, a poisoner called the Botanist is sending the nation’s most reviled people poems and pressed flowers. Twisted and ingenious, he seems to be able to walk through walls and, despite the advance notice given to his victims, and regardless of the security measures taken, he is able to kill with impunity.

Review
M.W Craven’s Washington Poe series have become one of my favourite crime series so I’m always beyond excited to when a new book in the series is released. The Botanist is the fifth book in this series and I think it maybe my favourte. There is not one, but two murders to investigate, and one is personal when pathologist Estelle Doyle is arrested for the murder of her father, and the evidence is not favourable to her. Poe, Tilly, and DI Flynn also find themselves trying to catch a killer, labeled The Botanist by the press, who sends poems and dried flowers to his victims before poisoning them, and they haven no idea how. Two locked room mysteries, and a personal element make these investigations tense as the team are racing against time to stop further murders by The Botanist, and to save Estelle from being convicted of murder.

This could be a very short review, with me simply calling this book absolutely amazing!! With every book M.W Craven just gets better and better with his writing and plotting. The Botanist really gave my brain a work out as I was trying to fathom out the who,what and why of both crimes, but of course I never worked it out, M.W Craven is far too clever for me. Honestly, the plotting is impeccable, with it’s complex crimes that drew me in with their shocking modus operandi, and where the killer seems to be able to levitate in and out of crime scenes unseen. The tension is palpable and I was so engossed in this book I literally couldn’t put it down. The short chapters are clever literary technique, as they have that effect of you just thinking ‘the next chapter is only three pages long do I will read it’ two hours later I was still reading. As well as the darkness of the murders, and the tension between the team, and Estelle’s predicament there is plenty of wit and sarcasm to add light to the darkness, mainly from Poe and Tilly.

Poe and Tilly are what makes these books so special in my opinion. Tilly’s innocence and no filter makes for so many laugh out loud moments, frequently at Poe’s expense when she repeats things he said in private. Whilst Tilly is a tech genius, Poe is definitely not, he prefers pen and paper and a life without television, just him and his dog Edgar living the simple life at Herdwick Croft. However, as a team they are unstoppable, and have a wonderful friendship that is heartwarming. I really enjoyed learning more about Estelle Doyle, the teams most trusted pathologist, in this book, her surprising background and how much Poe’s opinion means to her; she has always had a soft spot for Poe. The ease of relationships between the characters has a versimilitude about it, the sarcasm, wit and disagreements that happen between many of those who work close together.

As I wrote above The Botanistis a masterful and absolutely amazing read. There are two complex and intriguing puzzles for the team to investigate, a constant undercurrent of suspense and tension, that kept me guessing throughout and trying to fit in as much reading time as possible. M.W Craven’s writing is sublime, both in his intelligent and flawless plot and in the wonderful characters who now feel like old friends. This is a must read for M.W Craven fans, and if you haven’t read any of the books in this series I implore you to do so, they will captivate you, keep you on the edge of your seat and even make you laugh. I can’t wait to see what crime Poe and Tilly find themselves investigating next.

You can read my no spoiler reviews of other Washington Poe books by clicking the links below:
The Puppet Show by M.W.Craven
Black Summer by M.W Craven (Washington Poe Book 2)
The Curator (Washington Poe) by M.W. Craven
Dead Ground: The New Poe and Bradshaw Thriller by M.W. Craven

I would like to thank Beth Wright from Constable for my advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.